President Russell M. Nelson (Oct. '20): "Let God Prevail"

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Explanation:

The ideas in this blog are meant to be used in small, home-like environments (2-5 people), although any of them could be adapted for other contexts.  I am also envisioning these activities as guided by a parent(s), but again that need not be the case.  For teaching ideas to use in larger settings, e.g. Relief Society and Elders Quorum classes, see my other blog here.

For Adults:

  1. Make sure everyone has a sheet of paper and something to write with.
  2. Read par. 23 ("The question for . . . up in His?)
  3. Discuss what this means
  4. Take a moment to silently consider a moment from the past week when you were faced with a choice as to whether you would let God prevail in your life or if you would prioritize something/someone else.
  5. Re-read par. 23.
  6. Silently, take a few moments to write about what that particular experience answers those questions and how you might remember to do better in the future.
  7. Share ideas on how you could be more aware of letting God prevail in your life.

For Teens:

  1. Read par. 23 ("The question for . . .  up in His?)
  2. On a sheet of paper, draw 2 vertical lines, dividing the paper roughly into thirds.  Label one side "influences;" label the middle "other voices;" and label the third column "other ambitions."
  3. Share a hypothetical situation about a person making a choice with the teens.  You can use one of the ones below or create one yourself (be careful to not be pointed with the scenarios).
    1. Rachel is a marvelous soccer player and has received some attention from college scouts.  Her coach tells her that there will be several scouts at a game that was recently rescheduled for a Sunday.  Although she feels bad about it, Rachel decides to play the game so that the scouts can see her play.  She has a rough home life and receiving a scholarship might be her only chance to get away from home and get an education.
    2. Zack sits next to a boy who is often bullied.  The boy has some developmental delays and doesn't fit in really well.  Zack is often nice to the boy in class and helps him with the homework on ocassion.  One day, though, he sees some boys picking on his friend.  He says something but when the other boys threaten him, he walks away.
    3. Shonda and Ryan are dating.  They know they should not be boyfriend/girlfriend, but they are almost the only members in their school and they want to date only members as much as possible.  So, they are dating pretty steady.  They increasingly spend more and more time alone in secluded places.  They know it is risky to do so, but so far nothing amiss has happened.  And they are both planning on serving a mission.  
  4. After each hypothetical situation, take a moment to identify with the teens what decisions each person is making about the influences they listen to.  Stress that these are human, natural decisions and no one should be shamed for making them, but perhaps there are better decisions to make in each case (certainly there are worse decisions to be made as well).  
  5. Talk about how each person might remember to let God prevail in their lives.
  6. Bear testimony of the blessings that come from letting God prevail in our lives.

For Tweens/Kids:

  1. Get a piece of cloth (or piece of paper), a magnet, and a paperclip.
  2. Hold the cloth taut, put the paperclip on top of the cloth and the magnet underneath.  Use the magnet to move the paperclip around.  
  3. Talk about how the magnet is pulling the paperclip to it.
  4. Read par. 5 ("We can choose . . . lives, or not.")
  5. Talk about what the words 'influence' and 'willing' means.
  6. Repeat the experiment, but this time hold the paperclip so that it cannot move with the magnet.
  7. Discuss the difference in what happens.
  8. Talk about what we might have to let go of in our lives to allow God's influence to work on us.
  9. Bear testimony of the peace and joy that come from allowing God to prevail in our lives.

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