Gospel Sparks Join the beta

Is There Not a Lie in My Right Hand?

Isaiah roasts a man who prays to his firewood, then tells you who actually gets to name you

  • 🔥 Youth 14–16
  • Week 40
  • 📅 Sunday, October 4, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

My worth doesn’t come from anything I have to carry, feed or keep checking; it comes from the Lord who made me, redeemed me and calls me by name.

I can let the Lord, not likes, grades or other people’s opinions, tell me who I am.

Study it yourself firstRead Isaiah 40–49 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Isaiah 40–49)
Know the chapters

Isaiah 40–49 is written to people who would live long after Isaiah: the Jews carried off to Babylon. They had lost their homes, their temple and a lot of their confidence. Some said the Lord had forgotten them (49:14). His answer runs through every chapter: “Fear not… I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine” (43:1). The Lord speaking is Jehovah, the premortal Jesus Christ, and He promises to be with them through the waters and the fire (43:2), to carry them to old age (46:4) and to keep them engraved on His palms (49:16).

Right in the middle, Isaiah writes one of the sharpest pieces of satire in scripture (44:9–20). A man grows a tree, burns half of it to bake bread and warm his hands, then carves the leftovers into a god and prays to it: “Deliver me; for thou art my god.” He never stops to ask the obvious question Isaiah puts in verse 20: “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” Two chapters later, Babylon’s famous idols Bel and Nebo have to be loaded onto worn-out animals and hauled away (46:1–2). Idols have to be carried. The Lord carries you.

Fourteen- to sixteen-year-olds don’t bow to logs, but they live inside a system that constantly tells them who they are: follower counts, streaks, grades, rankings, group chats, how they look in a photo. None of those things are evil. They become idols when we let them name us and we have to keep feeding them. For the Strength of Youth (“Walk in God’s light”) tells youth not to compare their lives to what others seem to be experiencing online, and reminds them their worth comes from being a child of heavenly parents, not from social media. This lesson lets them say that out loud in their own words instead of hearing it lectured at them.

This is General Conference weekend. The Lord calls His people “my witnesses” (43:10), and apostles are called as special witnesses of Jesus Christ (D&C 107:23). If you teach this on another week or at home, the conference tie-in still works: invite the youth to listen for what the Lord says about who they are.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Isaiah 44:14–20 and 43:1–2. Open with the right-hand question (everyone’s phone is already in their hand). Let two youth perform the Woodcarver sketch from Teach Mode while you read the Lord’s lines. Play Four Corners by pointing at the walls, run Idol or Tool? with the Name Spinner, and let the discussion questions do the rest. End with your own short testimony that the Lord knows their name. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing”: every step has a no-supplies version.

What to bring5 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Make the four corner signs and tape one in each corner before class.
  2. Text one youth on Saturday: “Will you read the Narrator part in a short scripture sketch on Sunday? It’s funny, I promise. Isaiah 44:14–20.” Text a second youth: “Will you lead a 3-minute part of class? Read Isaiah 43:1–2 and 49:15–16 and come ready to ask the class what the ‘waters’ and ‘fire’ are for people our age.”
  3. Read Isaiah 44:9–20 out loud once yourself. It’s sarcastic on purpose; you’ll teach it better if you enjoy it.
  4. Think of one time you let something other than the Lord tell you who you were (a grade, a job title, a group, a number) and how you found your way back. You’ll share it briefly in the testimony.
  5. Add your youth to My Class in the app so the Name Spinner can pick people for the game.

If your class is wild

  • Teens can smell a lecture coming. Let them say the point before you do; your job is mostly to ask the next good question.
  • Don’t make phones the villain. Most of them need phones for school and family. The question is who gets to tell them who they are, not whether screens are evil.
  • Some youth feel deeply unseen right now. Keep the name cards private: nobody reads anyone else’s, ever.
  • If the room is quiet, pair them up first (“tell the person next to you”) and then ask pairs to report. It’s far easier than speaking to the whole group.
  • Give the Woodcarver part to someone with comic timing. The satire only lands if they commit to “Aha, I am warm!”

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

What’s in Your Right Hand?

3 min

Starts with the thing already in most of their hands and raises the lesson’s real question: who gets to tell you who you are?

