are you a fool?

The Bible has a lot to say about what a fool is. The word “fool” appears 73 times in the King James
Version. When I read over the scriptures, it amazes me how many areas we are foolish in without
even knowing it! According to God’s Word, foolish decisions and foolish behavior only leads us to
bad results in our life. We all benefit from making wise decisions and listening and obeying wise
instructions. The only way we will know what is wise is by finding out what the Bible says is wise (or
what is not!).

The below lesson will help you identify some foolish actions you (or maybe someone you know…)
may be operating in. Hopefully, God’s Word will shine light on any foolish areas in your life so that
you can begin making changes to be smarter in your behaviors and decisions.

(Lesson taken from “Creative Discussions for Junior High Youth Groups,” by Rich Bundschuh & Tom Finley)

Teen Devotions

1. Rank the following actions from the most foolish (1) to the least foolish (15).

_____ Cussing out a classmate

_____ Spending too much money
_____ Going too far sexually

_____ Talking about a friend behind their back
_____ Skipping team practice

_____ Forgetting your lunch money
_____ Ignoring your parents’ rules

_____ Getting involved in a fight with a gang member
_____ Cutting class

_____ Lying to your teacher
_____ Smoking joints

_____ Cheating on a test
_____ Hitting a sibling

_____ Not obeying God
_____ Trying to be something you’re not

2. Check out Psalm 14:1 – 3

1 THE [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable
deeds; there is none that does good or right.
2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood, dealt
wisely, and sought after God, inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him [of vital necessity].
3 They are all gone aside, they have all together become filthy; there is none that does good or right, no, not one.

What does verse 1 say is inside a fool’s heart (who they really are)?

What does verse 2 say about the contents of a fool’s head (do they understand God)?

What does verse 3 say about the direction fools point their feet (in which direction are they going)?

IMPORTANT NOTE: In verse 3, God knew that the only way man could get it right down here on
earth was if we had a Savior. This is why God sent Jesus. None of us can get our lives right without
Him. Now that Jesus has died for our sins and we can now stand before God righteous; we don’t
have to be a fool like the people He describes in this scripture. We can do right and be pleasing to
God.

3. Read what the foolish man did in Matthew 7:26 – 27. Would that be the same as ignoring
Jesus’ words? Why or why not?

4. Take a look at the following Bible verses to see some of the things a fool does. Draw a line
from each passage on the left to the matching characteristics on the right.

Proverbs 10:8	Fools show everyone how stupid they are.
Proverbs 10:18	Fool talk too much and come to ruin.
Proverbs 10:23	Fools are reckless.
Proverbs 12:15	Fools enjoy evil conduct.
Proverbs 12:16	Fools waste money
Proverbs 14:1	Fools never admit they are wrong.
Proverbs 14:9	Fools live self-destructive lives.
Proverbs 14:16	Fools are hot-tempered.
Proverbs 15:5	Fools spread slander (untrue gossip).
Proverbs 17:16	Fool ignore parental discipline.
Proverbs 18:2	Fools don’t take care of their own lives.
Proverbs 21:20	Fools don’t save or plan for the future.
Ecclesiastes 4:5	Fools like to blab their uninformed opinions.
Ecclesiastes 10:3	Fool won’t listen to advice.

Do you know of some areas in your life where you are being foolish? What are they?

What have been some of the results from making these foolish decisions?

Now that you have identified these areas, what can you do to start making wise decisions?

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