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INSIGHTS LESSON PLAN
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker, I like to begin by asking my students how long they think it takes to build a skyscraper? With all the planning, designing, and actual construction. And the answer is: Years. How long does it take to destroy a skyscraper though. To knock one down? Mere seconds. And then I like to show them a quick video clip of some building demolitions to prove the point. This is where they use timed explosives to bring the building down in a cloud of dust. You can click on the link above to see an example of such a video, although I probably wouldn't show the entire thing. Just a few minutes should suffice.
TRANSITION
Then I ask: According to the following verses in Section 10 of the Doctrine and Covenants, what is Satan's #1 objective? His goal or intention. Do you see a common theme or word repeated here?
:6, :7, :12, :19, :22, :25, :27, :43
What is the key word? Destroy. That is a major theme in this section. Satan loves to destroy things. It's probably most clearly stated in verse 27:
“And thus he goeth up and down, to and fro in the earth, seeking to destroy the souls of men.”
It sounds like he just doesn't have anything better to do than wander around destroying souls. In fact, that is one of his titles in the scriptures. He's sometimes referred to as "the Destroyer". (D&C 61:19/101:54) Also, the word "devil" in the scriptures has its roots in the idea of destroying or spoiling things.
And "Destroyer" is an apt title for Satan isn't it. Brainstorm this question with your class: What things does Satan seek to destroy? Possible answers: He seeks to destroy testimonies, families, health, happiness, agency, marriages, love, trust, self-worth, peace, entire nations.
Satan is a destroyer. God and Jesus, on the other hand, are builders. The work and glory of God is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, and Satan seeks to destroy that work in any way he can. God also encourages us to build as well. Helaman 5:12 tells us that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer that ye must build your foundation. Yet, what will the adversary send? Mighty winds, shafts in the whirlwind, hail, and a mighty storms in hopes to destroy what we've built. Jesus told the parable of the wise man who built his house upon the rock and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand. Floods came to both houses. The floods of temptation and sin. The house on the sand washed away, while the house built on the rock stood still. One of the principles of the doctrine of Christ is to endure to the end. What we build, must endure. Hopefully, our spiritual structure can endure the forces and pressures that will most certainly be placed upon it.
SATAN HAS AN EVIL DESIGN/CUNNING PLAN
This destructive force wielded by Satan is neither random or amateurish. This section speaks of Satan having a cunning plan and an evil design. (:12, :14, :23, :31). We know that God has a PLAN of salvation for you. Well, Satan's got a plan for you too. But it's a cunning plan. A tricky and destructive one. He's no dummy. He is organized, he is calculating, he's smart. We've got to respect the fact that he's been doing this (tempting mortals and seeking to destroy them) for millennia. He's got some experience in the field. From Adam and Eve to you and I. Section 10 exposes that plan. It reminds me one of my favorite books by CS Lewis. It's called the Screwtape Letters. If you've never read it, I highly recommend it. The premise of the book sounds diabolical. It's written from the perspective of a Senior devil (Screwtape) trying to train an apprentice devil (Wormwood) on how to tempt people. And boy, he really nails it. There are so many times where I found myself saying. "Yep, I've seen him try that on me", "Yep, that's definitely how he works". He lays Satan's evil design and cunning plan out perfectly. Now somebody might grumble, "Why on earth would I want to read a book about tempting people? What a devilish thing to do!" Well why would we? So that you know what to expect. So that we'll be prepared for his attempts. Section 10 runs in that same vein. The Lord is revealing how Satan plans and works to destroy. There is a great advantage to understanding Satan's cunning game plan and evil design. If you were playing football or basketball or hockey or whatever, and you knew exactly what the other team's playbook was and their game strategy, you would have a great advantage and higher likelihood of defeating them.
BACKGROUND
Now the background of this section is the loss of the 116 page manuscript of the Book of Mormon. We discussed this story back in section 3, and we did cover a portion of section 10 in that lesson--the part that describes what happened to the manuscript and how God had prepared a solution to Joseph and Martin's mistake. So you may want to go back and review that. This week we'll go a little deeper into another aspect of section 10. But keep in mind, the specific cunning plan of the adversary referred to in this section is his plan to frustrate the Restoration by hindering the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. In a broader context though, as we seek to liken the scriptures to ourselves, this is a perfect illustration of how Satan seeks to hamper God's work in OUR lives; how he seeks to hinder our exaltation--or DESTROY us.
HOW HE DESTROYS
Well, how does Satan destroy? What are the details of his demolition design? This section is full of descriptive verbs that characterize how Satan works. He tried these things on Joseph in relation to the 116 pages, and he will try these things on you. Let's see if you can find all the "vile verbs". I'll give you the verse and you see if you can find it. The"vile verb" that describes what Satan seeks to do. If I were teaching adults, I would just call out the verses and have them identify the answers. If you're teaching young people, here's a brief activity idea that I've found effective. I divide my class into even teams and give each one a small whiteboard. You could just use paper though if you don't have whiteboards. On my board, I draw a racetrack that looks something like this. I've also prepared little cutouts of different kinds of animals with magnets on the back and I allow the teams to choose their game piece. Then I shout out the scripture reference. The teams work together to locate the answer and the first team that raises the correct answer gets to move their game piece a space forward. Whichever team is in the lead by the end of the activity, wins. Now if you want to add another element of fun to this activity, whichever team answers first, gets to move their game piece 2 spaces forward, but they also get to select another team to move 1 space forward, and another team 1 space back. This tends to equalize things a bit and keeps everyone in the game, especially if there is one team that tends to dominate. But let's go ahead and look for the verbs.
