Shielded from the Flaming Darts

Armed for Battle 4: Wield the Shield

We are spending our Sunday mornings, right now, looking at the Armour of God. Something about this armour that we need to be clear on - what this armour means for us - - The Bible says some amazing things about what we have when we become Christians. Oh we are blessed, brothers and sisters. Paul begins this letter, in chapter 1:3 by making a startling statement: “God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ”. HAS - past tense .... “BLESSED US ...” not with some nice blessings now - and some you have to work for. “HE has blessed us WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING in Christ.”

, “(God) HAS (already) seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Elsewhere the Bible tells us that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father .... that may not mean much to you - but the RIGHT hand is the place of greatest power in the kingdom. It’s the prime minister’s place. It’s the place of the greatest intimacy - You have the ear of the king. You are at the right hand - it’s the place of favor.

And the fact that you, as a Christian, are ALREADY seated with Christ, means that if you are a Christian - then friend, you already are in the place of God’s favor, his love and His power.

says this: “His divine power has granted to us ALL THINGS that pertain to life and godliness ...”. You have everything you need to live the life you want to live for maximum joy in Christ.

So when Paul says, “PUT ON THE ARMOUR” - he’s saying, “Take the benefits and the privileges and the gifts and the power that you have in the gospel … and USE IT ALL.”

That’s massively important. And once again, here is one more way that Christianity is NOT like any other religion. Other religions say - - “The spiritual/ religious life is living as uprightly, morally as you can .... following this list of rules ....and offering your best up to God.” “Hopefully it’s good enough and God will accept your best.”

Christianity says, “NO - - The heart of true religion is that Jesus has come, lived a righteous life, paid the penalty - and then given his goodness to us.” “You are accepted because God loves you and has made you acceptable!” The implications of that are huge.

So when we come to the armour of God .... remember - this is not the equipment you put on to try and impress God … this is the equipment God gives you because He loves you and wants to see you protected from spiritual danger and wants to see you live in holy delight.

This morning our focus is on the FOURTH ITEM of armour. It’s described in v. 16:

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

1 THE SHIELD

When you think of a shield – you probably tend to think of Captain America - his shield made of vibranium is pretty much indestructible … he takes it everywhere … runs with it - protects himself with it, uses it like a weapon to smash the bad guys with … he throws it like a boomerang in battle - always comes back to him. It is an amazing piece of armour that helps a super hero to be super. It’s a piece of armor that every soldier could use. And it’s so portable and light - the size of an overgrown Frisbee.

When we come to the Armour of God and read about the ‘shield of faith’, maybe you picture something like Captain America would carry around. But when Paul brings up the piece of armour he calls a shield - he’s thinking of something much bigger than that. He’s thinking of the shield a Roman soldier would use. The Roman soldier’s shield was about 5 ft tall and about 2 ½ ft. wide. That’s big.

But it is especially large sounding when you consider that people tended to be shorter than they are today. There weren’t many 6 foot tall warriors marching into battle. The average height of a soldier in the Roman Army was 5’7’’. So this shield is almost as tall as the soldier is - - not exactly the same height - or you couldn’t even carry it. But it’s huge - like a door … a portable wall that you hold in front of yourself and you can hide your whole body behind.

Maybe you’ve seen pictures of the Roman army advancing in battle -

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These shields are particularly sturdy - made of wood, but the wood is then covered with a fire-proof metal lining, and then over top of the metal, the shield is wrapped in leather - so that when the enemy shoots his fiery darts - or arrows - the flaming darts hit the metal lining and bounce off without doing damage to you. The shield protects you - - THAT’S a shield.

Now remember, we are dealing with spiritual armour here - not physical. We are not dealing with protection that wood and metal provides. Paul is concerned with something bigger than body alone … he is concerned for you Christian. He is concerned to protect you, spiritually, from a real, personal enemy - the devil himself, who hates you because you belong to the God of heaven - and the Sovereign Lord of the universe loves you.

