“Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” — Matthew 10:16
Lesson
What You Will Learn
- Create a strong password and understand two-step verification
- Recognize phishing emails, texts, and common scams
- Protect personal information online
- Think carefully about social media, including supervision conditions
Lesson Notes
Strong Passwords
A strong password is long (at least 12 characters) and hard to guess. A passphrase of several words works well, such as Blue-Kettle-Morning-27!. Don't use your name, birthday, or children's names. Use a different password for important accounts.
Two-step verification sends a code to your phone when you log in. Turn it on for email and banking.
Phishing and Scams
Phishing is a fake message that tries to get your password or money. Warning signs: urgent threats (your account will be closed!), requests for passwords or payment, strange sender addresses, spelling errors, and links that don't match the company.
Common scams target people returning home: fake job offers that ask you to pay for training, “record expungement” services that charge large fees, and people asking you to cash checks or receive packages for them.
Protecting Personal Information
Never share your Social Security number, bank information, or passwords by email, text, or social media. Only enter personal information on websites that begin with https:// and that you reached by typing the address yourself.
Social Media Wisdom
What you post is permanent and public, even with privacy settings. Employers look. Some parole or probation conditions limit social media or contact with certain people; know and follow your conditions.
Before posting, ask: Is it true? Is it kind? Would I be comfortable if an employer, my children, or my pastor saw it?
Key Terms
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Phishing | A fake message meant to steal information or money |
| Passphrase | A password made of several words |
| Two-step verification | A code sent to your phone as a second login step |
| https:// | Shows a website connection is secure |
| Digital footprint | The permanent trail of what you do online |
In-Class Activities
Spot the Scam
Read the six sample messages your instructor provides. Mark each Safe or Scam and circle the warning signs.
Build a Passphrase
Create a practice passphrase with at least four words, a number, and a symbol. Do not use a real password you will use later.
Assignment: My Online Safety Plan
Write a one-page safety plan that includes:
- How you will create and protect your passwords.
- Three warning signs of a scam you will watch for.
- Two rules you will follow for social media, including any supervision conditions that apply to you.
- One person you can ask if you are unsure whether something is safe.
Graded with the Module Assignment Rubric.
Reflection Journal
Jesus tells us to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. What does it look like to be both wise and kind online? Is there anything about your past use of phones or social media you want to do differently now?
Prayer focus: Ask God for wisdom and discernment, and for protection over your mind and your information.
Weekly Reading & Devotions
Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves
People returning home are often targeted by scams. Scammers know that someone who needs a job, housing, or help clearing a record may be willing to act quickly. They create urgency, promise easy solutions, and ask for money or personal information.
The warning signs are consistent: a message that says you must act right now, a request to pay money to get a job or training, a request for passwords or your Social Security number, a sender address that doesn't match the company, and offers that seem too good to be true. A real employer does not charge you to start work. A real bank does not ask for your password by text.
Protect yourself with strong passwords. A passphrase of several random words with a number and symbol, such as Garden-River-Lamp-42!, is easier to remember and harder to crack than a short password. Turn on two-step verification for email and banking so a code is sent to your phone when you log in.
Social media deserves special care. Posts are permanent and public, even with privacy settings. Employers look. Some supervision conditions limit social media use or contact with certain people. Before posting, ask: Is it true? Is it kind? Would I be comfortable if my employer, my children, or my pastor saw this?
Being careful online is not about fear. It is about wisdom. Jesus told His followers to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves: alert to danger, and still full of kindness.
Think About It
- Have you or someone you know been scammed? What were the signs? ______________________
- What online habits do you want to change after release? ______________________
- Who can you ask when you're unsure if something is safe? ______________________
Daily Devotions for Week 7
Wise and Harmless
Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.— Matthew 10:16 (KJV)
Jesus asks for two things at once: sharp discernment and a gentle heart. We can be careful without being cynical, alert without being afraid.
Reflect: Where do you need more wisdom? More gentleness?
Pray: Lord, make me wise and gentle.
Do: Before clicking or signing anything today, pause and ask one question.
Test Everything
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.— 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (KJV)
Not every message, offer, or opinion deserves our trust. Scripture tells us to test things and keep only what is good. Discernment is a spiritual practice.
Reflect: What have you believed too quickly in the past?
Pray: Lord, give me discernment to test all things.
Do: Look up one claim you heard this week before believing it.
Think on These Things
Whatsoever things are true… honest… just… pure… lovely… of good report… think on these things.— Philippians 4:8 (KJV)
What we watch and read online shapes our thoughts. Paul gives us a filter: true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report. This filter guards our minds.
Reflect: What do you consume that does not pass this filter?
Pray: Lord, fill my mind with what is true and pure.
Do: Choose one thing to stop reading, watching, or listening to this week.
The Lord Is My Keeper
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in.— Psalm 121:7–8 (KJV)
We take precautions, and ultimately God is our keeper. As you prepare for life outside, trust that He watches over your going out and coming in.
Reflect: Where do you need God's protection most right now?
Pray: Lord, keep me and watch over my going out and coming in.
Do: Pray Psalm 121 over your release.
Guarding Our Words Online
In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.— Proverbs 10:19 (KJV)
The more we post, the more chances for regret. Wisdom often looks like restraint. Not every thought needs to be shared publicly.
Reflect: Is there something you've posted or said that you wish you could take back?
Pray: Lord, help me know when to stay silent.
Do: Write down two rules you'll follow for social media.
Module Quiz
- 1.
Which is the strongest password?
- 2.
Which is a common warning sign of phishing?
- 3.
A job offer asks you to pay $200 for training before you start. What is this most likely?
- 4.
It is safe to send your Social Security number by text if the person says they are from your bank.
- 5.
Name two questions to ask yourself before posting on social media.