:7 Take away
The vile verb? Take away. Satan seeks to take away the thing[s] wherewith [we] have been entrusted. For Joseph it was the manuscript. For us, Satan seeks to take away our integrity, our health, out faith, our innocence, our virtue, our chastity, the strength of our relationships, our spiritual gifts. God is all about giving and increasing and building. Satan wants to take it all away.
:10/:15 put it into their hearts
Satan does have a measure of power. The power of suggestion. He can't force people to do things any more than God can. But he can invite and entice and persuade to do evil. He speaks directly to the natural man, who often lends a sympathetic ear. Now I would have expected him to write, that he put it into their minds, but notice he says hearts. Just like the Holy Ghost may communicate through our hearts and minds, Satan seeks to do the same with his counterfeit strategy. He'll suggest feelings to our hearts to draw us in his direction. Selfishness, pride, lust, anger, hate, laziness. He'll put these feelings into the unguarded and susceptible heart. Now we have the power to guard against these things and reject them. We don't have to let them in, but he certainly will try bringing them to the door and knocking.
:10 Alter the words
Another one in verse 10. Now this may seem to relate directly to the loss of the manuscript, but I believe we can liken this to ourselves as well. The plan of the wicked men in Joseph's day was to alter the words of the pages, so that if Joseph translated the same portion, they could debunk him by saying they didn't match up. They altered words of scripture for their own selfish schemes. Is this the only time Satan has tried something like this? No. If he can change scripture, then he can more easily lead disciples astray. This was one of the biggest issues of the early Christian church. False prophets would alter the writings of early church leaders. Or create their own and claim them as valid scripture; without authority. Or they would take the scriptures and give them their own private interpretation like Peter was worried about (20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 2 Peter 1:20). Or the famous verse that the anti-Book of Mormon crowd loves to quote from Revelation 22:18-19.
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
This is not an indictment or restriction on any future revelation or scripture, but a warning to any person that would seek to change the words of the Book of Revelation itself. John was worried about that. Don't add to or take away from my writings here in this book. Do not alter the words. Satan will seek to do the same with us. He tempts us to alter the words of scripture to throw us off course. To take things out of context. To search through them looking for any possible justification to support our own premise and ignoring all others. To overemphasize one side of a divine balance. Like justice and mercy. You can push that balance too far in either direction and end up in dangerous territory. There is a companion phrase to this one near the end of the section. What's the companion "vile verb" from verse 63 as far as the scriptures are concerned? The vile verb is "wrest" with a w. Satan tempts people to "wrest" the scriptures. To alter their meaning in an attempt to push their own agendas or excuse their actions. Individuals using those verses from Revelation to dismiss the Book of Mormon is a perfect example of wresting the scriptures. Using Doctrine and Covenants 132 to justify living a polygamous lifestyle in our day would be example of wresting the scriptures. Pointing to the description of Deborah in the Old Testament as a prophetess to support an "Ordain Women Now" policy would be an example of wresting the scriptures. How can we protect ourselves from this? Simply, listen to the living prophets . Trust them. That's one of the reasons we have them. To give us a correct understanding of what the Lord calls "the true points of my doctrine" (10:62). If we hear someone that is pushing an interpretation of scripture that does not match up with those of the living prophets, then we can safely dismiss them.
:13/:28 lying
Another title for Satan is "the father of all lies". God is all about honesty and truth, while Satan is all about lying and falsehood. Lying may be one of the greatest destructive forces that exist. Lies destroy trust, they destroy relationships, and they destroy lives. I like something I once heard John Bytheway say. He said that God works line upon line, and precept on precept, while Satan works lie upon lie, and decept on decept. Don't fall for the lies.
:13/:25 Caught, lie in wait to catch.
Another one in verse 13. Caught you. or in verse 25 "lie in wait to catch". Satan is trying to catch us. When you catch something, you stop its progress and control it. You lie in wait to catch an animal, you lay a snare, and place an enticement or bait to draw the animal towards the trap. This is what Satan wishes to do to us. He places enticements as bait for our souls. The bait of an easy grade is placed in front of us, so he can catch us with cheating. He sets the bait of lustful indulgence, so he can catch us with pornography. The bait of counterfeit euphoria, so he can catch us with drug or alcohol addiction . The bait of self-aggrandizement so he can catch us with pride. The bait of easy money, so he catches us with gambling or dishonesty. If we have any fishermen out there. Have you ever heard of or used powerbait? I think Satan has some powerbait that he has found very effective over the centuries in snaring many a human soul. Can you find it in verse 19? The powerbait? The glory of the world. How many people has Satan caught with the lure of power, money, and glory. The lure of popularity, and wealth, and power has led many a soul into dishonesty, selfishness, pride, and a total disregard for God, family, and other people. Satan even tried that tactic on Jesus when he shows him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and promises to give them to Christ if he will but "fall down and worship him". It didn't work on Jesus, and hopefully it doesn't work on us either. Because, according to verse 24, what does Satan intend to do with those he "catches"? He lies in wait to catch so "that he may destroy". them. His overall objective.