Now this enemy loves nothing more than to make, before our eyes, to make God’s glory seem … SMALL. To make Jesus Christ’s saving work and presence with you … seem BORING. He would like nothing more for you and me, than to make us, GOD’S PEOPLE - the heirs of heaven, adopted children into God’s royal family - - he would love to make us ... miserable, joyless, passionless zombies .... who mindlessly follow the ways of the world. The devil wants to suck away your joy.

So when Paul is writing about a shield - - he’s not just writing about any shield – as verse 16 tells us, he is writing about the shield of faith. So what is the shield of faith?

These shields were made of wood, but were covered with a fire-proof metal lining on the surface, so that when the enemy shot their fiery arrows, they would hit the metal lining and bounce harmlessly off.

2 THE SHIELD OF FAITH

Now remember, we are dealing with spiritual armor here – not physical armor – Paul is concerned to protect us spiritually from the enemy who would love nothing more than to make God’s glory seem small, by making God’s people miserable, joyless, passionless zombies, mindlessly following the ways of the world.

What kind of faith are we to understand here? What does this have to do with me today, you wonder. You hear the word, ‘faith’ - and maybe you think, “Ahh - saving faith. When I put my trust - my ‘faith’ - in the finished work of Jesus Christ, when I turned from my sin and rebellion against God … turned TO Jesus Christ and gave my life to Him … that’s saving faith - that’s the faith Paul is talking about here.” Well that IS SAVING FAITH … but that’s NOT the faith Paul is talking about here. This is NOT armour that you put on to become a Christian … this is armour for those who are already saved. This is a shield for those who DO HAVE FAITH in Jesus Christ and that faith itself is now under attack. This can’t be about saving faith - a decision you made in the past to trust in Jesus Christ.

Paul is not just writing about any shield – he is writing about a shield of faith. So what is the shield of faith? What kind of faith are we to understand here? We hear the word ‘faith’ and we probably think about saving faith: Put your trust – your ‘faith’ in the finished work of Jesus Christ, turn from sin and give your life to him. That’s saving faith. BUT – This is armor for Christians – the armor of God is for those who have already put their trust in Jesus Christ. This is armor for people who have faith – and their faith itself is under attack. So it cannot be saving faith.

So, what is it? To help you understand that - let’s take a look at v. 16 again. “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one ...”

To understand what this shield of faith means for you - how it’s relevant to your life today - - I want to point out a couple of differences here in this verse, that mark this shield off from the pieces of armour that we’ve already looked at in the list.

FIRST - Notice that there’s a change in the verb here in v. 16, that tells you what to DO with this piece of armour. Up until now, as Paul describes each piece of armour, he’s been saying, ‘HAVING put (it) on’. Well, actually, the NIV makes the reading flow more smoothly, by not translating the word that actually is there in the original Greek. The ESV and NASB do translate the word. Look at v. 14, “HAVING fastened on the belt of truth; HAVING put on the breastplate of righteousness; v. 15, “... as shoes for your feet … HAVING put on the readiness ....”. Time after time, item after item - Paul says ‘HAVING put it on’ … in other words - in the case of every piece of armour up until now, God’s word expects you to put it on and keep it on - - - fastened to yourself. You put it on and LEAVE it on.

You take the belt of truth, you cinch it around your waist - and you leave it there. You take the breastplate of righteousness, you fasten the straps on and you leave it on; you take the shoes of peace … wrap the straps around your legs - — and you leave them on.

Then what is it? To help you understand that – let’s take a look at v. 16 again. There are a couple of differences about this piece of armor that mark it off from the pieces that have been named before.

But now, in v. 16, Paul talks about wearing this item in a different way. NO longer is it, ‘Having put on ...’. Now it’s: “TAKE UP the shield of faith” (The NIV does translate that). Then, in v. 17, he goes onto the next pieces of armour and says, ‘TAKE UP the helmet of salvation AND the sword of the Spirit ...” Did you catch that?

