Armor of God - A Lesson Plan on Spiritual Warfare

About the Armor of God

This Armor of God lesson plan will help youth understand that God gives us everything we need to enter into spiritual warfare and fight in the battle of good vs. evil.

Opening Game

Start by playing Extreme War Card Game. This is a variation of War which is played tournament style and is much shorter than the classic game. For complete instructions see Extreme War Card Game.

Follow up with a couple of questions:

Did you enjoy battling each other?
Did you play your best card right away or save it for another round?

There is some strategy in winning a battle. When do I use my best resource and when do I hold it back? But in spiritual battle we always have plenty of resources. We don't have to hold any back because God has given to us in abundance the weapons we need to fight evil in our daily lives.

Scripture Reading for Spiritual Battle

Read the Gospel:

Mark 13:24-32 (Jesus talks about the tribulation) - the Gospel Reading for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.

In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
Mark 13:24-32

Discussion for the Armor of God

Jesus is talking about some pretty scary stuff. He tells us that suffering is coming and we must be ready. And while we associate much of this with the end of the world, we can also think of it in terms of our lives now. None of us escapes suffering.

But we are not on our own when there is darkness and evil in our lives. We have our Savior to help us, especially in the sacraments. And our loving Father has also provided angels to watch over us. These things are the armor God gives us to resist when Satan tempts us to despair and stop trusting in our Lord.

Learn more about angels

So let's talk about that in more detail.

First of all we have baptism. Baptism gives us the protection of God's grace. Baptism means we can receive the other sacraments, in which God pours out his love on us over and over again.

We also receive the Light of Christ at our baptism, which is signified by lighting a baptismal candle from the Easter candle. It is up to us to keep that light burning within us. We do this by growing closer to our Lord by our prayer, reading scripture, and receiving the sacraments.

Every year we have the opportunity to renew our baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil. When we do this we reaffirm our faith and remind ourselves that we are dependent on God.

Since we are baptized, we also have the Sacrament of Reconciliation available to us. This is another way to keep that Light of Christ burning brightly. When we admit that we have strayed in sin, Jesus heals and forgives us. And we receive the grace to be stronger in resisting temptation in the future.

And we have the great gift of the Eucharist. When we participate in the Mass, we are invited to participate in the prayer of Jesus to the Father. The Holy Spirit makes that possible. We receive our Lord in communion and become living tabernacles. Satan and his demons cannot stand to be in the presence of our Lord. He has defeated them. So the Eucharist provides powerful protection against evil. That is why we need to go to Mass every week.

In addition to the sacraments, God has given us angels to protect us. St. Michael the Archangel is especially known as a warrior who fights against Satan. But we also have our guardian angels, who are always watching over us. When you feel Satan tempting you strongly, don't be afraid to call on St. Michael and your guardian angel. They will fight for you against the evil one.

So when we feel drawn to do something we know is wrong or we feel we don't have the courage to do the right thing, we need to pause and remember that God has given us strong armor to protect us in our fight against evil. St. Paul tells us in Ephesians

Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11

This is good advice!

Reflection Questions on Spiritual Battle

Have you ever felt like you were truly fighting a spiritual battle?

Do you have a favorite prayer to say when you feel like Satan is tempting you?
Can you think of a specific time when you received real protection from evil and temptation in the sacraments?

Challenge for Armor of God

This week, when you feel like evil is near and your are being called away from Jesus, simply say "Jesus my Savior be my light. St. Michael fight for me. My Guardian angel protect me." And then join them in the battle to fight temptation.

Prayer

If time permits, spend some time praying to Jesus before the tabernacle. Close by praying the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer.

Learn how to battle evil

Related Resources

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