Ephesians 6:16
“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”
”For the LORD God is a sun and shield…” – Psalm 84:11
There were two kinds of shields used in ancient combat – one smaller, carried upon the arm, and could be used by the movement of the arm. The other large, planted in front of the soldier, fixed in the ground, and all but covering his whole body. This is the shield that Paul is talking about in his text. A large shield, big enough for us to crouch and to be protected.
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“…Wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”
Archealogists have discovered javelins that were tipped with a combustible substance, not only to puncture but also to burn. The metaphor is that faith is mightier than any attack against the devil. If we stand our ground and don’t move, by planting our shield we shall not be moved!
God is our defence and when we start to allow His power to flow through us and works in us then I can laugh at the fiery darts because “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
the most dangerous of our temptations are those that are sprung upon us unawares. These are the weapons that we have to fear most. But there are things in us all to which the fiery darts do especially appeal: desires, appetites, passions, our weakness. But we must as Paul says in scripture “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” – 1 Corinthians 9:27 why? because Galatians 5:24 adds this “And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” We no longer walk after the flesh but rather in the spirit.
It’s so important to “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8
///Relationship Application\\\
The enemy knows us very well, even though he can’t read our minds, he sees our actions. He knows what fiery darts to throw at us at any given time. We must be on guard, not missing one piece of the armor. The most important piece of the armor is the shield which is the faith.
///Discussions/Questions\\\
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – Heb 11:1
Without faith no man can please God. Faith is the foundation of the Christian life. How well are you planted in the faith?
///Challenge\\\
To have radical faith.
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