The Children's Chapel Award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids. ~ A Ministry of The Missing Link, Inc. ~ The Fruit of the Spirit Is Self-Control - Temperance [Picture of a peach] Don't Cave In To Temptation Text Version by Sophia Prinsloo [Picture of cherries] "Lisa, didn't I tell you that you may only eat sweets after lunch?" cherries "Jacques, stop pestering the dog!" "Annie, put your phone away and do your homework!" "Martin! John! Stop bickering this instant!" Does that sound familiar to you? Let's hear what the Bible says: [Picture of fruit divider] [Picture of pear] During the time when David was fleeing from Saul, who wanting to kill him, many men joined David. He became their leader and they listened to him, because the Lord was with him. [Picture of many who men joined David as he became their leader] They could not stay in one place for too long, because there was always someone snitching on them to Saul. That is why they constantly moved around. Once, when Saul had to go fight the Philistines, David and the men went to stay at Engedi. It was in the mountainous part of the arid desert. David and his men got their water from a fountain in the valley where the deer always came for a drink. There was also a cave where they could shelter from the wind, which sometimes blew so hard their eyes and clothes became full of dust and sand. One day they were hiding in the cave again to rest for a while. David was playing his lyre, singing, "Like a deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after Thee." Suddenly, the guards at the entrance of the cave came running inside. "Quick, hide! King Saul is on his way." [Picture of peach] "Just King Saul alone?" asked David as he quickly put away his lyre. [Picture of cluster of grapes] "Yes, but there are about three thousand soldiers down by the fountain," the guards replied. They were just in time to hide behind the rocks when Saul entered the cave. "Is there somebody inside here?" Saul yelled. Everybody was quite still. Nobody moved. From the dark shadows in the cave, David and the men carefully watched every move Saul made. They were not planning to get caught in the cave and were ready to leave quickly if Saul's soldiers came closer. [Picture of King Saul and his men reaching the cave where David and his men were hiding] Completely unaware of the danger hiding in the cave, Saul took off his helmet and breastplate and put them on a nearby rock. Then he dusted his clothes, took a sip of water from his waterbag and squatted. [Picture of peach] "Psst! David!" Abishai whispered. "Today is the day in which the Lord has delivered Saul into your hands. Now is your chance to kill Saul and then you will become the king of Israel." [Picture of David creeping up behind King Saul] Quietly David got up with a firm grip on his razor-edged knife. He stalked Saul noiselessly across the sand in the cave while the wind rustled softly through the entrance. Saul, with his back towards David, suspected nothing. [Picture of pear] When David reached Saul to kill him, lifting up his knife, his conscience started bothering him: "David, do you want to murder the anointed of the Lord out of vengeance and then become king yourself? Do you want to kill the father of your best friend, Jonathan, whom you love so much? How will you ever be able to explain that to God or Jonathan? The Word of God says you may not commit murder, but vengeance is His." [Picture of cherries] Immediately David changed his mind and only cut off the skirt of Saul's robe, grabbed it and quickly vanished into the shadows of the cave again where his men were hiding. He told them, "My conscience is bothering me seriously now. May the Lord keep me from ever killing the king, because the Lord has appointed him and he is God's anointed." "Oh no, David! If you don't want to do it, we will!" said Joab and a whole lot of other men. "He has tried to kill you how many times? He gave your wife to someone else and he has been hunting us down like wild animals for months now!" "No, definitely not!" David forbade them earnestly. "King Saul did me wrong and I am not happy about that, but he still is the anointed of the Lord! That is why you may not come against him either. We must be patient and have