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Leader Guide

Ball Object Lesson

  • Empty paper towel tube, or make a tube of paper
  • Knife or scissors
  • Permanent marker
  • Six ping pong balls. You may substitute paper balls.

Cut three sheets of paper in half, write a word on each sheet, and wad it up in a ball shape that can fit snugly in the tube. Number the balls once formed, 1–6 according to the order listed, 1–3 for old thoughts and 4–6 for God thoughts, so the presentation goes smoothly.

Use the marker to write one word on each ball: Wrong, Right, Impure, Pure, True, and False.

Slightly pinch one end of the tube to keep the balls from rolling out.

Place three balls against the outside of the tube. Make a mark just past the last ball on the outside of the tube with the marker.

Carefully cut the tube to that length.

On one end of the tube write, “IN,” and on the other end write “OUT.”

Place three balls into the “OUT” side of the tube in this order: False, Impure and Wrong. Make sure you can see the “Wrong” ball at the “OUT” end and the “False” ball at the “IN” end.

Write “MIND” on the tube.

Have you heard the expression, “Out with the old and in with the new”? That is what happens to us when we become children of God—day by day, we become more like Jesus. We want to live for Jesus. As we follow Him, the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus’ character to us. The more we do this, the more Jesus is revealed to us and the more our minds are renewed so we think and act like Him! Let me demonstrate this to you. God wants bad thoughts to be replaced or pushed out by His thoughts. 

Read Philippians 4:8:

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Hold up the tube.

Let’s say this tube represents your mind. When we begin to follow Jesus, we know very little about how to think and act like Him. As we read God’s Word, the Holy Spirit reveals to us more about Jesus’ ways and thoughts. As we begin to think as He did, our wrong thinking is replaced by God’s right thinking.

Push the “Right” ball into the “IN” side of the tube just enough to push the “Wrong” ball out of the tube. Hold up the “Wrong” ball to show the children.

See, the wrong thoughts were displaced or pushed out!

Push the “Pure” ball into the “IN” side of the tube just enough to push the “Impure” ball out of the tube. Hold up the “Impure” ball to show the children.

Our impure thoughts are replaced by God’s pure thoughts.

Push the “True” ball into the “IN” side of the tube just enough to push the “False” ball out of the tube—use a finger to push the ball, if necessary. Hold up the “False” ball to show the children.

Our false thoughts are replaced by God’s truth! As we continue to follow Jesus, He will reveal more of Himself to us and our thoughts will be replaced with His thoughts!