  1. SAY“Quick, no judgment: hold up whatever is in your right hand, or whatever your right hand reaches for most during the day.” (Mostly phones. Hold yours up too.)
  2. SAY“Honest question. If a stranger only had your phone, your camera roll, your screen time and your notifications, what would they think you are?” Take a few answers. Let them be funny.
  3. Ask: “And what would that stranger get wrong about you?”
  4. SAY“In Isaiah 44 there’s a guy who never asks himself one question. It’s in verse 20: ‘Is there not a lie in my right hand?’ Today we’re asking it.”
🌪️ If someone makes a joke about another person’s phone, redirect gently: “Only answer for your own.” Keep it light and self-deprecating.

Class screen: ✋📱 What would a stranger think you are from your phone alone? · “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” – Isaiah 44:20

2. Story

Scripture Sketch: The Man Who Prayed to His Firewood

6 min

Isaiah’s own satire, performed by the youth, makes the point better than any lecture: the things we make can’t save us, but the Lord who made us can.

  1. Hand out roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Give the Narrator part to the youth you texted, and the Woodcarver to your best comedian. Say: “No one plays the Lord. When He speaks, I’ll read His words.”
  2. Give the Woodcarver the log. Tell the Idol: “Your only job is to do absolutely nothing. It’s harder than it sounds.”
  3. Run the scenes. The Narrator reads from real scriptures; the screen just keeps everyone on track.
  4. At scene 4, pause and let the right-hand line land. Don’t explain it yet.
  5. Afterward ask: “If Isaiah wrote this sketch about a teenager in 2026, what would the log be?” Take three or four answers (followers, grades, a relationship, looks, a sport, a streak). Say: “None of those are evil. The question is whether you’re carrying them, or letting them name you.”
🌪️ If the Crowd gets rowdy, give them a job in every scene: rain sounds, groaning with the donkey, counting the silence. Busy crowds don’t heckle.

Class screen: 🪓 The Man Who Prayed to His Firewood (Isaiah 44) · Half for dinner. Half for a god. · What’s wrong with this picture?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A chunk of firewood or any short piece of wood (the Woodcarver’s log)

Scripture Sketch: The Invisible Log

  1. Hand out roles. Say: “No one plays the Lord. When He speaks, I’ll read His words.” The Idol becomes the log: stand stiff with arms at your sides for the whole sketch.
  2. The Woodcarver ‘chops’ the Idol in slow motion, drags an invisible half to the fire, then turns to the frozen Idol and prays to it. Use the Sound Board for the fire.
  3. Run the scenes, pausing at scene 4 so the right-hand line can land.
  4. Afterward ask: “If Isaiah wrote this sketch about a teenager in 2026, what would the log be?” Say: “None of those are evil. The question is whether you’re carrying them, or letting them name you.”

Class screen: 🗿 The Man Who Prayed to His Firewood (Isaiah 44) · Tonight’s log is played by a human.

3. Wiggle break

Four Corners: What Pulls Hardest?

2 min

Getting up and choosing a corner makes an abstract idea (modern idols) personal without anyone having to confess anything.

  1. Point out the four corner signs: LIKES & FOLLOWERS · GRADES & WINS · WHAT FRIENDS THINK · HOW I LOOK.
  2. Round 1: “Walk to the corner that you think pulls hardest on teens at your school.” Ask one person per corner why.
  3. Round 2: “Walk to the one that would be hardest for YOU to stop caring about.” No explanations needed this time.
  4. Round 3: “Now everyone to the middle of the room.” Say: “Isaiah 43:1 is the middle. Every corner is a voice telling you who you are. The middle is the only voice that knows your name.”

Class screen: 🧭 Which corner pulls hardest on teens you know? · Likes & followers · Grades & wins · What friends think · How I look

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Four sheets of paper with big labels for the corners of the room: LIKES & FOLLOWERS · GRADES & WINS · WHAT FRIENDS THINK · HOW I LOOK (plus tape)

Four Walls: What Pulls Hardest?

