As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are blessed with the knowledge of divine principles that guide our lives and bring us closer to our Heavenly Father. One such principle is the law of fasting and prayer!
Fasting and prayer are not mere traditions; they are powerful tools given to us by a loving Father to draw nearer to Him, receive guidance, and offer supplication for ourselves and others.
In this week's Come Follow Me lesson for kids, we'll explore how fasting helps up draw closer to God!
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➤ L E S S O N
Open the lesson with a song and a prayer.
🎶 K A R A O K E V I D E O : "Sweet Hour of Prayer"
➤ P R E P A R A T I O N
You will need a small dumbbell weight that children could easily manage. If you don't have any dumbbells, you can also use a medium sized rock or anything else that weighs 2-4 lbs.
➤ I N T R O D U C T I O N
Ask for a volunteer. Tell the children that we are going to try to help the volunteer’s muscles get stronger. First, invite the volunteer to wish for stronger muscles. Next, invite the volunteer to talk to his/her muscles and ask them nicely to get stronger. Finally, tell the volunteer to pick up the weight and exercise with it for a moment.
Once you have completed the activity, discuss the following questions with everyone:
1) If we simply wish for our muscles to get stronger, will that work? (No!)
2) If just tell our muscles to get stronger, will our muscles get stronger? (No, that won’t work!)
3) If we want our muscles to get stronger, what do we have to do? (Exercise our muscles!)
Explain: “Explain: Have you ever thought about your spiritual muscles and wondered how your spiritual muscles can get stronger? Today we are going to talk about a commandment that Heavenly Father gave us that can help us to build spiritual strength! This commandment is called: fasting and prayer! Fasting is when we go without food and drink for a little while.”
🎥 V I D E O : "Fasting and Prayer / Animated Scripture Lessons for Kids"
Say: “Now we are going to watch a video about fasting and prayer. Here is a question for you to think about while you are watching: Why does Heavenly Father want us to fast?”
Click HERE to download this video to your device.
Click the image below to watch on Youtube:
Discuss the following questions after watching the video:
1) Why do you think Heavenly Father wants us to fast? (It strengthens us spiritually and we draw nearer to God.)
2) Why does fasting make our spirit stronger? (It’s like exercise for our spirit. We practice saying “no” to things that our body wants.)
3) Can you remember any of the people from the scriptures who fasted and prayed? (Moses, Anna, Alma, Jesus Christ.)
4) Do you think those people were spiritually stronger after fasting? (Yes!)
➤ S C R I P T U R E
Read the following verses together and discuss the questions that follow.
"And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?"
1) In this scripture, Alma is bearing his testimony of Jesus Christ. How do you think he got his
testimony of Jesus Christ? (Discuss any ideas the children have.)
"Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me."
1) How did Alma get his testimony of Jesus Christ? (He prayed and fasted many days and it was given to him by the power of the Holy Ghost.)
2) Do you think he was hungry when he was fasting? (Yes.)
3) Why didn’t he eat? (He was fasting and he wanted to have a testimony.)
4) Do you think his spirit got a little bit stronger? (Yes.) Why? (Discuss.)
"Nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God."
1) What were these people commanded to do? (To join together in fasting and mighty prayer.)
2) Who did they pray for while they were fasting? (For the people who didn’t believe in God.)
3) Do you think these people were hungry when they were fasting? (Yes.)
4) Why didn’t they eat? (They were fasting and they wanted Heavenly Father to bless those people.)
5) Do you think their spirits got a little bit stronger? (Yes.) Why? (Discuss.)
➤ A C T I V I T Y
Pass out activity pages.
Follow the directions on the activity pages and help children to complete the activity. Invite them to eat their treats! Give extra treats to those who waited and ask them why they chose to wait. Ask
them if their spirits feel a little bit stronger!
➤ T E S T I M O N Y
Bear testimony of the truths found in the scriptures.
How to Download Latter Day Kids' Videos!
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'Come, Follow Me' is a resource offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is designed to be used in the home to support personal and family scripture study to build faith in Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation and in the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Come, Follow Me is self-contained and adequate, when used properly. Products and materials designed to supplement this resource, though they may be helpful in some instances, are not necessary for a successful home study program.
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