This is more than just a matter of interest, this is not just trivia. Do you see what Paul is getting at here? These items, starting with the shield of faith, these are things that you don’t always have fastened to your body. You don’t tie a shield around your arm and leave it there - when you’re resting for the night. But when a special attack comes .... you know that what you are wearing isn’t enough, so you grab the shield - you ‘take it up’ - and you protect yourself with it. And the same goes for the helmet and the sword. That leads to the second difference ...

SECOND difference between the shield of faith and what has come before it is this: The shield of faith is an extra layer of protection that goes over top of what you’ve already put on. You’re never without your belt and breastplate and shoes … but you don’t always use the shield - it’s for certain points in battle.

FIRST – Notice a change in the verb used for what you do with the piece of armor. Up until now, Paul says, “having” put it on. Well, actually, the NIV makes the reading flow more smoothly, by not translating the word in the original. The English Standard Version and the NASB do translate the word: v. 14, “Having fastened on the belt of truth; “having put on the breastplate of righteousness”; v. 15, “as shoes for your feet . . . having put on the readiness …” These are passive items of armor: you put them on and leave them on. But now, in v. 16, Paul talks about doing something different. NO longer is it, “having put on …” now it is: “Take up the shield of faith” (The NIV does translate that). Then verse 17, “Take up the helmet of salvation AND the sword of the Spirit.”

If you have a city under siege - you want to take that city … you didn’t use the shield in your hand to hand combat on the way to the city walls. You don’t use it once you’ve broken into the city and are mopping up. The time when you need the shield, is when you are besieging the city - - at the critical moment in time when the whole campaign hangs in the balance, because now you are at the most dangerous part of the battle. Think about that for a minute: You have laid siege to a city. The enemy is trapped behind the walls. They are playing defense - you are definitely on offense here. You have them surrounded - they have nowhere to go.

When are you most vulnerable? Isn’t it when you start to attack the walls? You might have 10 times the soldiers they do, you may have better weapons and better training - but when you get to the walls of their city, you are absolutely vulnerable .... because they’re up there … and you’re down here. What do they do? We know from history what they would do .... the enemy inside the city is cornered, they don’t have any other options - they’re desperate, so they are going to do everything they possibly can do to get you to retreat.

So what they would do is they would throw things over the wall, burning things … sometimes burning oil … but usually the very things that Paul is talking about here: flaming darts and arrows. They would dip them in pitch, light them on fire and then shoot them through the air - at the soldiers down below.

3 FLAMING DARTS

Part of the reason that they wouldn’t be content to just shoot arrows, but shot flaming ones instead - is because of the psychological value - the shock value. It’s one thing, in battle, to see your buddy go down beside you. That’s terrible.

But it takes it to a whole different level when you see your buddy go down beside you, with his face and hair and body on fire. There’s nothing that will more powerfully sap your motivation and terrify you - than that. You may be wearing a breastplate, you may have your feet covered and be wearing your belt - - but if a flaming arrow hits you in the right spot - it might pierce through a joint in your breastplate and scorch you. Or, it may hit the armour and the intense heat of the flames could rise up and scald your face. Either way, you are injured and you’re out of the fight. Do you see how much you need a shield?

Do you see what Paul is getting at here? These are items that you don’t always have on – you don’t tie a shield on, when you are resting. But when a special attack comes, you grab it. The same with the sword – and the helmet, for that matter.

It was a common tactic of warfare in Paul’s day. The enemy would try to wear down an army by shooting fiery darts from every possible direction, breaking down the defenses – until the strength and desire to fight was gone.

And it’s a tactic that has continued through history. Watched a documentary about the German Blitz of London, in the second World War. December 29, 1940 was one of the most devastating air raids of the Second World War. Just after dark, the air raid sirens sounded and thousands of Londoners left their homes and huddled underground in crowded, stale-aired, shelters.

