Invite students to read and reflect on Saint Paul’s metaphor for the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:10–18 in this lesson plan for kids.
Armor of God Lesson Objectives
- Students will be able to connect the items in the Armor of God to their own lives of faith.
- Students will feel confident in their ability to defend against the devil with the Armor of God.
Armor of God Lesson Activities
Present: Read about the Armor of God
Read Saint Paul’s description of the Armor of God in Ephesians 6:10–18.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm. Stand, therefore, and belt your waist with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness and lace up your sandals in preparation for the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
(Eph 6:13–17)
Present: Watch the Armor of God Video
In his Letter to the Ephesians (6:10–17), Saint Paul encourages Christians to be strong in the Lord by putting on the armor of God.
Who is our enemy? We fight against the evil spiritual forces of the present darkness of the world.
Here is a breakdown of the metaphor:
- Belt = Truth
- Breastplate = Righteousness
- Sandals = Gospel of Peace
- Shield = Shield of Faith
- Helmet = Helmet of Salvation
- Sword = Sword of the Spirit, the word of God
He immediately follows this metaphor with a request for prayers.
Why? Because we do not fight alone. We are at war together with our spiritual leaders and all the saints. Pray in the Spirit for our entire army of God to withstand the evil forces against us.
Practice: Armor of God Worksheet
You can have students draw a label their own pictures of the armor of God or give them this worksheet to use to reflect on the video and the description from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians.
Download the Armor of God Worksheet:
Prayer: Armor of God Prayer
Using the worksheet, they should be able to identify the one item of the Armor of God they need the most in life right now. Then they can join together in praying this prayer:
Lord of Strength and Power,
Protect me with the whole armor of God.
Be my defense against the wiles of the devil.
Protect me with the belt of truth.
Protect me with the breastplate of righteousness.
Protect me with the sandals of peace.
Protect me with the shield of faith.
Protect me with the helmet of salvation.
Protect me with the sword of the Spirit.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Proof: Armor of God Imagery Assessment
Ask the students to draw a picture of themselves wearing one item from the armor of God. In this picture they should show where and when they need this piece of the armor the most.
For example, if the selected the sandals of peace, then they would draw a picture of themselves with shining sandals and a peaceful expression on their faces as they are surrounded by something that makes them angry like a little sister or brother.
Leave a Reply