Have you ever played the game where someone (or a computer) hides a ball under one of three cups, then mixes them all up? It looks so easy to follow the right cup, but somehow you often guess wrong! That's because the person moving the cups is using tricks to confuse you.

The devil has been tricking people from the very beginning when he fooled Eve in the Garden of Eden. Remember how he made her think eating the forbidden fruit would be a good idea? He made something wrong sound right!

At school, you might have friends who try to trick you into doing things you know aren't right. "No one will find out!" or "Everyone else is doing it!" they might say. These are tricks to get you to make bad choices.

During a future time called the Tribulation, the Bible says a person called the False Prophet will deceive "those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do" (Revelation 13:14). He'll use amazing magic-like tricks to make people follow the Antichrist.

One of the best ways to protect ourselves from being tricked is to read the Bible every day. It's like having a special pair of glasses that helps you see through tricks! God's Word is truth (John 17:17), and the more truth we know, the harder it is for anyone to fool us. Just like you study for a test so you know the right answers, reading Scripture helps us know God's truth so we don't fall for lies.

Take Action: Memorize John 8:32: "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Ask a grown-up to help you think of some tricks people might try to play on you, and talk about how knowing God's truth can help you spot those tricks.