That night the German Luftwaffe flew over the English channel, from France to England, flew DIRECTLY over the city of London with wave after wave of bombers, every couple of minutes ... dropping their load on the helpless city. FIERY DARTS.

As the fire brigades tried to quickly put out the fires that were started by the bombs, they quickly became aware that it was a hopeless task. Before they could get one fire out – another one had already started in the building next door. The entire horizon of the great city was bright, in the middle of the night – illumined by the fires burning all around.

Hitler’s goal was to destroy the city of London, by the barrage of fiery darts from the skies - to so demoralize the people of England that they would give up and accept his terms for peace. Some of you were there. It didn’t work that time. But it was a great plan. Demoralize the enemy until the motivation is gone and he surrenders.

And that’s where the shield comes in. The whole purpose of the shield is to protect against that. You might have to adjust your shield - move it one way and then move it another way, to make sure the shield deflects or absorbs the flaming darts … and you are protected, so you can keep on fighting.

And that’s where the shield comes in. The whole purpose of the shield is to protect against that. You might have to adjust your shield - move it one way and then move it another way, to make sure the shield deflects or absorbs the

This is important. We’ve already talked over and over again, in this series, about how, if you are a Christian - you are always in battle. You always need to be ready. But there are times when the enemy steps up his attacks … when in addition to the regular struggles of living in the joy of Christ in holiness, in this present evil age… times when the fiery darts start flying in your direction.

You may have your shoes on - - may be a person who knows what it is to live at peace with God.

SECOND – The shield of faith is an extra layer of protection that goes over top of what you have already put on. The belt and the breastplate – and the shoes, you strap right onto your body. But this shield is something that you hold out in front of you – it is an important EXTRA armor.

That’s important, because as Paul puts it – you are always in battle, and so you always need to be ready. But there are times when the enemy will step up his attacks, times when fiery darts will be hurled at you.

You may have your belt on - you are convinced of the truth of Jesus Christ and His finished work as your only hope - as the Bible tells us.

You may have your shoes on – May be a person who knows what it is to live at peace with God.

You may even have your breastplate on - recognizing that God has imputed the righteousness of Christ to your account - - has imputed your sin to Christ. You may have ALL of that armour on … but when the devil ramps up his attacks and starts hurling his fiery darts at you .... you need extra protection. You NEED a shield to hide behind.

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The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive The Shield of Faith—Part 1

There are a lot of people historically (and maybe you’ve heard this; maybe you haven’t) who have seen the flaming arrows, the fiery darts of Satan, to be doubts.

One of the people who believed this was Martin Luther. Martin Luther stood against the entire rest of the Church when the entire rest of the Church was saying you got to heaven through your own merits and through the merits you earned through almsgiving and through taking the sacraments and good deeds, and you could also get to heaven through the merits the pope could give you if you made contributions (they were called indulgences).

Martin Luther was furious. He was reading Romans and Galatians, and he got up and he said, “That really imperils your salvation because no one can possibly merit salvation. We are only saved strictly and wholly and completely through reliance on the …” [Audio cuts off] … jeered at him and said, “How do you know that? How can you stand against the entire Church?” which essentially he was at the time. He says, “The Scripture says so.” “Well, what about all the rest of our professors of Bible? Why don’t they say so?” The taunt came at him like this. “Are you alone wise and all the ages foolish?”

Now when you’re standing against the entire world like that, it’s natural that in … Many times, Martin Luther was absolutely assailed with raging doubts and flaming accusations in his heart. He sensed he was wrestling with the Devil. When he was actually being protected in the Wartburg Castle, there was a room in which he spent many, many hours and a long time translating the New Testament into German. They’ll show you the stain on the wall where Luther threw the ink pot at the Devil in one of his battles. He would always talk about the fact that the Devil would come and assail him with doubts.

