Lesson 28: The Armor of God

Distribute name tags and snacks. Choose one of the following activities to do together while children eat their snack.

Collect prayer requests from the students. The leader or a student can pray for the entire group, or a leader can pair up students and invite them to pray for one another.

• “Have you ever played a sport—like soccer, football, or baseball?”
• “What do you wear when you play? A uniform, right? Maybe even cleats, pads, or a helmet?”

“Athletes wear those things because they help them play their best and stay protected during the game.

Today we are going to talk about the Armor of God, which is kind of like God’s special uniform for life. It helps us get ready for whatever comes our way and protects our hearts, our minds, and our faith.

Faith is important for trusting in Jesus and the first part of the Armor of God we will be learning about is the Shield of Faith. It helps protect us.”

Step 1: Decorate Your Shield

• If you have a printer: Print the shield template and glue it to the middle of your paper plate.
• No printer? Just write “SHIELD OF FAITH” right on the plate and draw a cross or other decorations around it!

Step 2: Color It In

• Use your favorite colors to make your shield look awesome.
• Try rainbow edges or a cool design like flames, stars, or hearts of faith.

Step 3: Make the Handle

• Cut a strip of paper and glue or tape it to the back of the plate to create a handle—just like a real shield!

Step 4: Suit Up!

• Now you are ready to hold your shield of faith and stand strong!

• “What do you think are the other parts of the Armor of God?” (Have students guess what parts are needed for armor.

• The Helmet of Salvation protects your thoughts—like a football helmet protects your head.
• The Shield of Faith blocks the lies of the enemy—like a goalie blocks the ball.
• Belt of Truth helps you know what’s true and stand strong when others lie or try to confuse you.
  • Example: When someone says, “God doesn’t care about you,” the truth says, “God loves me no matter what!
• Breastplate of Righteousness protects your heart and helps you do what’s right, even when it’s hard.
  • Example: Choosing to tell the truth, be kind, or obey—because it’s what God wants for you.
• The Shoes of Peace help you move and stand strong—like cleats give you traction.
• The Sword of the Spirit (The Bible) is your playbook—God’s Word that helps you know what to do.

“Just like you would never play in a big game without your uniform, don’t go through life without God’s Armor. It helps you stay strong, confident, and ready to stand up for what’s right!

As we’re getting close to the end of our Crossroads Club for the year, you might be wondering… How can I stay strong in my faith when club is over? How can I remember everything we’ve learned about God, the Bible, and following Jesus?

Well, guess what? God gives us something really special to help us stay strong—it’s called the Armor of God! It’s not armor you can see or touch, like a superhero suit, but it’s even better—because it protects your heart, your thoughts, your choices, and your faith.

Armor helps protect you when things are hard, scary, or confusing. Your faith in Jesus—believing he is with you, that he loves you, and that he’s stronger than anything you’ll face—can protect you every day, no matter where you are!”

Welcome the students to Crossroads and tell them you are glad they came this week.

(Share why you love God—maybe because he loves you first, made the world, or always listens to you.)

Tell kids that closing their eyes and folding their hands together can help keep them focused and not distract those around them.

• “When Crossroads Club is over, how can you keep growing with God and stay strong in your faith?”
• “What do you think makes someone strong in their faith?”
• “Have you ever had a time where it was hard to follow God or do what’s right?”
• “What helps you remember God when you’re not here at club?”

“Okay, Crossroads crew! There are 6 items hidden around the room and each represents a piece of the Armor of God.

You have just a few minutes to search high and low and find them!

Once all 6 are found, we’ll bring them up front and talk about what each one means. Ready? GO!”

After all items are found, have the kids who found each item come up to the front. The remaining students should sit down.

“Let’s see what you found! One at a time, tell us what item you found and what you think it might stand for.”

As each one shares, respond with excitement and connect it to the corresponding armor piece.

