MATERIALS:
Photocopy the hearts one for each child. Photocopy Bible Verse Card, crayons
A plant that is being eaten by bugs. A beat and a bean. Heart shaped sponge from previous lesson Small paper hearts with the name of each child, tape to be able to stick it onto the back of each child. Photocopy Clean and Unclean hearts

AS KIDS ARRIVE PRIOR TO THE LESSON:
Get 1 child to colour the Bible Cards prior to the lesson. How is your Moringa? Did you get it planted at home?

1. WELCOME GAMES: (10 minutes)
Photocopy the hearts one for each child write their names on each heart and tape it to their back. The aim is to try to collect as many of the other players hearts, without losing your heart. When the game is over the winners are those who still had their own hears because they ‘Guarded their Heart’

2. TEAM GAMES: (10 minutes)
Spit into two teams, have the children make two rows start by whispering in the first child’s ear “Above all else, guard your heart” get them to pass on the whisper until the last child then calls out what they heard.
Repeat Set a guard over my mouth and lastly "Create in me a clean heart, O God"

Discuss how different the last one was from the first. This is how it is with gossip it gets changed and distorted as it is passed on until it becomes a lie.

3. ACTIVE PRAISE CHORUS: (10 minutes) (See Musical cords)
O Be Careful

Oh be careful little eyes what you see…
Oh be careful little eyes what you see…
For the Father up above is looking down in love,
So be careful little mouth what you say.

O be careful…

2) Oh be careful little ears what you hear…
3) Oh be careful little tongue what you say
4) Oh be careful little hands what you do…
5) Oh be careful little feet where you go.
6) Oh be careful little mind what you think…
7) Oh be careful little heart whom you trust…

4. INTIMATE WORSHIP: (5 minutes) (See lyrics and music sheets)
Change my heart oh God

Prayer: Dear God set a guard over our hearts and mouths that we will be careful what we look at and hear.

5. TEACHING:
a. “Back Track” (5 minutes)
Last week we learnt the need to be pruned. In order for Christians to grow sometimes God has to prune our lives. God shapes us and creates us to be what He wants us to be. Sometimes that is a bit uncomfortable, but He does it for our good. Pruning your Moringa helps the tree develop, the tree has a tendency to shoot up vertically and grow tall, like a mast with sparse flowers and few fruits found only at the very top

b. Sword Play
Ready…Swords up… Proverbs 4:23... CHARGE!
Above all else, guard your heart. (Proverbs 4:23)

Swords up… Psalm 141:3a... CHARGE!
Set a guard over my mouth (Psalm 141:3a)

(Use the Bible Verse Card as a visual aid.)

c. Teach the Lesson (15 minutes)

Above all else, guard your heart
Your physical heart determines how and what your body can or cannot do how healthy and fit you are. Likewise your spiritual heart will determine what you will or can do Spiritually and eternally. The Heart (lift up the heart shape sponge) is the part of our being where we desire and decide. It has been described as “the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity,” your feelings, desires, passions, thought, understanding and will,” the very “centre of a person. That is why we have to guard it. The Lord said to Samuel, “Men looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart (the very core of your being) you will be saved.

Object Lessons:
a. Optional: Vine and Branches video (To compliment teaching below or try and get some visual aids)
What kind of plant are you?
Cactus … so prickly no one can get close to you!
Poison Ivy… causing problems wherever you go?
An Oak… deeply rooted strong and stable?
Artificial… looking pretty but more fake than real?
Aloe Vera…attracting people with your gentle care?
Wilted… so lifeless you are almost dead!
Fruitful… adding to the Kingdom continually
People see the branches before they see the vine.
What kind of plant are you?

b. (Have a plant that is being eaten by bugs. You can cut holes in some leaves and sprinkle on talcum powder to make it look like a sick plant being eaten by bugs) You need to guard and protect the plant from those kinds of bad bugs just like we need to protect our hearts from bad friends. You have to not only care for your garden but you also have to protect it.

We need to protect our hearts so we can grow Spiritually. We protect our hearts from sin by resisting peer pressure. It's kind of like building a fence around our hearts to keep bad things out like sin. You may want to ask someone to help you build a wooden fence around your Moninga plant to protect it when it is very young

c. (Use the beat and bean as a visual aid). We need to beet (lift up a beat) sin by being (lift up a bean) good, being (lift up a bean) careful, being (lift up a bean) bold against peer pressure, etc.

When we stand firm against these things we are guarding our hearts. We need to protect our hearts from sin. We need to stay away from people who will cause us to sin and stay away from places where we find it easy to give into sin.

We need to set a guard over your mouth
If you've got a problem with your tongue, it's much more serious than you think. You have a heart problem. A person with a harsh tongue has an angry heart. A person with a negative tongue has a fearful heart. A person with an overactive gossiping tongue has an unsettled heart. A person with a boasting tongue has an insecure heart.

A person with a filthy tongue has an impure heart. A person who is complaining tongue, critical all the time has a bitter heart. You've got to get a new heart,
Painting the outside of the pump doesn't make any difference if there is poison in the well. You can turn over a new leaf, but what you may really need is a new life. What you need is a fresh start. You need to let go of all the past and be born again and start over. You need to get a new heart. Guard what you say, see and hear, your mouth, eyes and ears are open doors to your heart. You are responsible for setting a guard over your mouth so as to guard your heart.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God"
How do I get a new heart? The Bible tells us “if any man be in Christ, he is a new person. The old has passed away. Behold all things have become new." When you come to Jesus Christ, He wipes out everything you've done in the past. Pray like David for a clean heart because what's in my heart comes out in my mouth. Our heart is shaped by what you think so think positively. Clean and Unclean hearts.

Discussion Questions
1. When I am harsh and abusive what is really in my heart? (Anger, hatred, un-forgiveness)
2. When I speak negatively what is really in my heart? (Fear, doubt, unbelief)

6. APPLICATION / ENCOUNTERING GOD: Refer to our Encountering God Handbook for ideas for this important section of the session. Experience the Holy Spirit Learning Centers creating a Spiritual atmosphere.

Close with a time of worship. Open the alters for those children who want to ask God to give them the strength that they need to resist temptation and guard their heart and their mouths. Let them bring their little hearts with their names on them to place at the altar. Pray for strength to resist peer pressure and gossip.

CLOSING PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we know that you can see what is in our heart and there are some things there that shouldn't be there. Create a clean heart in us. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen

TAKE HOME PAGE:
Give one copy of the ‘Take Home Truth’ to each child at the end of the class. Give them their heart.
Optional: ‘Take Home Quiz Books’ are available for the children found in your Visual Aid Manual