In one of my lessons we were talking about avoiding Satan's deception, I made a chocolate covered marshmallow and a chocolate covered cotton ball. I showed both treats to the class and had a volunteer come and cut them open to see what was in the middle. To illustrate my point, I gave a quote from Elder James E. Faust: "Much of what comes from the devil is alluring and enticing. It glitters and is appealing to the sensual parts of our nature... He comes into our lives as a thief in the night. His disguise is so perfect that it is hard to recognize him or his methods. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing... I strongly urge you that if there is any question in your minds or hearts about whether your personal conduct is right or wrong, don’t do it. Each of us has moral agency, and the gift of the Holy Ghost will sharpen our impressions of what is right and wrong, true and false."
I then shared a story from my own childhood: When I was in middle school, I was eating lunch with my friends one day. One of them gave me a treat she had made at home. After I had finished my own lunch, I took a huge bite of this treat. I quickly discovered it was no "treat" at all. It was a chocolate covered cotton ball. I had been tricked and deceived. I had forgotten that day was April Fool's day, but it didn't matter and the joke was anything but funny. I DID feel like the fool and I went to hide in the bathroom and cry. Whenever we fall prey to temptation and sin, don't we have similar feelings of foolishness, shame, sadness, and regret? Were we not also deceived?
At the end of the lesson I gave them a chocolate covered marshmallow to take home and the quote by Elder Faust.