Now listen; I believe that’s true. I believe that’s possible. I believe that’s right. I don’t think that’s probably what Paul has in mind. Why? Because usually when the word fiery is used in the New Testament, it has to do with suffering and it has to do with trials. I’m not saying doubts are out of the picture. For example, Peter says in 1 Peter 4, “Beloved, do not surprised with fiery trials come upon you.” Or in Revelation, this same word that’s used here, fiery … It says the church is like gold purified in the fire. It’s talking about the sufferings of the saints.

In the Old Testament, in the book of Isaiah, it says, “When you walk through the fire, the flame will not kindle upon you.” In the book of Job, we know there was a place where Satan comes to God and says, “Have you seen your servant Job? He doesn’t really serve you. I’m going to bring into his life all kinds of trials.” He brought sickness into his life and he brought disaster into his life and tragedy into his life. That, I’m almost certain, is what Paul has in mind when he talks about the shield of faith.

Let’s think about these ‘fiery dart’ that Paul writes about here – that will help us understand the shield of faith a little better, also. The fiery darts, that Paul would be familiar with, would be wooden or metal arrows or darts that were dipped in pitch, lit on fire, and then shot through the air. Do you see how important a shield would be as protection against that kind of weapon? You can have your breastplate on and feel very secure, but if a flaming arrow hits you in the right spot – it could pierce through a joint in your breastplate – and scorch you. OR, it could hit the armor and the intense heat of the flames could rise and scald your face. Either way, you are hurt, you are injured, and you are out of the fight.

That was a common tactic of warfare in Paul’s Roman situation. The enemy would try to wear down an army by shooting fiery darts from every possible direction, breaking down the defenses – until the strength and desire to fight was gone.

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It’s a tactic that has continued through history. We watched a DVD from the library about the German Blitz of London, on December 29, 1940. It was one of the most devastating air raids of the Second World War. Just after dark, the air raid sirens sounded and thousands of Londoners huddled underground in crowded, stale-aired, shelters.

Ephesians makes clear that the devil is always at work - - - but there are times when all hell seems to be unleashed against us in a blitzkrieg attack. He shoots his flaming darts at us. These are spiritual darts and his goal is to injure you, to knock you off balance – so that our joy in Christ will be quenched and we will surrender to his terms that pleasure in this life comes from ignoring God’s commands and following the world’s ways.

That night the German Luftwaffe flew over the English channel, from France to England, flew directly over the city of London with wave after wave of bombers dropping their load on the helpless city. As the fire brigades tried to quickly put out the fires that were started by the bombs, they quickly became aware that it was a hopeless task. Before they could get one fire out – another one had already started in the building next door. The entire horizon of the great city was bright, in the middle of the night – illumined by the fires burning all around.

Hitler’s goal was to destroy the city of London, to so demoralize the people of England that they would give up and accept his terms for peace. Some of you were there. It didn’t work that time. But it was a great plan.

Ephesians makes clear that our enemy is the devil and there are times when he shoots his fiery darts at us. These are spiritual darts and his goal is to injure us, to knock us off balance – so that our joy in Christ will be quenched and we will surrender to his terms that pleasure in this life comes from ignoring God’s commands and following the world’s ways.

Parents - you know what it is to make sacrifices for your kids. Some of you have them in sports .... some of you have already been through that experience.

You know what it is to get out of bed, while it’s still dark … ON YOUR DAY OFF. And you get the kids up and fed and dressed - and out the door, not for a vacation, not for important surgery … but to one of their games.

You know what it is to be outside in a downpour. When sane people are inside, hiding from the awful weather .... you are purposefully standing on sidelines of a field, with umbrellas that don’t work and water dripping down your back and soaking your innermost being.

You don’t get to play … the kids don’t want to hear your advice - no matter how great that parental coaching is … they don’t want to hear a thing …

So what would possess you to endure that discomfort, week after week? Turning your family car into a taxi cab … when there are so many other things you could be doing - things that you enjoy?

What do you do when the grumbling thoughts bombard you – “Why are you doing this? You don’t want to go out there today.”

