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D. The Shield of Faith – Session 6 – Part 2D
– God does not leave us defenseless when we are engaging in spiritual
warfare. God does not leave us without a shield and a helmet to ward off
Satan's fiery darts. He gave us the Shield of Faith and the helmet of
our Salvation.
Ephesians 6:16-17 says, "Above all, taking the shield of
faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God."
In Verse 14,
Paul said to put on the belt and the breastplate. Now he says to take
up the shield and the helmet. It makes sense that a soldier would put on
the main articles of his armor before taking up his helmet and shield. A
breastplate alone wasn't enough protection. The shield is movable and
able to catch or deflect the enemy's arrows, knives and spears.
The fiery darts in Roman times included any
thrown missile: a javelin, spear, arrow, or stone. Fiery darts could
include the combustible arrowheads that set fire to fortifications,
ships, houses and shields made of wood and leather. Roman shields were
made of iron, and were usually shaped like a door. They were large
enough to protect the soldier, and some were covered with layers of
leather soaked in water just before the battle to extinguish fire from
flaming arrows.
The shield provides another great word picture. The Bible often compares the Word to water. Ephesians 5:26 says, "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word."
Just as a Roman shield that had been soaked in water put out flaming
arrows, so the shield of faith quenches all of the enemy's fiery darts.
Faith comes from hearing, believing and applying the Word, and without
faith we please God.
Knowing the truth is not good enough. We
must apply it, taking up the shield of faith to deflect Satan's attack.
Practically, this means using specific truths from God’s Word to
counteract various lies and accusations of the devil. There is not a
single lie or accusation of Satan that we cannot extinguish Word of God.
If Satan's fiery darts burn us, it's because we haven't spent enough
time in the Scriptures building up our faith. Just as the leather on
Roman shields would dry out in the heat of battle, so will our shields
of faith if we are not completely immersed in the Bible each day.
Satan's fiery darts consist of evil thoughts, lusts, passions and
various temptations (I Corinthians 10:13- 14; II Corinthians 10:4-6; James 1:13-15; Romans 6:12; I John 2:15-17).
How does Satan attack you? Have you
examined your thoughts? Do you know their origin? Are they good or evil?
Are they from God or Satan? What do you think of yourself? What do you
think of others? Write down every thought you have about yourself, your
spouse and others you know. Write down how you feel about God. How do
you feel about your earthly mother and father, even if they have died?
Once you have done this, compare your thoughts to the truth of
Scripture. Do your thoughts line up with the Word, or are some, or many,
of them out of line?
Scripture commands us to examine our thoughts. II Corinthians 10:5 says,
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself
against the knowledge of God bringing into captivity every thought to
the obedience of Christ." Our thoughts are either curses or blessings. Philippians 4:8 says,
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are
honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if
there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
How do the thoughts that you just wrote
down compare to this verse? Do the thoughts you identified build up or
tear down those on your list?
Scripture commands us not to be ignorant of Satan's devices (II Corinthians 2:11). Not knowing the difference between good and evil reveals ignorance. This is why the command in II Corinthians 10:5
is so important. If we are to be successful in defeating Satan, we must
examine our thoughts. We need to ask whether or not we are allowing
Satan’s lies into our hearts, or God's truth. If our thoughts are good
and of God, then we need to readily accept them into our hearts with
great joy. If they are evil thoughts, we are to reject them and rebuke
Satan.
James 4:7
says submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee. Sending the
devil starts with our total submission to God. This is an ongoing
process. If submitting to God is our habit, then we will be able to
resist the devil. To resist implies that there is something that we must
actually do. God grants us the power to resist, but we must choose to
do so. The mystery of the fellowship of the Church is that it is a
partnership with God (Ephesians 3:9).
As we grow in our relationship with God our
shield will also grow. As a young immature Christian our shield is
small, unable to withstand all of the attacks of the devil. But as we
mature and learn God’s word by use and experience our faith grows.
Click Here For PDF Version of Day 9
May the peace of God guard your hearts and minds ALWAYS!!!
Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks
NOTE:
These materials are copyright protected therefore you must request
permission to reproduce any part of this material. To request
permission, please contact Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks: drdehooks@abusedwoman.org.
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