Before the lesson, ask students to have paper and wither a pen or a pencil available.

Your students might acknowledge Satan’s dangerous schemes but often define his power as an abstraction rather than a personal danger. Step 4 will help your class pinpoint the most vulnerable areas of their lives.

If you have time, show students the following science article that maps out especially dangerous locations for predatory attacks on humans in the United States. Be sure to point out the areas that show where predator attacks will happen.

Here’s where you’re most likely to run into wildlife that could kill you

We don’t often think of humans having predators. But we all have areas where Satan likes to prowl in our lives. Explain that they will be creating a symbolic geographical map of their own “habitat” to help them identify their areas of weakness.

We will be transforming a piece of paper into a scientific map of your personal habitat. On this map, you will want to locate the areas where you should be on high alert. For example, you might want to draw your neighborhood, home, school, bedroom, and so forth, marking DANGER areas where Satan might be able to gain the upper hand. There’s no wrong way to complete this map, so let’s just sketch out some possible locations that require extra protection.

Once students have time to draw some ideas, come together and discuss the following questions as a class:

• Why is it important to fortify weak areas ahead of time? (Satan doesn’t announce his arrival or advertise his strategies. It is important to be ready before we get mired in difficult temptation.)
• Screen time is a dangerous time for Satan to launch an offensive attack. What can we all do to build up our defenses? (Submitting to accountability with parents and mentors, creating healthy boundaries of Internet use, and limiting our free-for-all browsing on our smart phones can prevent “accidental” exposure to pornography or the pressure to conform to social media. If this is a particularly difficult area, they might consider a filtered browser.)
• Besides the media, social media sites, and Internet, are there any other vulnerable locations on your map you’d be willing to share? (Answers will vary. Leaders can also be prepared to share.)

Encourage your students to post their map somewhere to remind them of potential danger. When you are finished, close in prayer, asking Jesus for extra protection against Satan’s dangerous schemes.

One way to protect against predators is to be on guard. Text your teens during the week, encouraging them to be on guard for Satan’s schemes in their lives. Ephesians 6:11-2 and 1 Peter 5:8 may be good reminders.