Faith Extinguishes Evil Desires

Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – March 30, 2020

In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Ephesians 6:16

God does not leave us exposed to the devil’s evil ploys to capture our affections. He gives us the shield of faith to extinguish the enemy’s fiery darts of deceit intended to burn away our beliefs and crush our trust in Christ. Faith is not in our abilities, but in the ability of Almighty God to be our shield, rock and power in whom we have impenetrable defenses against Satan. Every day our faith is assaulted by outside forces seeking to discredit our faith. But by faith, we take refuge in our Savior Jesus. A wise climber stays tethered to the stable, secure rock as he scales up a steep mountain. Similarly, as we scale life’s hills of hurt and dark valleys of fear, we stay connected to Jesus. 

The Roman shield Paul uses to describe our spiritual defense is full length so a soldier’s entire body can be protected, in contrast to the smaller round shield. As the devil’s fiery darts spray out in all directions arching toward us, we extinguish their intent—they hit with a thud, dead on arrival. He tries to rattle our trust with sound, fury and a blaze from hell, only to be drowned out by the praises of heaven. We hold up our shield of faith in one hand and hold onto Jesus with the other. 

“In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock” (2 Samuel 22:30-32)? 

Are you able to hold up your shield of faith to protect yourself from Satan’s assaults? If you are weary of heart, ask your community of faith to come around you and bolster your beliefs. Sometimes a fatigued faith can be refreshed by a righteous few. Like the paralytic man who was unable to move from his mat, and in spite of adverse conditions, was carried by his friends to Jesus. The faith of the whole made him whole! On occasion your faith may need help to hold up.

Maybe a fellow follower of Jesus has had their faith wounded by a reckless one who claims to be a Christian, but whose behavior betrays his beliefs. Satan is using a wolf in sheep’s clothing to lead one away with deceptive words and baseless promises. Do not give up on one who may be giving up on God, instead double down on your patient love and remind her of the Lord’s great grace and compassion. A wounded faith needs time to rest from the battlefield of temptation so trust can be repaired. Help the hurting one to get quiet so her spiritual strength can be restored. Healthy desires grow a heart of love, forgiveness and righteousness. Keep your faith shield up!

“For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith” (1 John 5:4, NLT).

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me hold up my shield of faith to extinguish the devils’ arrows of lies and deception, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Application

Who needs the strength of my faith to help lift up her shield of faith?

Related Reading

John 16:33; 2 Thessalonians 1:4; James 1:3; Revelation 2:19

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A wounded faith needs time to rest from the battlefield of temptation so trust can be repaired. #faith #wisdomhunters #truth #Jesus

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