What do you do when the grumbling thoughts bombard you – “Why are you doing this? You don’t want to venture out today.” You could say, “Well, parents have responsibilities. And seeing to the physical and social well-being of my child is my solemn duty.” You could say that - - but how long would that response keep you from becoming miserable and resentful. “Here we go again, another cold, rainy morning – let’s go kids!”

You could say, “Well, parents have responsibilities. And seeing to the physical and social well-being of my child is my solemn duty.” You could say that - - but how long would that response keep you from becoming miserable and resentful. “Here we go again, another cold, rainy morning – let’s go kids!”

Unless you can be sure that the there is a greater payoff of pleasure than the cost of pain in the short term, you will not carry out your responsibilities day after day, with a smile on your face - - your joy will be crushed.

4 WIELDING THE SHIELD

So, how do you wield the shield? There is one way - The only way to successfully fight the temptation to be miserable and resentful, is to fight with a SUPERIOR PLEASURE. You drag yourself out of the house because the pleasure of seeing their joy on the field or in the gym is GREATER than the pleasure of giving in to the temptation to stay warm and comfortable at home.

That’s where the shield of faith comes in. You are a Christian, trying to walk in obedience to God – and it is a challenge. Every day is a challenge. But then come the days, when the enemy shoots his flaming darts at you - his unusually strong temptations.

, “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.”

On the days when the assaults rain down on you - temptations come at you with burning ferocity - - “The desires of the flesh” hit you . . . . there are days when you feel so strong, carried along on eagle’s wings .... but then .... there are the other days. Your flesh is so weak, And here come the flaming arrows.

You know the Bible says that, as a Christian, you are to only marry a Christian - - but all you can see is that you are lonely … and here is someone who is interested in you, who is comfortable … and your flesh is crying out for companionship. How do you fight the overwhelming pull of the flesh to find satisfaction OUTSIDE of the will of God?

Guys – want to do the right thing in life – but there are days when you are alone with your computer and the pull is so strong to visit websites that invite you to click – but you know they will lead you to a place you don’t want to go. You hate yourself for even being tempted to go there, but the pull on the flesh is powerful. How do you fight against the pleasure being offered just a mouse click away?

Guys – want to do the right thing – but there are days when you are alone with your computer and the pull is so strong to visit websites that invite you to click – but you know they will lead you to places you should not be. You hate yourself for even being tempted to go there, but the pull on the flesh is powerful. How do you fight against the pleasure being offered just a mouse click away?

“The desires of the eyes hit you”. What do you do when you see what someone else has and you think, ‘THAT is exactly what I need.” The cravings bubble up within you like water reaching its boiling point. “If only I could have that .... video game, car, home ....”, or whatever it is. How do you fight the sight of your eyes that promise satisfaction - - - right THERE?!

The pride in possessions hits you - or, as the NIV puts it, ‘The boasting of what he has and does ...” This is the temptation to live your life for the pleasure of getting praise from others - pride in possessing, not STUFF, but a good reputation - - respect. How do you fight against compromising what you know is right, so that the ‘in’ crowd at school will say that you’re cool?

You see what someone else has – and the cravings start to bubble up inside like water reaching its boiling point - - “If only I could have that Video Game system, or that plasma tv, or that whatever it is . . . How do you fight the sight of your eyes that promise satisfaction – if only you could have what your neighbor has?

The pride in possessions hits you – or as the NIV puts it, “The boasting of what he has and does . . .” This is the temptation to live your life for the pleasure of receiving praise from others - - pride in possessing, not STUFF, but a good reputation – respect. How do you fight against compromising what you know is right, so that the ‘in crowd’ at school will say that you are cool?

The devil fires at you the temptation to find relief to your suffering in pleasure. WHAT DO YOU DO?!!

The only way to fight against those flaming darts of temptation, is to FIGHT PLEASURE WITH SUPERIOR PLEASURE.