temperance; the Lord says the vengeance is His and He Himself will repay him for his deeds. God will fight for us and, according to His promise, I shall become king at the appointed time! The Lord's way is always best." [Picture of King Saul when he heard David's voice] Saul got up, put on his breastplate and his helmet and made his way out of the cave. Suddenly, David jumped up and ran after Saul, calling, "My lord, the king!" Alarmed, Saul stopped dead in his tracks. When he turned around, David bowed down with his face to the earth, fell down upon his knees and said, "Why do you listen to the people who say I want to kill you? You yourself saw that today God delivered you into my hands. All my men told me to kill you, but I spared your life, because you are the anointed of the Lord." David held up the piece of cloth. "Look! Here in my hand is a piece of your robe. When I cut it off, I did not kill you. Isn't that enough proof that I do not want to harm you in any way? The Lord may kill you because of what you have done to me, but I shall never kill you. The Lord will decide who is right, me or you, and He will punish the one who is in the wrong!" Saul replied, "Is that really you, my son David?" Then he started to cry, "You are a better man than I, because you have done good to me when I wanted to do evil to you. May the Lord reward you because you have spared my life." [Picture of David speaking to King Saul] Between the tears, Saul sobbed, "Now I know that you will become king after me. Promise me that, when you are king, you will spare my family and descendants." After David solemnly promised him, Saul went home. David kept his promise, but Saul's remorse over trying to kill David did not last long. Shortly afterwards, he was out to try and kill David again. [Picture of fruit divider] REMEMBER: Stop and think when you are tempted to do wrong. It is not always easy, but in the long run, the Lord's way is always best. THINK 1. What did God promise to David? 2. Did David have to wait before he could become king? 3. What helped David not to kill King Saul? 4. What helped David to use temperance? 5. Was Saul a good king? 6. Did David became a good king? 7. Like whom would you like to be, Saul or David? DID YOU KNOW? Children who have learned self-control from an early age, usually become successful adults. [Picture of apple] A VERSE TO LEARN "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23). [Picture of cluster of grapes] ALTERNATE VERSES TO LEARN "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city" (Proverbs 16:32). "Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded" (Titus 2:7). "But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer" (1 Peter 4:7). "For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off" (Isaiah 48:9) PRACTICAL APPLICATION What would you do if you were playing with your friends and one of them made you angry, slapping your face, biting or kicking you? Would you slap, bite or a kick them back? Is that the way you should behave? What would Jesus have you do? I want you to think of some things you like to do that aren't always good for you. For example, you may like filling yourself up with snacks and sweets instead of eating your meal at the table, or sitting around all day watching movies, playing video games or playing with your phone instead of going outdoors to get sunshine and exercise. What would help you do the right thing? Would thinking about what Jesus would do help you decide? Now think of things you know you should do but don't always feel like doing, things like homework, making your bed or brushing your teeth. Why is it good to do those things? How about reading your Bible and praying? Do you think it takes self-control to pray and read the Bible every day? Can you think of a time Jesus used self-control when He was here on Earth? [After discussion:] In today's story, David had a choice to either give in to temptation and kill Saul or do what God commanded and let him live. He showed great self-control and God rewarded him by making him King over Israel after Saul died. When you're tempted to lose self-control, there are many things you can do. Next time that happens, try walking away or think of a Bible verse before you do anything and, if you