We had an awesome group family night that included 4 families with kids ages 1-15 years old. It was about the Armor of God. This could also be adapted easily to be a Primary Sharing Time.
First we talked about the parts of the Armor of God listed below:
"Loins girt about with truth". The loins are the area between the ribs and the hips, the most vulnerable area, Being girt with truth means to know right from wrong and to love truth. Knowing the truth will help us make righteous decisions. The Breastplate of Righteousness protects the heart. Many of the decisions we make are guided by the feeling and emotions of our heart. The Holy Ghost also speaks to our heart. If we protect our heart with the breastplate of righteousness, then our actions will be pleasing to Heavenly Father.
Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Learning and understanding all parts of the gospel, (faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, prayer, fasting, etc.) and putting them into action in our lives. This will help us to walk the strait and narrow path of the gospel and keep us on the "right foot".
The Helmet of Salvation – We should focus on things Heavenly Father would have us think of. We need to grow in our knowledge of the gospel.
He gave us:
1) The shield of faith- having faith in Jesus Christ and believing that he loves us and watches over us gives us peace and protection.
Notice, Paul says "ABOVE ALL having taken up the shield of faith." The shield of faith protects us greatly. We normally think of a shield as a small round dish, However, in Christ's time, a Roman soldier had a shield that was rectangular in shape and as tall as he was. This provided for a great covering to the soldier. When the soldiers were fired upon with flaming arrows, they were all able to crouch down behind the shields creating a barrier that would be almost impossible to penetrate.
2) The sword of my spirit -- a sword cannot only defend us but can be used as a weapon against our enemies. The Holy Ghost acts the same way. He is there in our time of need to help us make correct decisions. He also warns us against dangers. We can have the spirit with us as we study the scriptures regularly.
Then we did this object lesson which was very cool:
Armor of God Object Lesson
Need 2 oranges, clear jar
The orange represents a person with the "Armor of God". Put the first orange (skin and all) in a your container of water. It will float. Then take the second orange and peel it. Each piece of the peel you take off would represent something that separates us from God... As you mention what each piece represents throw the peel in a pile. When all peeled talk about how things just don't seem to hold together well without a complete set of spiritual armor. Break the oranges into pieces and drop them in the container of water and each one will fall to the ground. We are lifted up by God's armor and protection. We can rise above the trials that come our way with His help. He will not let us sink unless we do not do our part and protect ourselves.