  1. Assign each wall out loud and leave the kid screen up: front wall = likes and followers, back = grades and wins, left = what friends think, right = how I look.
  2. Round 1: “Walk to the wall that pulls hardest on teens at your school.” Ask one person per wall why. Round 2: “Walk to the one that would be hardest for YOU to stop caring about.”
  3. Round 3: everyone to the middle. Say: “Isaiah 43:1 is the middle. Every wall is a voice telling you who you are. The middle is the only voice that knows your name.”
4. Scripture

Youth-Led: Called by Name

4 min

A youth teaches the key verse and applies the Lord’s promises to the real “waters” and “fires” of being fifteen.

  1. Hand it to the youth you texted. They read Isaiah 43:1–2 aloud while everyone follows in their own scriptures, then teach the motions once.
  2. The youth asks: “What are the ‘waters’ and ‘fire’ for people our age?” Let answers come without commentary (stress, anxiety, family stuff, friend drama, feeling left out, pressure to do something you don’t want to).
  3. The youth reads Isaiah 49:15–16. Ask: “Notice He doesn’t promise no water or no fire. What does He promise instead?” (To be with us; it won’t overflow us or burn us up.)
  4. Hand out a card to each person. Say: “Private. On one side, write a label the world has put on you, or that you’ve put on yourself. On the other side write: Isaiah 43:1 – thou art mine.” Nobody shares. Invite them to keep it in their phone case or wallet.
🌪️ If the youth teacher freezes, jump in as a co-teacher, not a rescuer: “Great question. Let me add one…” then hand it back.

Class screen: 🏷️ “I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” · Isaiah 43:1–2 · The waters · the rivers · the fire

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Index cards or scrap paper and a pen for each youth

Youth-Led: Called by Name (Phone Note Edition)

  1. The youth you texted reads Isaiah 43:1–2 aloud while everyone follows along, then teaches the motions once.
  2. The youth asks: “What are the ‘waters’ and ‘fire’ for people our age?” Let answers come without commentary.
  3. The youth reads Isaiah 49:15–16. Ask: “He doesn’t promise no water or no fire. What does He promise instead?”
  4. SAY“Private. Open a note on your phone. Type a label the world has put on you, or that you’ve put on yourself. Then delete it and type: Isaiah 43:1 – thou art mine.” (No phone? Just picture it and say the verse silently.)

Class screen: 🏷️ Delete the label. Type: Isaiah 43:1 – thou art mine. · Isaiah 43:1–2

5. Game

Idol or Tool?

4 min

A fast debate game helps youth tell the difference between a good thing and a good thing that has started to name them.

  1. Split into two teams. Tap the Name Spinner to choose who answers for each team.
  2. Read a scenario. The spun person says “Idol” or “Tool” and gives a one-sentence reason. The other team gets 10 seconds to challenge. The best argument scores (you’re the judge, and ties are allowed).
  3. Scenarios: “You check who viewed your story eight times in an hour.” · “You practice volleyball two hours a day because you love it.” · “You skip scripture study and prayer for a week to keep a gaming streak alive.” · “You delete a photo because it didn’t get enough likes.” · “You study hard to get into a program you care about.” · “You change how you act depending on which group you’re with.”
  4. Final question for everybody: “What’s the test? How do you know when a tool has become an idol?” (Good answers: when I have to keep feeding it; when it decides how I feel about myself; when it crowds out God; when I can’t put it down.)
🌪️ If one person dominates, add a rule: you can’t answer twice in a row. The spinner keeps it fair.
🎡 Name Spinner (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: ⚖️ Idol or tool? Make your case in one sentence. · Idols have to be carried. · Tools get put down.

6. Talk it over

Real Talk: Who Names You?

4 min

Honest questions let youth connect Isaiah’s promises to their own identity and to this weekend’s conference.

  1. Sit in a circle. Ask a youth to read the questions from the screen and choose who answers.
  2. Share one honest answer of your own early. Your honesty sets the depth for everyone else.
  3. Let silence sit for five seconds before rescuing a question.
💬 Ask the class
  • For the Strength of Youth says not to compare your life to what other people seem to be experiencing online. Why is comparison so hard to turn off?
  • Isaiah 48:10 says the Lord refines us in “the furnace of affliction.” Can you think of a hard time that ended up shaping who you are?
  • Zion said, “my Lord hath forgotten me” (49:14). What makes a teenager feel forgotten, and what could you do this week for someone who feels that way?
  • The Lord says “Ye are my witnesses” (43:10). What’s something you could honestly be a witness of right now, even if it’s small?
  • Apostles are special witnesses of Jesus Christ. What’s one question you’d like the Lord to answer for you during General Conference?

