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Leader Guide

Teaching

  • Bibles or the Superbook Bible App
Discipleship Challenge:

For the Discipleship Challenge, make a copy of the Promise Pouch and Heart Promises Page for children who missed Lesson 1. See Lesson 1 for details.

It’s Our Battle, Too: Discuss how God brings us victory.                     

The Israelites were in the wilderness, yet they were not alone. The people could see symbols of God’s presence to remind them He was there. Can you name three of the symbols that represented God’s presence as they traveled? Cloud, pillar of fire, and Ark of the Covenant.

Read Numbers 10:33–35: 

33 They marched for three days after leaving the mountain of the LORD, with the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant moving ahead of them to show them where to stop and rest. 34 As they moved on each day, the cloud of the LORD hovered over them. 35 And whenever the Ark set out, Moses would shout, “Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered! Let them flee before You!”  

The Ark of the Covenant brought encouragement and strength to the people as it went before them into battle. We are even more blessed today because of Christ. The Holy Spirit goes before us and with us. He guides, protects, and gives us victory in all the battles we may encounter. Who can say the SuperTruth we learned in Large Group? “The battle belongs to the Lord.”

If the battle is the Lord’s, do you think it means we can just kick back, relax, and forget about it until it is over? No!

That’s right; we can’t just play games and ask God to let us know when it’s all over. We have a very important job.

When the Israelites first escaped from slavery in Egypt and began their journey to the Promised Land, Pharaoh and his army came charging after them. Moses and the Israelites were trapped between their enemies and the Red Sea. Was this the end?

Have two volunteers read aloud Exodus 14:13–16:   

13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The LORD Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” 15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the people to get moving! 16 Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.”

Did Moses just relax on the shore? No. What did God tell him to do? To raise his staff over the sea so it would divide.  

Have children raise their arms as if they’re pointing over the Red Sea. When Moses raised his staff, a great wind blew and opened up a path of dry land through the sea. The battle was the Lord’s, yet Moses had to obey and do his part. And when all the Israelites had finished crossing through the sea on dry land, God told Moses to raise his arm again. This time, the waters of the sea fell back into place, drowning the Egyptian army! The Bible tells us in Exodus 14:25 that the Egyptians shouted:

“Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!” 

They were terrified when they realized God was fighting for the Israelites. When we ask for God’s help, we must be ready and willing to do what He asks—no matter how big or small the part is.

Forty years later, when the Israelites finally crossed into the Promised Land, Joshua led them into battle against the great city of Jericho. It was a well-fortified, walled city that was impossible to defeat without God’s help. God gave Joshua and the Israelites a very unusual part to play in the battle. Have volunteers read Joshua 6:1–5:

1 Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. 2 But the LORD said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. 3 You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. 4 Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. 5 When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”

What did God tell the people to do? March around the city. 

Let’s stand up and march in place as I read what happened on the seventh day. Read Joshua 6:20:

20 When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it.

Have the children shout, “Praise the Lord” then sit down.

God has given us invisible battle gear to wear, which we call the armor of God. This armor protects and equips us so we can stand firm while Jesus fights our battles for us.

Optional: Have children take turns reading aloud Ephesians 6:13–18: 

13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Let’s try to name all seven pieces of the armor of God. Belt of truth, body armor (breastplate) of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit/Word of God, prayer.

During a battle, God may tell us to not say a word, and other times the Holy Spirit may give us words to speak. As He fights for us, we must listen to His Spirit and obey.  


Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

 

Give a Promise Pouch and Heart Promises Page to children who missed Lesson 1 so they may assemble it at home.

Hold up the challenge craft. Who remembers what the Discipleship Challenge is about? Putting God’s promises deep in our hearts.

The challenge last time was to look up and learn the verse on Heart #1, James 4:10. Can anyone say it from memory?

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor.

What does God promise to do if we humble ourselves? He will lift us up! 

Would anyone like to share your family discussion about the verse? Children answer.

Would anyone like to share a new promise you discovered in the Bible? Children share.

Our next challenge is to look up and memorize the verse on Heart #3: Proverbs 30:5.

Optional: If time permits, have the children look up and read Proverbs 30:5:

Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to Him for protection.

At home, look up this verse, discuss it with your family if possible, and try to memorize it. The second part of this challenge is to set aside time each day to read the Bible to discover a new promise from God. Write it on Heart #4 and put it into your Heart Pouch. We want to keep all of God’s wonderful promises deep in our hearts!