Armor Pieces:

1. Belt of Truth
2. Breastplate of Righteousness
3. Shoes of Peace
4. Shield of Faith
5. Helmet of Salvation
6. Sword of the Spirit (Word of God)

“Awesome! Did you know each of these items is in the Bible? In Ephesians 6, God tells us to put on the full armor of God so we can stand strong in our faith. Let’s read what each piece means and how it helps us!”

Read Ephesians 6:10–18, stopping briefly to connect each item to the armor of God.

“Great job today, everyone! You found all the pieces of God’s Armor—and now you know what each one means.

As we finish Crossroads Club for the year, you might be wondering, How can I stay strong in my faith when I’m not here every week?

The answer is simple: Put on the armor of God every day.
That means:

• Remember what’s true about who God is.
• Do what’s right, even when it’s hard.
• Share peace with the people around you.
• Trust God no matter what.
• Know that you belong to Jesus.
• Read and remember God’s Word, because it helps you fight lies with truth.

This armor isn’t something we can see—but when we believe in Jesus and follow him, we are protected and ready for anything.

So this summer, when you’re at home or at the park or with friends, remember: You’re not alone. You’re strong in Jesus. And you’ve got everything you need to stand strong in your faith.”

“God, thank you for giving us your armor so we can stand strong. Help us remember what we learned at Crossroads and to keep trusting you every day. We love you! Amen.”

How to Play:

• The leader reads statements.

Example Statements:

1. God loves me no matter what. → TRUTH
2. If I do enough good things, I can earn my way to heaven. → LIE
3. Jesus died to forgive my sins. → TRUTH
4. God’s Word is only for adults. → LIE
5. I can pray to God anytime, anywhere. → TRUTH
6. When life is hard, I’m all alone. → LIE
7. The Bible is the Sword of the Spirit. → TRUTH
8. When I feel afraid, I can trust God to give me courage. → TRUTH
9. If people are mean to me, I should be mean back. → LIE
10. God’s truth never changes. → TRUTH
11. It’s okay to lie if it helps me avoid trouble. → LIE
12. God can help me stand strong when I feel weak. → TRUTH
13. Following Jesus means I will never have problems. → LIE
14. Jesus gives me peace, even when everything around me feels crazy. → TRUTH
15. I can fight temptation with God’s Word. → TRUTH
16. If I feel like giving up, I should remember God’s promises. → TRUTH
17. Reading the Bible helps me know how to stand strong in my faith. → TRUTH
18. The Shield of Faith protects me from lies and doubts. → TRUTH
19. God only cares about my actions, not my heart. → LIE
20. Salvation is a gift from God—I can’t earn it. → TRUTH

Connection to Lesson: Teaches kids to recognize lies and stand strong with the armor God gives us.

How to Play:

• Have each child remove one shoe and place it in a large pile in the center of the room.
• Mix up the shoes well.
• All kids start at the edges of the room.
• When the leader says “GO! Find your shoe of peace!” kids run to the center, find their shoe, put it on, and then walk carefully back to their spot using “peaceful steps” (slow, gentle, careful, and kind—no running or pushing).
• Once all kids return, have them sit and share one way they can walk in peace this week (e.g., forgive a friend, be kind at school, pray for someone).
• Repeat the game a few times, encouraging them to think about walking in peace with God and others.

Connection to Lesson: The shoes of peace remind us that wherever we go, we can bring Jesus’ peace with us.

The game helps kids physically think about how they “put on” peace by choosing kindness, patience, and forgiveness.

The mix-up and careful walking reinforces that peace is not rushing or fighting—but moving carefully and lovingly toward others.

How to Play:

• Pair up kids and have them link arms or hold hands.
• They race across the room while walking in sync and peacefully (no dragging or tugging).
• If they argue or get out of sync, they start over.
• Afterward, ask how teamwork and peace made a difference.

Connection to Lesson: Demonstrates that living in peace with others takes cooperation, patience, and kindness—qualities Jesus helps us grow.