:15/:29 Tempt the Lord
Satan always encourages us to tempt the Lord. What does that mean? Jesus said this to Satan when he tempted him to jump from the pinnacle of the temple. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Which seems like a really strange temptation. I don't know about you but I'm not tempted to jump off buildings very often. But the real temptation was not the jumping. It was about putting demands or conditions on God. I'm going to jump God, so if you really love me, you will catch me. Sometimes we may be tempted to do this. To say, Lord, I will only believe in you, or follow you, or keep your commandments, if you do this thing for me. Or, if you don't give me this blessing, or answer this prayer, then I will abandon thy path. We're jumping from the pinnacle when we do this. Lord, you'd better catch me. We don't place conditions or demands on God. He provides us with conditions, and not the other way around. We should have a "nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done" attitude. (Check Don't leap with the Sheep)
:21 Love darkness rather than light
Satan seeks to twist people's love into a love for darkness. Now that sounds absolutely ridiculous doesn't it? Who would actually love the darkness? Perhaps those that wish to hide. Thieves and criminals usually do their work In the dark. They find protection in the darkness. Perhaps its those that are fascinated by dark things. By sin. By crime. By violence. I've never understood why so many people seem to love dark entertainment? Violent movies and shows that depict horrific things, and murder, and blood, and Satanic themes. I know that many of the most popular shows of the day are full of these dark subject matters and glorify them. Perhaps the darkness is the darkness of ignorance. Those that wish to remain outside the light of truth, and responsibility, and service and bask in the darkness of incomprehension. "God can't judge me for what I don't know" they say and they willingly keep themselves in darkness.
:22/:24/:32 stirreth them up, stirreth up their hearts to anger
Satan is the great pot stirrer. He loves contention and stirring up emotions that are better left settled. Anger, hatred, pride, selfishness, or jealousy. God fills us with peace, contentment, and tranquility, while Satan seeks to stir up and provoke and agitate.
:25/:26/:29 Flattereth. Flattery
Flattery is the use of excessive and insincere praise, given for the intent of furthering your own interests. Flattery is the opposite of a sincere compliment. The word flattery is associated with some of the greatest villains of the Book of Mormon. Sherem (Jacob 7:4) , King Noah (Mosiah 11:7) , Amalakiah(Alma 46:7), and Korihor(Alma 30:47) are all described as using flattery to gain power and popularity among the people. Flatterers appeal to the natural man. That's their target. They excuse and encourage the basest of desires. It's the voice that tells you that you are better than other people. It's the voice that tells you it's ok and natural to sin. To give in to lust, to pride, and hate.
:26 I'll pair the two in this verse. He leadeth them along and draggeth their souls to hell. That's an interesting paradox there. Why would ye put those two verbs together? When you lead somebody along, that suggests a willingness of the person being led. They're not being forced. But being dragged does. That is one of Satan's great strategies. He lures you in with flattery, and lies, and empty promises. He tells you that obedience is bondage, but sin is freedom. It's a seductive message. But once he's got you into his territory, than he grabs hold, then he starts to drag you. How many people have been led into substance abuse, pornography addiction, gambling, or . But once they realize that they are getting more than they bargained for, once they begin to see through the lies, and the bad consequences begin to show up, they turn around to get away, while Satan calls out "not so fast!" He catches them around the legs with addiction and punishment and consequence and wont let go.
:33 overpower your testimony
If compare testimony to something you build like a structure, like your house upon a rock. What does Satan wish to do to that structure? Overpower it. Demolish it. Watch it crumble into a cloud of dust or wash away in a flood of his lies. One of the more recent tactics that the anti-church crowd is using these days is what I call the belief blitz. It's where they gather up every possible anti-church argument, criticism, controversy, theory, and spurious story, roll it all up into one big ball, amplify it with ridicule and contempt, and throw it at you. For a member of the church with a developing and vulnerable testimony, quite often the youth, it can be overwhelming and deeply discouraging. Some aren't able to handle it. Their testimonies are overpowered by those with more experience, eloquence, popularity, and cleverness.
Well those are quite the vile verbs aren't they. Do you have a better understanding of how Satan works? I can assure that, just by knowing this, by being made aware of it, you are already stronger and more able to resist these strategies; because you'll be better able to recognize them when they come.
THE TARGET
One more question regarding the cunning plan of the evil one. This isn't a vile verb, but the target of the vile verbs. There is a specific part of the body that Satan seems to go after most. In fact, I did some research and was fascinated to discover that this particular word appears more often in Section 10 than any other section in the Doctrine and Covenants . It shows up 11 times. I'll give you a set of verses and you tell me what it is. What is Satan's target? What is he after.
:10, :13, :15, :16, :20, :21, :24, :32, :53, :63, :65
What's his target? The heart. Satan wants your heart. He plans a HEART attack. Look at all the things he attempts to do to hearts. He puts things in them, he hardens them, he stirs them up to anger, corrupts them and fills them with wickedness and abominations. When the scriptures speak of our hearts, they are usually referring to our character, our feelings and motivations. It's the source of all your decisions and direction in life. If Satan can get your heart, he can usually begin to control your thoughts, your words and your deeds. No wonder the scriptures often speak of us having broken hearts, willing hearts, and soft hearts. They are hearts that are submissive, humble, and willing to follow the guidance of a loving Father in Heaven.
TRUTH
So the truth that hopefully we've established here. Satan has a cunning plan to destroy you. The better you know his strategies, the better you will be able to resist them.
