Day 9 "Take Up The Shield Of Faith"

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. [11] Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. [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. [13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. [14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6: 10-17

Disappointments, Discouragements and Disagreements are simply apart of the human existence, even in the church. Throughout this experience I’ve battled with all of the “D’s” include depression. In the Christian life we battle against rulers and authorities (the powerful evil forces of fallen angels headed by Satan, who is a vicious fighter…1 Peter 5:8). To withstand their attacks, we must depend on God’s strength and use every piece of his armor. The whole body needs to be armed. As you do battle against “the powers of this dark world,” fight in the strength of the church, whose power comes from the Holy Spirit.

I’ve found myself struggling with the after effect of the deadly “D’s,” fighting trying to not allow them to set-up shop in my life. When one allows the enemy to take hold of our heart we began flirt with other emotion that will cause us to fall prey to the enemy’s will – anger, resentment and bitterness. The Good news is that we have the victory! We are promised the victory when we arm ourselves with the whole armor of God.

Although we are assured of victory, we must engage in the struggle until Christ returns, because Satan is constantly battling against all who are on the Lord’s side. We need supernatural power to defeat Satan, and God has provided it. Ephesians 6:16 “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16 (NIV)

Our heavenly Father has given us the ability to extinguish, to stop, to quench, and to put out the flaming arrows of the evil one.