don't know a Bible verse, count to ten. Most importantly, silently call on Jesus for help and trust Him to help you do the right thing. It's always harder to win back a friend than stupidly do something to lose one. Have you become so angry you lost your temper with someone? Do you need to ask someone to forgive you? Do it today so God can bring healing in both your lives. God shows lots of self-control toward us and we should do the same toward others. LET'S PRAY [Picture of little boy kneeling beside his bed with his dog and both of them praying] **************************************************** Heavenly Father, help us to use self-control and to always think about the consequences of what we do. Teach us to wait patiently to receive rewards. In Jesus' Name. Amen. **************************************************** CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE? 1 Samuel 24:1-23 Galatians 5:19-26 [Picture of peach] STORIES IN THIS SERIES: The Fruit of the Spirit Love Joy Peace Longsuffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance [Picture of fruit divider] COLORING Coloring: Jesus Washing the Disciples' Feet Jesus Washed the Apostles' Feet Jesus Washing the Disciples' Feet online coloring Jesus and His Friends Coloring Book The Jesus Bible for Kids Coloring Book The Story of Jesus Coloring and Activity Book [Picture of pear] Fruit of the Spirit Coloring Pages Fruit of the Spirit Coloring Book, Ages 4-7 God Wants Us to Bear Good Fruit Growing as God's Child Coloring Book Fruit of the Spirit Tree Fruit Fruit of the Spirit Beginner's Bible Super-Duper Mighty Jumbo Coloring Book Bible Story Coloring Pages V2 Really Big Book of Bible Story Coloring Pages My Bible Coloring Book Children's Bible Coloring Books STORIES Beginner's Bible: Jesus and His Friends, My First I Can Read! (Shared Reading) Beginner's Bible Stories About Jesus boardbook Jesus Washes Peter's Feet, Arch Book Series Washing Feet [Picture of cherries] Fruit of the Spirit Arch Book Fruit of the Spirit Stories For Young Children — Humility and Faithfulness Life Is an Adventure with Ernie The Fruit of the Spirit 365 Read-Aloud Bedtime Bible Stories 365 Activities For Kids: A Bible Story And Activity For Each Day Of The Year 100 Bible Stories 100 Bible Songs w/2 CD Beginner's Bible Bible in Pictures For Toddlers Bible stories Egermeier's Bible Storybook for Beginners Early Reader's Bible The Children's Illustrated Bible The Preschooler's Bible Toddler's Bible Pilgrim's Progress Comic Children's Books Spanish Children's Books The Picture Bible (also in Spanish) ACTIVITIES Fill in the Blanks (KJV) Disciples of Jesus Online Jigsaw Puzzle Friends of Jesus Crossword Puzzle Friends of Jesus Word Scramble Friends of Jesus Word Search Jesus Washed the Disciples' Feet Word Search The Beginner's Bible All About Jesus Sticker and Activity Book The Master Becomes a Servant The Story of Jesus Activity Book [Picture of peach] Coded Bible Puzzle Crossword Puzzle Fruit of the Spirit Online Game Fruit of the Spirit Online Jigsaw Puzzle Online Animated Jigsaw Puzzle Online Animated Slide Puzzle Online Coded Bible Puzzle Online Fruit Basket to Arrange Online Hangman Online Word Search Online Word Search 2 Unscramble Word Search Best Book of Bible Activities Encyclopedia Of Bible Games For Children's Ministry The Humongous Book of Games for Children's Ministry The Super Sized Book of Bible Puzzles Memory Verse Games for Kids Big Book Of Bible Puzzles Bible Puzzles: Word Search Big Book Of Bible Story Activity Pages V1 Jumbo Bible Activity Book 4 Christian and educational toys Children's Activity Books Children's Puzzles Crossword Books Games Sticker Books SONGS Jesus Washes Peter's Feet [Music Download] [Picture of cluster of grapes] Fruit of the Spirit (sheet music/MIDI) I Want To Be Like Jesus (sheet music/MIDI) The Fruit of The Spirit Song/MIDI/CHORDS Fruit of the Spirit Cadence 100 Ways To Know God Loves Me & 100 Songs 100 Bible Stories 100 Bible Songs= Action Bible Songs Bible Songs on CD Bible Songs on DVD 100 Singalong Bible Songs For Kids 25 Favorite Sunday School Songs Children's Music CDs and DVDs Beginner's Bible Jesus and His Friends Audiobook [Download] Fruit of the Spirit Animation online Auto B Good Fruits of the Spirit DVD