Faith Words: Faith
Satan attacks us with spiritual flaming arrows. Sometimes they’re nothing more than lies and accusations that undermine our self-confidence. God’s shield of faith can defend us against these by training us to put our confidence in Him, not ourselves. (That’s pretty basic and I can do that with God’s help pretty easily - when things aren’t going too badly. I think these arrows are just testing me to see where I’m weak, where I’m vulnerable.) We get in the Word. We pray. We stand firm.
But what happens when the arrows are more powerful, hit harder, drive in deeper? Are we ready for that kind of attack? How do we keep standing firm against abuse, hatred, violence, addiction, perversion? I don’t mean in a general sense when it’s “out there” in the world but when it strikes close to home in the lives of our families, our friends, ourselves. How do we prepare for that kind of spiritual battle, those kinds of spiritual wounds?
I think I’ve been pretty protected all my life. I’ve seen evil around me and close to me, but I’ve been shielded from most of it. How would I make it if things got hard? The precious women in our Teen Challenge group recently shared parts of their stories. What they’ve experienced, what they’ve lived through, is horrific. Some of their experiences were the results of poor decisions, to be sure, but some things came through circumstances beyond their control. I marvel that they’ve survived at all. Their stories made me ask myself if I could have survived. How do they overcome and stand firm with all they’ve been through? How would I?
How do we shield our hearts, our souls from Satan’s evil flaming arrows, no matter how intensely or deeply they strike? The only answer is for us to soak our hearts in faith in Jesus Christ. That takes diligent and consistent communion with God and immersion in His Word. We have to decide that no matter what our circumstances, we will look to the Lord and we have to start now. We have to prepare for battle before it comes. We have to know where our vulnerabilities are and how to use our faith when Satan attacks.
So, I take hold of the shield of faith that is a part of the armor of God and soak my heart and soul in Jesus, the Living Water. The arrows will come. They may even strike me hard, but the shield of faith that God gives me will absorb the sting, extinguish the flames, and heal the wounds.
Holding on to my faith in Him,
Patrice
Ephesians 6:16 NIV
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
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