On Sunday we talked about fighting the fiery darts of Satan with the Shield of Faith!
1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Ephesians 6:10-16 Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
The shield served as double protection for the soldier. It covered their armor which was also a form of protection. The Shield of Faith will serve as double protection for the Christian! Shields were dipped in water to saturate them and to keep them from catching on fire when the fiery darts were hurled at them. They were anointed with oil daily to keep them from being dry and cracked. Christians, we need to prepare our Shields of Faith daily. We need to be in the water of the Word. We need to be anointed daily in the power of the Holy Spirit!
I Timothy 6 details that it isn’t a way of life that is tied to material wealth or the here and now. Faith and not wealth or any earthly experience is to be our focus. The command Paul gave Timothy was that he should live in the light of eternity. It is living for that which will last. “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” Paul wanted Timothy to know that holding on to his faith, sharing his faith, and exercising his faith was to be the priority of his life.
Ephesians 6:12-“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
We are engaged in a struggle, a conflict, a battle, and it is real. Satan throws the DART OF DOUBT at us to try to get us to doubt God’s Word and character. He throws the DART OF DISCOURAGEMENT at us to make us feel unworthy, weak, stupid, insufficient and like a failure. Don’t fall for it! Get your Shield of Faith up and ask God for double protection over your life!
The darts of doubt and discouragement. They are fiery. They can be explosive, but only if our shield is down; only if our shield is dry, cracked, and unprepared. Put up your Shield of God and battle for your family, your future, your loved ones and your friends. Get refocused on eternity rather than the things of this world by taking up the Shield of Faith. Ask the Holy Spirit to protect your life and to give you wisdom and discernment when the sarcasm of the deceiver is whispered in your ears. There is no greater fight worth fighting. It is time to fight fire with faith, and I guarantee you if you do, with God’s help, you WILL WIN!
Get your Shield up!
Pastor Melissa