Sunday School Songs (Cedarmont Kids) The Last Supper Superbook DVD What's in the Bible DVD 10: Jesus Is the Good News! The Beginner's Bible Box Set, 4 DVDs #1: Read and Share: The Ultimate DVD Bible Storybook God's Story from Creation to Eternity (listen & watch online) Story of Jesus for Kids The Bible MiniSeries DVD Set The Jesus Storybook Bible Curriculum Kit Bible story DVDs Children's DVDs CRAFTS Jesus Washes His Disciples' Dirty Feet [Picture of apple] Fruit Printing Fruit Basket (pdf) (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) Fruit of the Spirit Crafts Bible Crafts Bible Crafts & More (Ages 3-6) Bible Crafts On A Shoestring Budget: Paper Sacks & Cardboard Tubes (Reproducible: Ages 5-10) Big Book of Bible Crafts (Ages 3-12) Encyclopedia Of Bible Crafts For Preschoolers Praise God with Paper Plates (Reproducible: PreK-Grade 2) Really Big Book Of Cool Crafts For Kids w/CD-Ages 4-12 RESOURCES FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS Bible Study on Humility Kids Of Integrity - Patience Home Life Ministries Character Journal: Humility—the Opposite of Love Is Selfishness The Master Becomes a Servant [Picture of pear] Fruit of the Spirit Story Ideas All-in-One Bible Fun: Fruit of the Spirit (Preschool edition) All-in-One Bible Fun: Fruit of the Spirit (Elementary edition) Faith Case Fruit of the Spirit The Fruit of the Spirit Bible story and activities Fruit Basket Upset -Fruit of the Spirit Game Experience the Fruit of the Spirit Fruit of the Spirit Characters Fruits of the Spirit and How We Can Show Them to Others Fruit of the Spirit Fruit Bowl Fruit of the Spirit The Fruit of the Spirit Lesson Plan Fruit of the Spirit Anagrams Fruit of the Spirit Name Tags Fruit of the Spirit Puppet/Skits Scripts Apple Snacks Chocolate Covered Strawberries Fruit Kabobs Fruit of the Spirit Pizza Fruit of the Spirit Game Please Pass The Fruit (Game) Fruit of the Spirit Necklace (Memory Tool) Fruit of the Spirit Bookmarks Fruit of the Spirit Bulletin Fruit Mix Discovery Bulletin Board Trimmer The Fruit Of The Spirit, Laminated Wall Chart Chunkie Pen, Fruit of the Spirit Living Inside Out Kit: Bamboogie (Honoring God), Maze Days (Exodus), and Holy Grill (Fruit of the Spirit) PLUS Poster Pack, Summer 2017 801 Questions Kids Ask About God Absentee Postcards African American Resources Almost Every Answer for Practically Any Teacher Children's Ministry Bible Memory Games Bible Story Coloring Pages Vol. 2 The Jesus Storybook Bible Curriculum Kit Bible Crafts and Activities for Any Story Big Book of Bible Games Bulletin Board helps Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul Children's Sermon Church Nanny Sos: Teaching Discipline Essentials for Preschool Ministry Volunteers Church Supplies Closing Prayer FREE materials to Bible schools, Bible colleges, seminaries, churches, missionaries & individuals worldwide 52 Games That Teach The Bible Free educational videos God's Servants Teach Me God's Wisdom for Little Boys: Character-Building Fun from Proverbs Help! I'm a Sunday School Teacher How To Lead a Child To Christ King James Version Gift & Award Bibles Leading Little Ones to God: A Child's Book of Bible Teachings Lord Teach Me To Pray For Kids Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours Memory Verse Ideas Memory Verse Resources Object Talks Opening Prayer Parenting Resources Pray & Play Bible for Young Children Puppet Scripts Seven Laws of the Learner Spanish Resources Sunday school resources Talking to God Teachers' Reproducible Classroom Pages Teaching Children Memory Verses Ages 4-5 Teaching Children To Pray Ages 4-5 Teaching to Change Lives The Big Book of Bible Skits Things To Make Craft Activities Vacation Bible School What Every Sunday School Teacher Should Know [Picture of fruit divider] ----------------------------------------------------------------- Pictures Courtesy of Free Bible Images ----------------------------------------------------------------- BIBLE STORY ARCHIVE http://childrenschapel.org/bibstory2.html Add/update a Bible story resource The Children's Chapel - Award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids ----------------------------------------------------------------- Free Bible Stories! 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