The Shield

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;” Ephesians 6:16

October 12, 2023

The current war between Israel and Hamas, among other things, should give us a heightened awareness of what is at stake in the invisible war in which we as Christians are engaged. It is good versus evil. It is the kingdom of Jesus Christ against the power of darkness (Col. 1:13). As we see, Hamas attacked Israel. Israel is completely committed to destroying Hamas. Though we do not use physical weapons in the fight of faith, we have provisional weaponry. The flaming arrows of the evil one are coming at us. But we have our own iron dome, the shield of faith. The Roman soldier had a large rectangular wooden shield about 4 ft high covered in leather. They would be wetted with water to extinguish the arrows. We have the assurance that what God has said is true and that it is to be acted upon. Faith points to God’s promises. We need to know them, and then we will be able to hold up the shield of faith. Do you know how to lay hold of God’s Word in a particular situation? Jesus gives us the example we need as He met Satan one on one in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-7). Our adversary is scheming against us (2 Cor. 2:11). Are you prepared?
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“O Lord of the battle, I desperately need to be better trained in how to respond to Satan’s attacks of temptation. You know my weaknesses. Help me.”