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Good morning friends…it’s the weekend, and today we’re back again in verse 16 of Ephesians 6 as we “walk with Jesus”.
Paul writes, “take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Did you notice this key word in that phrase: “YOU can extinguish all the flaming arrows”! Yes, it’s true! God gives to His people the ability to fight victoriously in this spiritual war! God says you and I, as followers of Jesus, have the God given power, authority to ‘extinguish’ the flaming arrows of the devil! HOW is that possible and HOW do we actually extinguish them?
Let’s take this phrase one word at a time…
“Take up” FAITH is belief in action, remember that from yesterday? It’s a choice, a decision to act with confidence on the strong beliefs you have which are rooted in Jesus Christ and God’s Word!
“You”… that’s not everyone my friends, it is ONLY those people who are the blood of Jesus purchased; Holy Spirit of God ‘born again’; God the Father forgiven and adopted… people of God! We, those people, have been empowered by God in these ways…
* the death grip, slavery of sin in which we lived has been broken by Jesus! We are delivered!
* The Holy Spirit of God lives within us, guiding us, teaching us, empowering us.
* The Name of Jesus as our Savior and Commander in Chief has powerful authority (Phil. 2:10) and He is our ‘Jehovah Nissi” our “banner” in the battle, protecting us and empowering us. We use His name in authority!
* The Blood of Jesus , shed for our redemption, defeated Satan (Hebrews 2:14. 15)
* The written Word of God, is authority which the dark kingdom must submit to, as we speak it.
* Jesus, our Commander, is in the battle with us, and the dark kingdom is subject to His authority!
All of these are powerful authority available to us as God’s people, followers of Jesus, when engaged in spiritual warfare!
“Can extinguish” that’s a big deal! There’s a difference between blowing on a fire or deflecting a flaming arrow or even spreading out a fire so over time it will die out… and EXTINGUISHING a fire! Right? Do you see God gives us the authority to EXTINGUISH the flaming arrows of the devil! This means when you or I are under attack by the dark kingdom, we take authority over the attack, in the Name of Jesus, and we counter it with God’s truth. We don’t argue, we don’t ignore it, we don’t play with it, we defeat it with God’s truth and holy authority. We extinguish the flaming arrow! We keep our minds and hearts pure in this way.
Finally, there’s one other word I wonder if you noticed… “all the flaming arrows”! Jesus faced many demons when He was here walking our earth. I’ll give you just a few examples and I urge you to look them up in your New Testament and read the stories. They are each different, and they show us Jesus’ authority over the dark kingdom in graphic reality:
* Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus tempted by Satan in the desert after Jesus’ baptism.
* Mark 1:23-27 Jesus confronted by a demon in the Synagogue.
* Mark 5:1-20 Jesus confronted by a man who lived among the tombs, who was possessed by a “legion” of demons!
* Luke 9:37-43 Jesus delivers a boy seized by an evil spirit.
There are many others, but those four give you a glimpse. Please find time to read each one and look closely at what Jesus was facing and what He did. Jesus is with us in the battles of life, and His Holy Spirit lives in us and empowers us… so we can do the same thing He did, in His authority! Don’t fear the dark kingdom, Jesus has defeated them. We, His people, can stand firm, protected by HIM in the battle.
God says to us through Paul in Ephesians 6:10, “Be strong in the Lord and in HIS mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
And friends, let’s remember this powerful warning and promise of God for His people: “So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall. No temptation has seized you except what is common to mankind. God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out, so that you can stand up under it.” ( 1 Corinthians 10:12,13)
I see two important things here my friends:
God provides us very powerful armor to defend us in the battle, and in these days we are working through understanding that armor, but you have to put it on and use it!
Second, God also provides us the ability to move, to get out of places that may be under the authority of the dark kingdom, when we don’t need to fight the battle, it would be wiser to get out of the battle. What kinds of places? Well, do you suppose the dark kingdom is in authority in bars, or strip clubs, or those Adult stores you see advertised on the sides of some Interstate Highways, or haunted Halloween houses, or Porn sites on the internet or casino’s or off track betting places . . . I wonder what other places you might list as places where the dark kingdom has authority?
So my Christ following friends, why would we want to be in such places where we know full well the flaming arrows will be flying at us and our enemy is ferociously trying to devour us?
Do you remember this word of warning from Paul: “Flee from sexual immorality… do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20) Can you link this verse with what we just saw in 1 Corinthians 10:13?
Now may I give you one more really important thing about this great SHIELD of FAITH?
The normal shields used in battle are man-made objects. But this “Shield of Faith” that God gives us is ALIVE! Yes, you and I as followers of Jesus have a LIVING FAITH! And anything alive is either dying or growing.
Faith grows as it is nurtured, stretched. The more you nurture your faith the stronger it becomes! That means the stronger your relationship with Jesus, the more you know about God and know God personally, the more you fill your heart and mind with God’s Word, His truth; the more you worship Him, the more you talk with Him and listen to Him teach you… the stronger your faith in God will grow! And equally, the more you DON’t do these things, the weaker your faith will become.
Also, the more you stretch your faith by using it when you face difficult situations, the stronger your faith will become! So… think back. What are some of the ‘faith stretching’ situations you’ve faced recently, and what did God do in them, and how did it grow and strengthen your faith in Him?
This is where the great stories of FAITH in the Bible can really help you, as they model for you how to stand firm in your faith in the face of hungry lions like Daniel, or 1 million thirsty people with Moses, or marching around Jericho like Joshua, or building an arc under a cloudless sky like Noah, or putting a stone in a slingshot like David when looking at a giant or even walking on the water like Peter!!
So what have been your faith stretching stories my friends? Do you keep a journal of them, so when you face the flaming arrows you can go back and re-read YOUR story and what God has done in YOUR past? Here’s a secret… Psalm 77. I call it the “U turn Psalm”. It begins in a desperate place, and then suddenly the discouraged writer says in vs. 10 “…then I thought, to this I will appeal, the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the deeds of the LORD, yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago, I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds…” (Psalm 77)
Ok my friends, it’s the weekend, so we all have just a little more time. May I urge you to do something? Reflect, Ponder, Remember… and write down in your prayer journal, if you have one, several of the wonderful ‘faith stretching’ experiences you can remember in YOUR life story. Put in some detail. Dates, places, emotions, people, circumstances… and then be sure you make note of what God did for His glory and your rescue! This is your personal Psalm 77, and this is what builds great faith for the battle ahead!
Do you remember how many times God’s people piled up stones or a big rock to REMEMBER what God had done in that place? Here are three… do you have some in your life?
* Joshua 4… crossing the Jordan River
* Genesis 28 & 35… Jacob at Bethel with God
* 1 Samuel 7… Samuel at Mizpah
“…take up the shield of FAITH, with which YOU can extinguish ALL the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Eph. 6:16)
Oh Lord Jesus thank you for these great truths, and thank you that we are NEVER alone in our battles with the dark kingdom. You and Your Holy Spirit are always with Your people, especially in the battles….
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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