And before we finish. I know you've heard me say this before, and I can promise you that you'll hear me say it again. The scriptures never present a problem without a solution being somewhere nearby. Section 10 is no exception. What can we can do in the face of Satan's cunning plans and evil designs. Is there anything that can help us? Yes! Verse 5. What is it? It's consistent prayer. Prayer will help us to conquer or escape. I think it's interesting that those two words are used. They are both war images. Satan is on the attack. And prayer can help us to conquer him. Satan may be a destroyer, but you can be a conqueror. Think of some of the greatest conquerors of history. Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, Napoleon. They conquered armies, cities, and nations. So what. All of their exploits mean nothing now. But if you can conquer Satan, and all of his servants, that is a real victory. That is really doing something. Prayer is one of your greatest weapons. We conquer when we win souls for Christ. We conquer when we stand up for truth and righteousness. We conquer when let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works. Prayer can give us the strength we need to do this. On the other hand. Prayer can also help us to escape. If we have any World War II enthusiasts out there, D-day was a conquering battle Dunkirk was an escape. Both were victories in a sense. Sometimes, we conquer with prayer, but other times we escape. We escape when we resist temptation. We escape when we realize our errors before it's too late. We escape when we turn to Christ and the power of his atonement for forgiveness. We escape when we are humble enough to ask for his help out of difficult circumstances. If we are the types of disciples that pray always, we will conquer and escape many times in our lives.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
How has prayer helped you to conquer or escape the cunning plans of the adversary?
CONCLUSION
I hope this lesson has helped to prepare you for the evil designs of the wicked one; that it's been a bit of a mini Screwtape Letters for you. I believe this is one of the major purposes of the scriptures. To reveal his tricks and tactics so that we won't fall for them when he tries them on us. We say, I saw what you did to Korihor, and Laman and Lemuel, and David, and Martin Harris, and it's not going to work on me. If we couple our scripture study with prayer, then we really make ourselves unassailable to the adversary. We become conquerors. So pray, pray always, pray consistently, and victory is certain to be yours.
DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 11
ICEBREAKER
What would happen if a soldier decided that he would wait to learn how to shoot a gun only once he was on the battlefield? They would die.
What would happen if a pilot decided he'd figure out how to land the plane only after he had already taken off? They'd crash.
What would happen if somebody wanted to play a game of basketball, football, or baseball and just said, "Don't explain the objective or the rules or anything, I'll just learn as I go".
What would happen if a teacher decided to walk into a class without ever opening the textbook themselves? It'd be a disaster of an experience.
The point is this, preparation is key to performance. Before you engage in almost any activity, there is a period of preparation and learning that needs to. take place.
So where do solidiers go to prepare for battle? Boot camp, or the academy
Where do pilots go? Flight school
Where do athletes go? Basketball practice, or football camp, or spring training.
Teachers? The university, or the library, or lesson preparation time.
But what about missionaries? Where do they go? Do they just hop on a plane one day, arrive in the mission field and start teaching? No. They need training too. Where do they go? The MTC. The Missionary Training Center. And if were teaching youth, I might talk a little about my MTC experience and what it was like.
TRANSITION
But then I would make the point that when it comes to God's work, it's the same. Before you go out to represent the Lord. You need to be prepared. Now hopefully we begin preparing ourselves to share the gospel way before we're dropped off at the MTC. Missionaries who wait until that moment to start preparing are probably in for a rude awakening. The time to prepare is now. Don't wait until you walk through those doors to begin your preparation. Even Jesus prepared himself for 30 years before he ever started his ministry. Section 11 is like an MTC for prospective missionaries in God's kingdom. This lesson is particularly relevant to young men and young women or senior couples who have a desire to serve a full-time missions. But still, it applies to anyone who wishes to preach and teach for God. Member missionaries as well as full-time missionaries.
BACKGROUND
Now Section 11 came as a result of Joseph's older brother Hyrum asking him what God's will for him was as far as the Restoration was concerned. He wanted to help in the work. He had a desire to do something. Well hopefully that's how we all feel when it comes to preaching the gospel. That we want to be a part of it. Back in section 4 you might remember the phrase "if ye have desires, ye are called to the work". Well that word desire shows up all over section 11.
:8, :10, :14, :17, :21, :27
Hyrum had a desire to preach, therefore, he would be called. And by the way, this section explicitly states that it's directed to more than just Hyrum. Verse 27 tells us that it's directed to all who have good desires to preach. But God knew that Hyrum needed some preparation and training first, as do we. He wasn't ready yet.
:15 Behold, I command you that you need not suppose that you are called to preach until you are called.
:16 Wait a little longer
:18 Hold your peace
:19 Be patient
:21 seek not to declare my word
:22 hold your peace
:26 treasure up in your heart until the time which is in my wisdom that you shall go forth
So Hyrum. It's not time yet. Wait until you're called. He's like the greenie missionary who comes out full of zeal and enthusiasm, but doesn't have the skills, and the experience, and the knowledge to know how to channel that energy in an effective direction. But that doesn't mean that the Lord wants Hyrum to just sit around waiting at the mailbox for a call. He has plenty for him to do. That's the spirit of this section. What to do to prepare yourself to preach His gospel.
One way to approach this section is to use this matching activity. Match the verses with the phrase that best describes the mission prep counsel being offered. And then for each, be prepared to explain why that would be important for a prospective missionary to do or understand. Now all of the counsels are good counsels for preparing missionaries, but not all of them come from this section. You've got select the best match.
SEARCH
:9 Understand the principle of repentance.
Why would be that be important? Because that is what you will be teaching.God says "say nothing but repentance unto this generation". Now I don't think that means that you ignore the principles of Restoration, the Plan of Salvation, Word of Wisdom, Tithing, and so on. But I think that means that the major thrust of all missionary work is helping people to repent. And the main definition of repentance is not recognizing the sin, feeling sorrow, making restitution, etc. etc. But repentance is change. Repentance is the turning of the heart to God. That is what you do as a missionary. You invite people to turn their hearts to God. Do you understand how it works? Do you understand how to help people to do it? Have you been through the process yourself? If you want to be an effective missionary, you must understand repentance.
