This morning I was reading in Ephesians. I really enjoy the Epistles. They are just rich, you know? I have read them over and over yet there's always something new to see or experience in them. The word is alive (Hebrews 4:12), it doesn't change, but often we see new things because we have moved to a new place with new experiences.
I made it to chapter 6 and the armor of God this morning. This one little phrase stood out to me. In verse 16, Paul said, above all taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. This said that we can and will quench the fiery darts of the enemy with the shield of faith. Now, it doesn't say the darts won't come occasionally. Or that they won't come one after another on a single afternoon. it does say when they come - faith can quench (extinguish, put out) ALL of them.
No matter what our situations are, faith protects our hearts. There are no exclusions here. Paul didn't say you can quench all the fiery darts of the enemy with the shield of faith unless..... we tend to let our thoughts put the exclusions in there -
- unless we are a caregiver
- unless we are poor (or rich)
- unless we have insurance
- unless we read our Bible every day....
Paul added none of these - he simply said with which you will be able to quench ALL the fiery darts that come at you from the enemy. This brought a touch of hope to my heart this morning. As caregivers we can miss out on a lot - can't we? But not this time! The enemy can throw, toss, or shoot anything at us - depression, hopelessness, despair, discouragement, sadness, loneliness - all of which we may feel at one time or another - or sometimes we literally feel it all at once. (Maybe it's just me!)
But no matter what comes at us - remember it's not part of us - even though it may be part of the journey. Faith can quench it. We do have to position ourselves behind the shield of faith for it to provide protection. But here we stand in all of our luck laster - when life tries to paint an ugly picture, faith can repaint it into a beautiful masterpiece where we learn to trust God even more. That's got to frustrate the enemy!
Today, I will take my position behind my shield of faith - mostly because I don't have the strength to fight on my own. From there, I will wait on God to deliver my soul (mind, will, and emotions) from the enemy's sight. Even when it seems like life is bearing down on me - I trust God will provide that way of escape. And when He does - I'll run right back into His arms where He can hold and protect me - will you join me?
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