Class screen: 💬 Real talk: who gets to tell you who you are?

7. Testimony

Engraved, Not Forgotten

2 min

A short, real testimony from the teacher shows what it looks like to let the Lord name you.

  1. Lower your voice. Share briefly the time you let something else tell you who you were, and how you came back to the Lord’s view of you.
  2. SAY“Idols have to be carried. The Lord carries you. He knows your name. That’s not a slogan to me; here’s why I believe it.” Then share one sentence of your own testimony of Jesus Christ.
  3. Give the challenge: pick one conference talk and listen for what the Lord says about who you are. Invite a youth to pray.

Class screen: ✋ He knows your name. You’re engraved on His palms. · Isaiah 49:16

8. Game

Scripture Showdown

4 minBONUS

A quick team quiz reviews the sketch and the promises.

  1. Keep the same two teams. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. Teams get 10 seconds to decide. Bonus point if they can find the verse in under 20 seconds.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Isaiah 40–49

9. Game

Forehead Guess: Babylon Edition

3 minBONUS

A quick, funny review of the people and images from Isaiah 40–49.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. The guesser holds your phone or tablet to their forehead; the class gives clues.
  2. Hard mode for this age: clue-givers can only use actions, no words, for the first 10 seconds of each card.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess: Babylon Edition

Story drama

Scripture Sketch: The Man Who Prayed to His Firewood

Isaiah 44:9–20; 46:1–4; 49:14–16; 43:1 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • NarratorReads the scene lines from real scriptures (Isaiah 44:14–20), with a straight face, like a nature documentary.
  • The WoodcarverPlants, chops, cooks, warms up, carves, then bows to the leftovers and begs them for help. Fully committed.
  • The IdolHolds the log (or becomes it). Never moves, never answers, never helps. The hardest part in the room.
  • Bel and Nebo’s DonkeyStaggers around the room carrying the Idol’s weight on one shoulder, groaning louder every lap.
  • Voice of ZionReads Isaiah 49:14 like someone who feels completely forgotten.
  • The CrowdEveryone else: reacts, groans, calls out the obvious, and reads 43:1 together at the end.

Scenes

  1. 🌱🌧️ He plants a tree and waits for rain

    Isaiah sets the scene like a documentary. A man plants a tree. The rain waters it. Years pass. He cuts it down with his own hands. Notice: everything about this tree came from God’s rain and God’s earth, and the man did the chopping.

    🎬 The Narrator reads Isaiah 44:14. The Woodcarver plants, waits (checking an invisible watch), then chops in slow motion. The Crowd makes rain sounds.

  2. 🔥🍞 Half becomes dinner. “Aha, I am warm!”

    Half the log goes into the fire. He bakes bread, roasts meat, eats until he’s full, and warms his hands. He is very pleased with himself. Isaiah even quotes him: “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire.”

    🎬 The Narrator reads Isaiah 44:16. The Woodcarver rubs his hands over the fire and says, very satisfied, “Aha, I am warm!” The Crowd mimics him.

  3. 🗿🙏 The leftovers become his god

    Then he takes the other half, the leftovers, carves a statue, falls on his face in front of it and prays: “Deliver me; for thou art my god.” He is asking dinner scraps to save his life.

    🎬 The Narrator reads Isaiah 44:17. The Woodcarver hands the log to the Idol, kneels and pleads with it. The Idol stares straight ahead. Silence for three full seconds.

  4. ✋❓ The question he never asks

    Isaiah says nobody stops to think, “Wait. I cooked my lunch on the other half of this.” The man can’t save himself because he never asks one honest question: “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

    🎬 The Narrator reads Isaiah 44:19–20. The Crowd, together, holding up their right hands: “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (Most of their right hands are holding phones. Let that sit.)

