Page 67 - Youth Discipleship Student Textbook

Great teachers will use a lot of methods and build variety into to their presentations. Their class will
never know what is going to happen next. Some methods can detract from a lesson. But great teachers
will use each method to bring the truth of Scripture to bear on the hearts of their class.

4. Bath your teaching event with prayer

Prayer is one of the most important things a teacher can do. It is a time you are communicating with
God and it should be taken very seriously. While there is deep theological meaning in prayer, it doesn’t
have to be complicated and difficult. It’s something anyone can do anywhere at any time.

I have been teaching the Bible for over 50 years. I have taught literally hundreds of lessons. Some of
them, I taught. Some of them the Holy Spirit taught and used me as a teaching instrument. The lessons
that changed hearts were the latter. I have discovered that if I spend time with God in prayer, the Holy
Spirit moves through the lessons into the hearts of the students. Otherwise, my lessons fall on deaf
ears.

Satan does not want your class to “hear” God’s Word. They might respond in obedience. So, Satan will
do what he can to distract your class to prevent them from hearing. Sometimes we forget just how
powerful prayer is. We aren’t fighting against something imaginary. Our prayers are fighting against
spiritual battles that linger in dark places.

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms.

The power of prayer is so great it has the power to defeat the devil and his power over us. He wants to
destroy us, but God wants to bring us closer to Him. Prayer is our tool to win that battle. Prayer gives us
the strength and the faith to finish the race victorious.

If you really want to become a great teacher of youth, the path is on your knees.

4. Always look for ways to improve your teaching skills.

After the lesson is over, some people will come up and thank you for the lesson. They
may even tell you they learned something. Others just leave without saying anything.
So how do you know how you did? How do you know that the class was effective?
How can you find out from the students what they did not like or what was boring?
Without this information, you will never be able to improve your teaching skills.

You might want to give your class a short quiz the next week about last week’s lesson.
Ask them the main idea of the lesson. Ask them if they altered their lifestyle based on what was taught.
Ask them what they liked and did not like about the lesson. With this information, you may see areas
where you need to make some changes.

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