:6, 9, 18, 20 Learn obedience. Keep his commandments
A missionary must learn obedience. Christ taught us that "if any man shall do my will, he shall know of the doctrine". The doing comes first. If we wish to have strong testimony of something, we have to be willing to live it first. Not the other way around. So if you wish to teach the principle of tithing with power, you need to have lived that law yourself. If you wish to teach the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon with power, you need to have read it first. If you wish to teach the Word of Widsom with power, you need to have lived it. So, keep his commandments. Be worthy.
:12-14 Learn how to recognize, trust and act on the promptings of the Spirit.
Why would that be important? Great missionaries have a strong relationship with the Spirit. Before you can teach with the power of the Spirit, you've got to learn what it feels like, how to get it, to be worthy of it, to understand it, to trust is, and walk by it. That's what last week's lesson was all about. We learned in that lesson the do's the don'ts, and the hows of the Spirit. Internalize those lessons. Joseph said that personal revelation was something that we learn and grow into. Plant that seed early. Begin that study young. Don't wait until you get to the MTC or the mission field before you begin to forge that relationship. Make developing that relationship with the Holy Ghost a priority.
:16, 21 Get his word inside you. You can't teach something you don't know.
This one cannot be overemphasized. If you wish to declare his word, you have to obtain it yourself first. Look at the all the virtuous verbs used here to describe our relationship with the word. Have the word, know the word, obtain the word, then you could add from verse 24 build upon the word, and from 26 treasure the word. An effective missionary will have a deep understanding of the principles of the gospel. They should "know of a surety" the doctrine. I believe that's the spirit of a recent new initiative in the seminary and institute programs. It's called doctrinal mastery. There are specific lessons and scripture references and doctrines that are directly taught and focused on with the students. How can we expect to teach something that isn't there in our minds and hearts in the first place. I remember hearing a mission president plead with us as teachers to help the youth to understand the doctrines of the gospel. That far too many of his missionaries didn't grasp the fundamentals of the gospel and the plan of salvation. You have to have something yourself first before you can give it to somebody else.
And one of the best ways that you can obtain the word and know of a surety is to do what is suggested in verse 22.
:22 Study the Book of Mormon and the Bible.
The words that have already gone forth would of course be the Bible, and the words that shall come forth would be the Book of Mormon and other Latter-day scripture. I think it's important for the prospective missionary to know that they should be well versed in all of the standard works, not just the Book of Mormon. They need to study and know the Bible. Hopefully, Come Follow Me, and seminary can help with that. But the scriptures are the best preparation manual any missionary can read.
:23. Make spiritual things a priority.
The prospective missionary should put first things first. Many wish to seek their own kingdoms before they start working on God's. The prepared missionary will have made the things of the Spirit a priority in their lives. They don't focus on sports and schoolwork and social life at the expense of their spiritual education. They've made time for church and youth activities, scripture study, personal prayer, and religious education. They've sought God's kingdom instead of trying to establish their own.
Well, all this counsel is not without promise, and there are a number of them expressed in this section. But I would like to just focus on one. One of the greatest promises of missionary work is found in this section. It's something every faithful missionary desires. A gift, a spiritual skill that makes all the difference in the world for a preacher of the gospel. It's on page 23, can you find it?
It's in verse 21.
21 Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.
What more could a missionary want? To have the ability to speak in a way that convinces people to believe in Christ, to repent, and to seek the kingdom of God. That's the blessing I want most as a teacher. I want the power of convincing. And the only way we get that power is through his Spirit and his word. If I had to emphasize any of the counsels we discussed in the matching activity, it would be those two. Get the Spirit, and get his word deep inside you. Do those two things and you will have great potential to become an influential instrument in the hands of God.
TRUTH
So what's the great truth of section 11. Those who obtain the Spirit and the Word will have greater power to convince others of the truth
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Which of these counsels do you feel have helped you to be a better missionary?
Which of these counsels do you need most to apply?
What's your plan for following that counsel?
CONCLUSION
Well, I hope you enjoyed our mini MTC experience here. Whether you are a teenager, preparing for serving a full time mission, or a lifelong member of the church who has a desire to better stand as a witness at all times, in all things, and in all places, section 11 can help you. Prepare yourself. Get the Spirit and get the word, then go out and start convincing.
Ezra Taft Benson said the following:
"We love all of our missionaries who are serving the Lord full-time in the mission field. But there is a difference in missionaries. Some are better prepared to serve the Lord the first month in the mission field than some who are returning home after twenty-four months. We want [missionaries] entering the mission field who can enter the mission field "on the run," who have the faith, born of personal righteousness and clean living, that they can have a great and productive mission."
Ezra T. Benson, ”The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson•, 192
May you and I be "on the run" missionaries. Hyrum's. Disciples of Christ who have great desires to be a part of God's work and are willing to do all the Lord asks of us to be prepared instruments in his hands.
TEACHING ACTIVITIES LESSON PLAN
LESSON #1 THE VILE VERBS OF THE DESTROYER (DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 10)
TRUTH:
Satan has a cunning plan to destroy us, but by recognizing his tactics and consistently praying, we can resist, conquer, and escape his influence.
FIRE IN THE BONES:
To get some fire in the bones for this truth, realize that you have a chance to really impact your students ability to resist temptation and become a conqueror of sin. This section provides an excellent description of the tactics and techniques the adversary uses to try and destroy us. So you as the teacher are going to reveal those tactics, expose Satan for the liar and deceiver that he is. You’re going to make him very frustrated because of that. How fun!