  5. 🫏😩 Babylon’s gods need a ride out

    Years later Babylon falls. Its famous gods, Bel and Nebo, can’t walk away, so they’re loaded onto tired animals and hauled off. Isaiah says they’re “a burden to the weary beast.” The gods everyone trusted have to be carried.

    🎬 The Donkey staggers around the room with the Idol leaning on one shoulder, groaning. The Crowd counts the laps.

  6. 😔💭 “my Lord hath forgotten me”

    Meanwhile God’s people sit in captivity feeling invisible. One of them says what a lot of people feel and don’t say: the Lord has left me, the Lord has forgotten me.

    🎬 The Voice of Zion reads Isaiah 49:14 quietly. Everyone sits down. The room gets still.

  7. ✋✨ Engraved on His palms

    The Lord answers. (The teacher reads His words; no one plays the Lord.) A mother might forget her baby, but “yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” Idols have to be carried. The Lord carries you, from birth to gray hair (46:4).

    🎬 The teacher reads Isaiah 49:15–16 and 46:4. Everyone looks at their own palms for a moment in silence.

  8. 🏷️🙌 “I have called thee by thy name”

    Then the line that answers the whole sketch: “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” The Woodcarver made his god. Your God made you, bought you back and knows your name.

    🎬 The Crowd reads Isaiah 43:1 together from their scriptures. The Woodcarver sets the log down and walks away from it.

Key verse

Isaiah 43:1–2 ↗
“Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee”
In plain words: Don’t be afraid. I paid the price for you, I know your name, and you are Mine. When life feels like it’s pulling you under, I’ll be right there, and it won’t sweep you away.
🙌 “Fear not” = palm out, calm · “I have redeemed thee” = hand over heart · “called thee by thy name” = everyone quietly says their own first name at the same time · “thou art mine” = both hands open, facing up · “through the waters… not overflow thee” = hand flat, rising up like a wave, then holding steady above it.

More verses

Isaiah 44:20 ↗
“a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
In plain words: He’s been fooled so long he can’t even ask the obvious question: is the thing I’m holding onto actually lying to me?
Isaiah 46:4 ↗
“even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.”
In plain words: Idols need you to carry them. The Lord made you, and He carries you, all the way to gray hair.
Isaiah 49:15–16 ↗
“yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands”
In plain words: Even if the most loving mother forgot her baby, the Lord won’t forget you. You’re engraved on His hands.
Isaiah 40:30–31 ↗
“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles”
In plain words: Even young, strong people burn out. The ones who trust the Lord get their strength renewed, like eagles catching the wind.

Forehead Guess words17 words

  • 🪓 Woodcarver
  • 🗿 Idol
  • 🔥 Firewood
  • ✋ Right hand
  • 🏰 Babylon
  • 🫏 Bel and Nebo
  • 🔓 Redeemed
  • 🏷️ Name
  • 🤲 Palms
  • 🦅 Eagle
  • ♨️ Furnace of affliction
  • 🙋 Witness
  • 👑 Cyrus
  • 📊 Comparison
  • 📱 Streak
  • ✨ Jehovah
  • 🎤 General Conference
Clues for each word
  • Woodcarver: Cooked lunch on half his god
  • Idol: Can’t hear, can’t help, has to be carried
  • Firewood: “Aha, I am warm”
  • Right hand: Where the lie might be (Isaiah 44:20)
  • Babylon: Empire that carried the Jews captive
  • Bel and Nebo: Babylon’s gods that needed a ride
  • Redeemed: Bought back; set free by paying the price
  • Name: The Lord calls you by it (43:1)
  • Palms: Where you’re engraved (49:16)
  • Eagle: Mount up with wings as these
  • Furnace of affliction: Hard times that refine you (48:10)
  • Witness: “Ye are my ___” (43:10)
  • Cyrus: Persian king named 150 years early
  • Comparison: The thief of joy online
  • Streak: Something you have to keep feeding daily
  • Jehovah: The LORD of the Old Testament: Jesus Christ
  • General Conference: Prophets and apostles speak this weekend
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What did the woodcarver do with the half of the log he didn’t burn?
    • A. Built a table
    • B. Carved a god and prayed to it
    • C. Sold it
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Carved a god and prayed to it Isaiah 44:17. He asked his leftover firewood to deliver him.