That’s where the shield of faith comes in …The only way to fight the devil’s temptation is NOT to try to DENY that YOU ARE LOOKING FOR PLEASURE … BUT TO FIGHT TO GAIN A PLEASURE FAR GREATER THAN THE DEVIL IS ABLE TO OFFER. That’s where you need to wield the shield of faith.

gives us the definition of faith, which is to be our shield. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” “FAITH IS THE ASSURANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE CONVICTION OF THINGS NOT SEEN.” What a beautiful definition. Faith means that no matter what you see with your eyes on this human plane … there is reality behind what you can see that is far greater than what you can imagine.

Example .... Remember that time in Abraham’s life, when he goes to rescue his nephew Lot? The story is in . Abraham loves his nephew - there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for him. But, by this time in their relationship, Lot has become pretty much, a burden to him.

Now, Lot has been attacked by an alliance of FIVE kings and their armies. Well, uncle Abraham can’t just stand by and do nothing. So he comes to try and rescue his nephew. One man, facing off against FIVE kings! What chance does Abraham have?

But God gives him the victory. Great news.

The object of our faith is God – As God

The object of our faith is God – As God

But Abraham goes back home, in .... and he is EXHAUSTED. And what so often happens when you’re physically exhausted … you become spiritually discouraged, as well. And the enemy starts shooting his flaming arrows at Abraham.

“So you won a big battle! .... So what?! Your nephew is free and back at home. The good guys won the battle .... but WHO CARES? You still don’t have a child … no son - nobody to carry on your name … and there is nothing on the horizon.” “You’re still waiting with empty hands.”

“What good is it to serve God when He gives you SMALL, PIDDLING little victories …AND you still don’t have the ONE THING you really want?”

Remember that time in Abraham’s life, how he is exhausted after fighting against the 5 kings and rescuing his nephew, Lot. He arrives back at home, exhausted and discouraged, and the enemy begins shooting his arrows at him – “What’s the point of military victory, when you still don’t have what you really want? You still have no son, no one to carry on your family line.”

CAN YOU IDENTIFY?

God comes to Abraham, at that very moment of discouragement .... and reminds Abraham of the shield of faith, In , “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield, your reward will be very great.” “I AM YOUR SHIELD (Your protection) … AND on top of that, I, SAYS THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE, YOUR REWARD … WILL … BE … VERY … GREAT!”

That is God’s message to you, Christian.

How do you hold up the shield of faith? You recognize the promises of God; you recognize that He is a God who blesses His own … and recognize that He has delight and pleasure for you that is FAR GREATER than ever you can find anywhere else.

And that helps you stand strong against the temptations of the enemy.

CS Lewis, in the SCREWTAPE LETTERS: Screwtape advises Wormwood, his demon protege

“Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy’s (God’s) ground…He [God] made the pleasure: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage the humans to take the pleasures which our Enemy [God] has produced, at at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which He [God] has forbidden. ”

So God is your shield of faith and the way to wield the shield of faith is to live in trust of the promises of God.

So God is your shield of faith and the way to wield the shield of faith is to live in trust of the promises of God.

Holding taking up the shield of faith means facing the devil’s fiery-dart temptations head on. It means knowing the promises of God, it means hiding behind the character of God as He has revealed himself in His promises and realizing that, IF I have God - there is no better offer the devil can make.

Holding taking up the shield of faith means facing the devil’s fiery-dart temptations head on. It means knowing the promises of God, so that when the arrows come, offering you pleasure and satisfaction in return for letting go of your hope in God, at that very moment, you can hold up in front of yourself the promises of God.

so that when the arrows come, offering you pleasure and satisfaction in return for letting go of your hope in God, at that very moment, you can hold up in front of yourself the promises of God.

Verses of Victory: If you know God’s Word - then you have, at your disposal, strength that firms up your shield.

You can say: ‘What you are offering me is gravel. And walking in the pleasure of obedience to God is diamonds. Why would I trade diamonds for gold?”

You can say: ‘What you are offering me is gravel. And walking in the pleasure of obedience to God is diamonds. Why would I give away my diamonds for your gravel?”