If your class is meeting online, invite students to bring supplies with them to class. In this step, you will be challenging your students to live holy, honest lives in the many areas in which they live, study, play, and socialize.

We’re going to go through a speed discussion. We’ll spend a couple of minutes talking about different times teenagers might be tempted to lie: the classroom, the living room, and the Internet. For example, we’ve all spent a lot of time lately at home with our families. When we talk about the “Living Room,” you might consider lies we tell our parents or siblings, etc.

Work through the three areas allowing two minutes for each area. Invite students to talk about different reasons or how teens lie in each situation. Here are some possible scenarios that might arise:

The Classroom: lying to teachers about missing work, embellishing excuses, asking to copy someone’s homework or assignments, faking a sickness or absence, asking parents to lie for you in order to get out of an unpleasant task, hiding a progress report, or lying for a friend, cheating while working on an online assignment.

The Living Room: Asking brothers and sisters to lie for you (or lying for them), exaggerating a story to get sympathy from parents, being dishonest about television programs or other “off-limits” activities, sneaking home late, or withholding important information.

The Internet: Exaggerating on social media to improve your “status” or social standing, deceptive comments on chat boards or threads, lying about sites you’ve visited, plagiarizing schoolwork, or creating fake profiles on Twitter or Instagram, etc.

At the end of your sharing time, hand every student an index card and a pencil (or invite students to have supplies ready at home). Tell teens they will be taking a quiz that helps them formulate a personal plan of action.

I will be asking you a series of questions. You will write your answers on your index card, but no one else will see what you write—it’s for your personal evaluation.

• Out of these three areas, in which place have you found yourself lying most often?
• In which of the three areas do you find it easiest to be 100% honest with others?
• In which area do you think teenagers (in general) struggle the most with dishonesty and deceit?
• Out of these three words: EXAGGERATION, DECEPTION, FLATTERY—which one is your biggest struggle?

Before you leave today, identify several areas that might require repentance, habit-breaking, or confession to another person. This week spend some time correcting situations you’ve made note of. Let’s spend a few moments in reflective prayer as you ask God to help you live an honest, God-honoring life.

After students have had some private time, close in prayer.

Be sure to take time to text or e-mail each student during the week. Encourage them to continue working on living honestly—even if they feel they messed up.