How to Play:

• Setup the space:
  • Spread out the baskets or hula hoops around the room.
  • Place an index card inside or taped to each one with a different peaceful action.
  • Have kids line up at a tossing line (you can mark it with tape or cones).
• Start the game:
  • One at a time, kids toss the beanbag into any basket or target.
  • If the beanbag lands inside, they pick up the card from that basket (or the leader reads it aloud).
• Reflection moment:
  • The player must quickly explain or act out how they could do that action in real life.
    • Example: “I would say sorry first if I got into a fight with my brother.”
  • Encourage the group to clap or cheer after each answer.
• Repeat rounds:
  • Keep playing until all kids have had a few turns.
  • Optionally, rotate the cards between the baskets after a few rounds to keep it fresh.

Connection to Lesson: The shoes of peace are part of God’s Armor because they help us bring peace everywhere we go, even in situations where it hard.

When we “put on” the shoes of peace, we are ready to stand firm, show love, and share Jesus’ peace with others.

How to Play:

• Setup:
  • Give each child a paper plate to hold like a shield.
  • Assign 1-2 leaders (or a few kids) to be the Temptation Throwers.
  • All other kids spread out in the play area, holding their shields.
• Objective:
  • The temptation throwers gently toss the “temptation” paper balls toward the kids.
  • Kids must use their Shield of Faith (paper plate) to block or deflect the attacks without using their hands or body—only the shield can block.
• Gameplay variations:
  • When hit, players freeze and shout “Jesus, help me stand strong!” before continuing.
  • For extra learning, each temptation thrower can call out a temptation word (e.g., lying, anger, fear, selfishness) as they throw.
  • After the round, gather kids and ask them to share what temptation they deflected and how God’s Word can help them resist it.
• Reset and repeat:
  • Rotate throwers so all kids get a chance to use both the shield and throw the “temptation.”

Connection to Lesson: The paper plate shield reminds kids that faith in Jesus helps them block temptation.

Like the Shield of Faith in Ephesians 6, it helps us stand strong against lies, fear, and anything that pulls us away from God’s truth.

• “How did it feel when you blocked temptation?”
• “What are some ways we can use our faith to block temptation in real life?”

“We’ll match each piece of armor to the word that connects each piece to the Armor of God.”

After completing the match-up activity, connect the Armor of God to people in the Bible that used it when things were difficult.

“We’ve been learning about the Armor of God—how it protects us and helps us stay strong in our faith. But did you know people in the Bible needed that kind of protection too?”

Read each piece of armor out loud, then ask students which Bible character we have learned about this year that it could match. Let them discuss in small groups or as a whole class.

Examples:

• Breastplate of Righteousness – Noah — He did what was right when the whole world was doing wrong.
• Shoes of Peace – Abraham — He trusted God and followed him, bringing peace through faith.
• Belt of Truth – Joseph — He stood for truth even when others lied about him.
• Shield of Faith – Moses — He trusted God to part the sea and lead the people even when it seemed impossible.
• Helmet of Salvation – Paul — He knew he was saved by Jesus and never stopped sharing that truth.
• Sword of the Spirit – Jesus (or Paul) — Used God’s Word to teach, preach, and fight temptation.

Ask:

• “What about us? How does God help you when things are hard?”

“God gave Joseph, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Paul everything they needed to keep going. And he does the same for us today. When life gets hard, we can hold on to God’s promises and put on his armor—because God is always fighting for us!”

Discussion Questions:

• “Why is it important that we put on our spiritual armor every day?”
• “How can we use each piece of spiritual armor at home? At school? At church?”
• “What could it look like to “put on God’s armor” tomorrow morning before school?”
• “How can you help a friend who’s going through something hard remember to put on the Armor of God?”
• “Crossroads Club is almost over—what can you do to keep growing in your faith this summer?”

Give each student Printout 2, encourage them to look over with their family to help them remember the Armor of God and how God can always help them.

Reminders at Home:

• Hang their Shield of Faith craft on the wall or bedroom door.
• Display the Self-Portrait somewhere they’ll see it regularly (on the fridge, their room, or a family wall).
• These serve as visual reminders that God is with them and they are never unarmed in life’s battles.