  2. Finish Isaiah 44:20: “Is there not a lie in my…”
    • A. right hand
    • B. house
    • C. heart
    Show answer

    ✅ A. right hand The question the woodcarver never asked. A good one for anything we hold onto.

  3. In Isaiah 46, who has to carry Babylon’s gods Bel and Nebo?
    • A. The priests
    • B. The king
    • C. Tired animals
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Tired animals Isaiah 46:1. Idols have to be carried; the Lord carries us (46:4).

  4. Isaiah 43:1 says the Lord has called you by your…
    • A. number
    • B. name
    • C. family
    Show answer

    ✅ B. name He knows you personally: “thou art mine.”

  5. Isaiah 43:2 promises that when you pass through the waters…
    • A. He will be with you
    • B. they will disappear
    • C. you won’t get wet
    Show answer

    ✅ A. He will be with you He doesn’t promise no hard things. He promises His presence in them.

  6. Where does Isaiah 49:16 say the Lord has engraved you?
    • A. On stone tablets
    • B. On the temple walls
    • C. On the palms of His hands
    Show answer

    ✅ C. On the palms of His hands A reminder of the marks in the Savior’s hands.

  7. Isaiah 40:30–31: even youths faint, but those who wait upon the Lord…
    • A. never get tired
    • B. renew their strength
    • C. become famous
    Show answer

    ✅ B. renew their strength Strength gets renewed, “with wings as eagles.”

  8. Who is the LORD (Jehovah) speaking in Isaiah?
    • A. An angel
    • B. Jesus Christ before His birth
    • C. King Cyrus
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Jesus Christ before His birth Jehovah is the premortal Jesus Christ. These are the Savior’s own words.

  9. Which For the Strength of Youth section talks about using social media to uplift?
    • A. Walk in God’s light
    • B. Truth will make you free
    • C. Your body is sacred
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Walk in God’s light It says your worth comes from being a child of heavenly parents, not from social media.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • How Firm a Foundation Hymns, no. 85

    Its verses draw on Isaiah 41:10, 43:2 and 46:4. Challenge the youth to spot the Isaiah promises as they sing. Find it ↗

  • I Am a Child of God Hymns, no. 301

    The simplest answer to “who am I?” Worth singing again as a teenager, when it means more. Find it ↗

  • We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet Hymns, no. 19

    A fit for General Conference weekend. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Listen for Your Name

Watch at least one General Conference talk (live or later in Gospel Library). Listen for one thing the Lord says about who you are, and write it in your phone next to Isaiah 43:1. Bonus: take one day this week where you check your likes and views zero times, and notice how you feel.

Text the parents

This week in class we read Isaiah 44, where a man burns half a log for dinner and prays to the other half, and asked Isaiah’s question: “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” We talked about how likes, grades and other people’s opinions can start telling us who we are, and how the Lord says instead, “I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine” (Isaiah 43:1). Ask your teen: what did the youth say the modern “log” would be, and what did they hear at General Conference about who they are?

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🪣 A Drop in the Bucket · 4 min

  1. Read Isaiah 40:15, 22–23 together: nations are like a drop in a bucket, and the powerful are brought to nothing.
  2. Ask: “Babylon was the superpower of the day. What feels like a superpower in your life right now: a group, a person, an opinion, a platform?”
  3. Read Isaiah 40:26: God names every star and not one is missing. Ask: “If He tracks every star by name, what does that say about how well He knows you?”

✍️ Rewrite the Sketch · 6 min

  1. In pairs, rewrite Isaiah 44:14–20 as a modern sketch about a teenager and one modern ‘log’ (a phone, a ranking, a relationship, an image).
  2. Rule: it has to end with the character asking the honest question from verse 20.
  3. Perform two of them. Ask: “What would the Lord say to that character?” and read Isaiah 43:1 as the answer.

♨️ The Refiner’s Fire · 4 min

  1. Read Isaiah 48:10. Explain that refining metal uses heat to burn away what doesn’t belong and leave what’s valuable.
  2. Ask: “What’s the difference between being burned up and being refined?” Compare with 43:2: the flame won’t kindle upon you.
  3. Invite anyone who wants to share a hard experience that refined them. Share one yourself first.

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

All Youth 14–16 lessons