OBJECT:
An object lesson you might consider demonstrating would be to set up a stack of Jenga blocks. You know that game? You set up a large structure of wooden blocks, and then one by one, players begin to remove the blocks, hoping not to topple it over. Well, in this lesson, you could set the structure up and as you reveal each of the vile verbs or tactics of the adversary, you could remove another block from the tower. Then, at some point during the lesson, the structure will collapse. Or if it hasn’t collapsed by the time you get to the last word, you could remove a block that you know is sure to topple it. Then you can make the point that this is exactly what Satan is trying to do to our faith and our righteousness. He wants to destroy it. Our job, then, is to protect the integrity of our testimony. And when he knocks a piece of it out, we shore it up again and rebuild. I’ll put a link in the video description where you could purchase a Jenga game if you don’t have one.
Another object idea would be to have a copy of C.S. Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters” to display. You could make the point that Doctrine and Covenants 11 is a lot like that book. I’ll put a link in the description for that as well.
ICEBREAKER:
For the icebreaker, I like the skyscraper line of questioning. Ask “How long do you think it takes to build a skyscraper?” Then, “How long do you think it takes to knock one down?”
VIDEO:
Then I like to show a video of a few building demolitions to demonstrate how quickly a building can be destroyed. I may not show the entire video, but at least let them see a few examples. It’s really quite something to watch.
SEARCH ACTIVITY:
A few search activities then for your students. The first is quick and simple. Find the common word or phrase in the following verses from section 10.
:6, :7, :12, :19, :22, :25, :27, :43
The common idea is destruction. Satan is a destroyer, not a builder.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
A discussion question follows. What things does Satan seek to destroy? Allow your students to brainstorm some of those things.
BACKGROUND
At this point you may wish to briefly explain the historical background to the section which revolves around the story of the loss of the 116 pages. You may recall that I included a large portion of section 10 in my Doctrine and Covenants 3 lesson a few weeks ago. Well, here we have an opportunity to teach this section from a different perspective. To focus on a different principle taught here.
SEARCH ACTIVITY:
It’s at this point where you really begin to dive into the section looking for the vile verbs. The tactics the adversary uses to try and destroy us.
GAME: One of the ways you can approach that is by playing the game I described in the insight video. We could call it a “Scripture Sprint” where the different teams are trying to win the race with their team marker. I’ll include the team markers page as a handout you could print.
Then, you’re just going to go through and have them search the provided verses for the vile verbs, pausing after each to give brief description of how Satan seeks to use that tactic with us.
You may also wish to include the question of what Satan’s main target is in his desires to destroy. Answer: our hearts.
Then, for sure, you’re going to want to conclude with the great solution to resisting Satan’s attempts to destroy. One of the greatest protective measures we can take in mortality. The solution is found in verse 5. And what is it? Prayer. Pray always, that you may come off conqueror, yea, that you may conquer Satan and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.”
QUOTE:
A quote you might consider sharing at some point during this lesson is the following made by Brigham Young. It goes perfectly with our theme of building and destroying.
“I frequently think of the difference between the power of God and the power of the Devil. To illustrate, here is a structure in which we can be seated comfortably, protected from the heat of summer or the cold of winter. Now, it required labor, mechanical skill and ingenuity and faithfulness and diligence to erect this building, but any poor, miserable fool or devil can set fire to it and destroy it. That is just what the Devil can do, but he never can build anything. The difference between God and the Devil is that God creates and organizes, while the whole study of the Devil is to destroy.”
Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 105.
TAKE IT TO HEART QUESTION:
What is something you are "building" in your life right now (faith, a relationship, a habit, etc.), and how can you protect it from being destroyed?
Can you share a time when prayer has helped you to overcome a temptation or escape a difficult situation?
I WILL GO AND DO QUESTION:
Satan targets our hearts—he hardens, corrupts, and stirs them up to anger. What daily habits can help you protect and strengthen your heart against his influence?
TAKEAWAY:
The takeaway slide emphasizes the importance of protecting and strengthening our “Building” of faith or commitment to Christ. The moral of the story? “Don’t Fall For It, Stand Firm.”
LESSON #2 THE GREAT ESCAPE (DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 10:5)
At the beginning of this year, I promised you at least 3 different lesson ideas for you to choose from for each week of Come Follow Me. In the insight video, I only gave you two. So I want to give you one additional lesson plan for this week. And if I had to choose where that lesson would come from, I think it would be from Section 10:5. Just that one verse. It’s a great one. Sometimes there’s great value to be found in digging extra deep into one particular verse or idea to really sink it deep into our minds and hearts. Doctrine and Covenants 10:5 could be an opportunity to do just that. That’s the verse that says:
Pray always, that you may come off conqueror, yea, that you may conquer Satan and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.
There’s a lot to unpack there and I know that we just discussed that verse in the context of the previous lesson—as a solution to Satan’s efforts to destroy us. But if you felt you didn’t have time to do that full lesson, you could just zero in on verse 5 itself. This lesson is brief, but I feel it could be powerful.
TRUTH:
Consistent and sincere prayer gives us the power to overcome temptation, resist Satan’s influence, and find strength to escape spiritual danger.
FIRE IN THE BONES:
The fire in the bones can come from your personal experiences with prayer. When has saying a prayer given you strength? When has an answer to prayer blessed you? Now help your students to see how prayer can become a meaningful weapon, not just a ritual, not a checklist item, but a weapon in their fight against the adversary. Inspire them to make prayer matter.
