Lesson: Strong Faith Warm- In this game, we are going to take two volunteers. One will be blindfolded. other will serve as the blindfolded person s eyes. re will be several random objects scattered across the ground (rocks, shoes, etc.). goal is to lead the blindfolded person from one end of the obstacle course to the other end without stepping on any of the objects. If time permits, we will have additional volunteers go through the minefield.. (For younger players do a trust fall where the player turns his/her back and falls into your arms Or even facing you jumps into your arms from a table or bleachers. READ: Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 Jesus can always be trusted: He will never let you down, and He wants you to be fully confident in Him. In sports and in life, you will face all kinds of challenges that can trip you up and cause you to fail (fall), but you can have confidence in knowing that Jesus is always on your side. When you actively trust in Jesus every day, there is no adversity that can keep you from your God-given destiny. Isaiah 12:2 - See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him not be afraid. Lord God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. Q: What are some things you have faith in? Explain why you have faith in those things. Q: How can having faith in God give you confidence to play harder? Faith is entrusting our life to God and having a relationship through His son Jesus. Encourage your players, if they want to make Jesus the Lord of your life to speak to you or one of the other coaches after practice: Close in Prayer.
Lesson: Armor of God Warm- Ask a player in full football uniform to stand up in front of the group. Ask kids what each piece of the uniform does to help protect the football player in the game. READ: Ephesians 6:11-13 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. refore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Football season is a great reminder of the armor of God and the protection God gives us in the game of life. No football player, in their right mind, would run on to the field for a game without his uniform including all the pads! In life, just like in a football game, we have been given pieces of armor/equipment that help to protect us. And just like you get ready for a game by putting on your equipment. We all need to get ready for life by putting on our spiritual equipment Belt of Truth - Like the football belt, hold everything together. Breastplate of Righteousness - shoulder pads which cover OUR HEART. Shoes of Peace - Football cleats dig into the ground and give you traction - gospel of peace keeps us calm and standing when trouble comes. Shield of Faith It is the first point of contact with the opposing force. Faith is the first step in standing strong for God. Helmet of Salvation protects our mind. Our minds are attacked with ideas from the world, ideas that do not draw us closer to God. Ask your team if they have any prayer requests and close in Prayer.
Lesson: Fight Right Warm- Thumb wars! Get as many who want to participate in a sudden death thumb war to determine who is the thumb war champion! Q: What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word fight? Q: What else can the word fight mean? Fight can be a strong positive word that conveys a gritty attitude during a tough game or standing up for what is right. READ: 1 Corinthians 16: 13-14 Be on guard, stand firm in the faith. Be Courageous. Be strong and do everything with love. In sports, we often think our fight is against an opponent. And at home or school our fight is against a family member or a classmate. But our fight is seldom against another person. Jesus tells us to be on guard, be strong and do everything with love. Being strong and loving others doesn t always sound like they belong to each other. That s why we need to be on guard and courageous. Because when there is fighting usually there s something else going on. An unseen enemy. devil wants us to destroy each other. real strength needed is in how to love others. Adversity is meant to draw us closer to others and God, not to fight against others. That s why our verse warns us to be on guard. It s easy to start a fight or an argument. It s not always easy to show love to someone who is being unkind. But that s what God wants us to do. Consider the following scenarios, how can you fight right. opposing team talks trash to you and your coaches. other team plays dirty. A fan or opponent gloats over beating you or a mistake you made in the game
Ask God to help your team fight the Good Fight of faith. Lesson: Winning Warm- Show a ring a trophy, medal or championship ring to your players. Let them look it over, touch and talk about it. Q: Who do you think receives a championship prize? Fans?, Referees? Players? But not all players the best. champions. Q: What do you think you have to do to receive a championship prize like this? READ: 1 Corinthians 5:24-26 Don t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. y do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. We are always to strive to win. It s not enough to just show up. We are to do our best. same is true in our Christian lives. We are challenged in this verse to work hard in living for Jesus. It s not always easy and it doesn t always come naturally. But with the same hard word and effort we apply to be the best in our in our sport, we need to work hard at being the best Christians we can be. And just like practicing is important, in the Christian life we need to be discipline in reading the Bible, praying and going to church. Q. What are some things we can do to win in our Christian lives? Q. How can going to church on Sunday help you be a better Christian doing the week? Ask God to help your team play hard every week and also to live hard for God during the week.
Lesson: Attitude of Warm- With your team in a circle, Go around to each person asking them to name something for which they are thankful. Make sure they are listening because if they repeat what has already been said they re out. See how many times you can go around. Read: Ephesians 5:20: always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes we find it hard to be thankful. But Jesus tells us to always give thanks for everything. For the Christian every time we step onto the field, our heart should be exploding with thankfulness, because we are abundantly grateful for God s blessings. We have a deep appreciation our gifts, talents and skills to play and to compete come from Him alone. We should never take it for granted. Every stride, swing, shot, pass, goal and point is a response to God s goodness. And even the way we play should be marked with, Thank you God! You always show gratitude. We have been given much by the Lord, and we play with that attitude of gratitude mindset. Q: When is it difficult to be thankful? Q: When is it easy to give thanks? Pray: Father, I want to be thankful. Whatever I do or say, I will do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to You, Father. Change me into the athlete or coach you have designed me to be overflowing with thanksgiving. In Jesus name, Amen.
Lesson: Team Works makes the Warm- Bring a small stick for each player. (A pencil will do.) Hold up the sticks and show the players that each stick represents each of them. Now ask one of your strongest players to stand up. Give him a stick and ask him if he thinks he can break it. Let him try. Now take the other sticks and put a rubber band around them. Holding them together. Ask him if he thinks he can break the bundle of sticks. Read: Philippians 1:27b "I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News." Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Teamwork requires us to trust each other, celebrating others successes and not try to do everything by ourselves. Paul writes in Philippians 1:27, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. He encourages us to stand together What a beautiful picture of teamwork standing together in unity Remember, we is always greater than me. God s heart explodes when His children work, play and serve together. Nothing Beats Teamwork! Q: What makes a great team? Q: What could be some of the enemies of teamwork? Prayer: Lord, teach us to be a great teammate. Help us to always seek the best in each other and to always be a part of teams that please You. Amen.