ICEBREAKER:
For an icebreaker, which will require a number of different objects, I like to key off the word “escape” from the verse. Escape rooms have become increasingly popular over the years and if you’ve ever had an opportunity to take part in one, they’re really kind of fun, and challenging. So to begin this lesson, you can have your students do a mini escape room activity. It’s very simple because you don’t want it to take too long. Just a couple of steps to give them the idea or feel of it. But what you do is tell your students that they are currently trapped in the room that you’re teaching them in. They’ve been captured by the servants of Satan and placed in this room for safe keeping. If they don’t get out within 10 minutes, those servants will be coming to get them to put them to work shoveling coal for eternity to stoke the fires of the devil’s kingdom. They don’t want that, so they’ve got to get out and quick. But the door is locked, and they have to enter a key word. And remember that Satan is very tricky. Very diabolical. So it's probably going to be a word that they won’t expect from Satan. They’re going to need some help. Luckily, a group of people that were previously locked in this same room and escaped, left behind some clues and objects to help anyone else who might find themselves in the same predicament to also get out, but they didn’t want to be too obvious, in case these things were found, so they made them deliberately vague to throw off their captors.
To set up the room, you’re going to tape this poster on the door that the students are going to need to exit through to escape. Tell them it’s the only way out. You can see that it has 4 blank spaces in which to enter the letters of a key word that will allow them to escape. That’s the objective. Figure out the key word. Once your students write the correct 4 letters in those spaces, you can open the door and tell them that they’ve successfully escaped.
Also, you’re going to need to hide the following puzzle cut up into pieces and placed around the room. You can tape them in various places, but, if you’re worried that they’re not going to know what to do, you could perhaps place one of the puzzle pieces in a more obvious or visible place in the room. That will give them the idea that they need to look for the rest of the puzzle.
In another part of the room, this poster should be taped to the wall or hidden if you choose. It displays the alphabet with each of the letters assigned a corresponding number.
You’re also going to need a box that you can lock. Hopefully you have something like that lying around your house, a toolbox, or jewelry box, or something. But if not, I’ll put a link in the video description below with an inexpensive one you could purchase. You’re also going to need a resettable combination lock that allows you to choose the combination. I’ll also put a link to one of those in the description. And the combination you’re going to set the lock with is 1051. The instructions that come with the lock will explain how to do that. And inside that lock box, you’ll place this piece of paper that displays the scripture reference Doctrine and Covenants 10:5. And I would suggest that you print each of paper portions of the Escape Room on Card Stock if possible.
You’ll also need a timer set to 10 minutes. You could probably just use one on your phone or computer. But once you say go, the timer begins, and they have 10 minutes to escape.
So here’s the process they’re going to need to go through in order to escape.
First, they find the puzzle pieces.
They assemble the puzzle to discover that it displays the name of the Church, but only certain letters in the name of the Church are capitalized. Those letters are R, J, C, and D.
Now they go to the poster to see what those letters represent. And if they do that, they’ll discover that the numbers are 1 0 5 and 1, in that order.
They take those numbers and enter them into the combination lock.
When it opens, they’ll discover the piece of paper with the scripture reference.
They look up the scripture reference, and hopefully, with it, they will be able to figure out that the key word is PRAY. P, R, A, Y is what they should write on the door poster, because the scripture tells us to “PRAY” always, that we may conquer Satan and ESCAPE the hands of the servants of Satan.
You may also notice that the combination on the lock is 1051. That’s also a clue to the key word. 10, 5, and 1. Doctrine and Covenants section 10, verse 5, 1st word.
I hope that all makes sense. So, yes. Fairly simple. Not too challenging, because you don’t want it to take forever. But hopefully it gives you a quick and engaging way of introducing the lesson.
Lockbox: https://amzn.to/4hkZ3xJ
Resettable Combination Lock: https://amzn.to/4hgbWci
SEARCH ACTIVITY:
The search activity then is very simple as well. What is the Lord’s promise to us, if we do pray? Answer: two things. We will CONQUER Satan, and we will ESCAPE. Those are two things that prayer can do for us. I might take that opportunity to discuss how sometimes victory can come in both ways. In the insight video, I used the World War II example of D-DAY as a victory through conquering. The troops successfully landed at Normandy and conquered their enemies. By contrast, Dunkirk was an example of victory by escape. The British were able to successfully evacuate the majority of their troops before they were killed or captured. We’re probably going to need both kinds of victory in our war with Satan throughout mortality. Sometimes we need to fight and conquer, and sometimes we’re going to need to escape. But a major key to both is prayer.
DISCUSSION QUESTION
What do you think it means to “Pray Always”? Have a little discussion about that. Because it obviously can’t mean that we are constantly, every second of every day, 24/7 thinking about or saying prayers either out loud or in our minds. So how does one “Pray Always?” That could yield some interesting thoughts.
QUOTE:
To answer that question in part, you could share the following quote from Elder David A. Bednar:
“Morning and evening prayers—and all of the prayers in between—are not unrelated, discrete events; rather, they are linked together each day and across days, weeks, months, and even years. This is in part how we fulfill the scriptural admonition to “pray always”. Such meaningful prayers are instrumental in obtaining the highest blessings God holds in store for His faithful children.”
(Conference Report, October 2008, “Pray Always”)
VIDEO:
A video you could show is entitled: Are You Really There?
It’s depicts a number of scenes of people facing various challenges set to the music of the Primary Song “A Child’s Prayer”. It ends showing these people praying and receiving strength and help.
TAKE IT TO HEART QUESTION:
Have you ever experienced a time when prayer helped you resist a temptation or gave you strength? Please share.
I WILL GO AND DO QUESTION:
What is one specific way you can make prayer a more meaningful and regular part of your life?
Suggestions:
Be Specific – Instead of general phrases, talk to God about specific blessings, struggles, and goals.
Listen After Praying – Take a moment of silence after your prayer to feel impressions from the Spirit.
Express More Gratitude – Spend more time thanking God rather than just asking for things.
Pray with Real Intent – Commit to acting on what you ask for, showing sincerity in your requests.
Pray Consistently-make sure that prayer is a frequent and regular part of each day.
TAKEAWAY:
The takeaway slide serves as a reminder to pray always-and that prayer can help us to conquer and escape. As you show this slide remind your students that prayer is not just a ritual, it’s a weapon. It’s not just communication, it’s protection. The Lord has promised that if we 'pray always,' we won’t just survive, but we will conquer. Satan knows the power of prayer, which is why he does everything he can to make us forget, get distracted, or feel unworthy to pray. But the moment we kneel, the moment we sincerely reach out to our Heavenly Father, we invite divine strength into our lives. We gain the power to resist temptation, to escape spiritual traps, and to stand victorious. He will never ignore a heart that seeks Him. If we want to overcome the adversary, we must arm ourselves with prayer. If we commit to making prayer a real and powerful part of our lives, then I promise that we will come off conquerors.
LESSON #3 MISSION PREP (DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 11)
TRUTH:
Effective missionary work requires preparation. If I seek the Spirit and immerse myself in God’s word, then I will have greater power to teach, testify, and convince others of the truth.
FIRE IN THE BONES:
To help you get some fire in the bones, think about your experience with missionary work. How has it affected you personally? Have you served a full-time mission? If so, ponder that experience. How did it bless your life? Are you a convert? What was the experience of being taught by missionaries like? What’s your family’s pioneer story? Who was the first in your family to join the church and how did that come about? Have you any experience in member missionary work? What efforts have you made in your life to share the gospel with others and what has that experience been like? We are all where we are today in the Church because somebody at some point was willing to share the gospel, with us, our parents, or our ancestors. What we want to do as teachers here is fire up our students to go out and represent Christ and his Church to all around them. To put forth some concentrated effort to prepare themselves to be better witnesses of Christ at all times, in all things, and all places.
OBJECT:
Running shoes. Set them out at the front of the classroom, and then pair that object with the following quote from Ezra Taft Benson
QUOTE:
"We love all of our missionaries who are serving the Lord full-time in the mission field. But there is a difference in missionaries. Some are better prepared to serve the Lord the first month in the mission field than some who are returning home after twenty-four months. We want [missionaries] entering the mission field who can enter the mission field "on the run," who have the faith, born of personal righteousness and clean living, that they can have a great and productive mission."
Ezra T. Benson, ”The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson•, 192
But be sure to mention that this idea doesn’t only apply to young men and young women who wish to serve full-time missions in their youth. God wants all the members of his Church to be “on the run” missionaries—laced up tight and ready to go. Prepared to teach, share, and invite friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers to come follow Christ and embrace his restored gospel.
ICEBREAKER:
The icebreaker then revolves around the idea of preparation. In the insight video, I gave a number of examples of people in different professions and asked what you think might happen if those people had not prepared for their job? Then I asked where those same people might go to prepare themselves to fulfill their line of work. That then transitions to the scriptures with the question, “Where do missionaries go to prepare?” The MTC. Well, Section 11 is like a mini-MTC.
BACKGROUND
Next, share some historical background to the section. Section 11 was directed to Hyrum, the prophet’s beloved older brother who at this time had a great desire to go out and teach. You could show your students all the places where section 11 mentions the word desire, and also point out that this section was directed at all people who had a desire to serve, not just Hyrum. I would also summarize, as the teacher, all the different places where the Lord suggests that Hyrum should not go out and teach yet—that he had some preparation to engage in first. Wait a little longer, be patient, hold your peace, etc.
SEARCH ACTIVITY/HANDOUT:
That segues us beautifully then into our search activity. And that is to go in and look for all the things the Lord suggested Hyrum DO to prepare himself. One of the suggested ways to do that was through the matching handout I provided. Invite your students to study the indicated verses in the left column and match them with the mission prep advice in the right. Be sure to remind them that some of the items will not be used. Then as you correct it, ask the following discussion question for each:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
Why do you think that would be important for a future missionary to do? Let them share their thoughts and be prepared to share some of your own. I give you some ideas for that in the insight video.
But after that activity is ended, be sure to end with the promise of preparation. One of the greatest blessings a prepared missionary can receive. The one found in verse 21. What is it? Your tongue will be loosed; you will have his Spirit, you will have his word, and most importantly “the power of God unto the convincing of men.” Such a powerful promise.
VIDEO:
For a video suggestion, I like this one entitled “Missionary Mindset”. And one of the reasons I like it is because it is applicable to all members of the Church. I found a lot of videos geared towards young men and young women preparing to serve full time missions, and if you’re teaching the youth, you may consider showing one of those. But I like this one because it’s aimed at everyone—all members, young and old, male and female, full time and member missionary focused. Invite your students to look for additional preparation suggestions as they watch.
TAKE IT TO HEART QUESTION:
Display the preparation principles you just taught them and ask: Which of these counsels do you feel has helped you to be a better missionary?
I WILL GO AND DO QUESTION:
Which of these counsels do you feel you most need to apply?
What is one small thing you can do this week to better prepare yourself to share the gospel?
TAKEAWAY:
The takeaway slide will help to remind your students to prepare themselves to be a greater witness of Christ. Preparation Precedes Power. The power of God unto the convincing of men.
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