Bible League: Living His Word . . . above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.In Ephesians 6:10-20 the Apostle Paul tells us about a war being waged against the people of God. In order for Christians to stand victorious in this war armor must be used. Ordinary armor, however, will not do. This is because of the nature of the enemy. The enemy is not "flesh and blood," but "principalities," "powers," "rulers of darkness," and "spiritual hosts of wickedness." The enemy, in other words, is the whole army of demonic forces under the control of Satan, the "wicked one" himself. The armor, as a result, must be fitting for a war against evil spiritual forces. It must be the whole "armor of God." There is "truth," "righteousness," the "gospel of peace," "salvation," and the "word of God." The most important piece of armor according to our verse for today, however, is faith. "Above all," Paul says, we should take up the "shield of faith." Faith is the only piece of armor in Paul's list that he identifies as being arrayed against specific weapons of the enemy. The weapons in question are "fiery darts." What are "the fiery darts of the wicked one?" Since faith is needed to combat them, they must be anything used against us in an attempt to negatively affect our faith. The possibilities are many. For example, they could be temptations that attempt to lead us away from the faith, trials that test our faith, persecutions that attempt to destroy our faith, or ideas and arguments that attempt to undermine our faith. Paul tells us that what we must do in order to defend ourselves against the fiery darts is to take up the shield of faith. We must actively defend ourselves with faith, not just passively endure the shots of the enemy. Although faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8), it is also something that we do. In order to defeat the enemy's weapons, then, we must utilize the faith God has given us. A wise man once said, "If you want faith, stop doubting." Today, as we once again face the fiery darts of the enemy, let us ask God to help us stop doubting and take up the shield of faith He has equipped us with. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingLeviticus 22, 23 Leviticus 22 -- Rules for Priests and Flawless Sacrifices NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Leviticus 23 -- Feasts of Weeks, Trumpets, Tabernacles; Day of Atonement NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Mark 1:1-22 Mark 1 -- John the Baptist Preaches, Baptizes Jesus; Jesus Tempted, Calls First Disciples, Preaches, Heals and Prays in Galilee NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Our children will also serve him.Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done. Insight If we want our children to serve the Lord, they must hear about him from us. It is not enough to rely on the church or those with more knowledge to provide all their Christian education. Challenge We must reinforce the lessons of the Bible in our homes. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Nehemiah 9:20 Thy good Spirit.Common, too common is the sin of forgetting the Holy Spirit. This is folly and ingratitude. He deserves well at our hands, for he is good, supremely good. As God, he is good essentially. He shares in the threefold ascription of Holy, holy, holy, which ascends to the Triune Jehovah. Unmixed purity and truth, and grace is he. He is good benevolently, tenderly bearing with our waywardness, striving with our rebellious wills; quickening us from our death in sin, and then training us for the skies as a loving nurse fosters her child. How generous, forgiving, and tender is this patient Spirit of God. He is good operatively. All his works are good in the most eminent degree: he suggests good thoughts, prompts good actions, reveals good truths, applies good promises, assists in good attainments, and leads to good results. There is no spiritual good in all the world of which he is not the author and sustainer, and heaven itself will owe the perfect character of its redeemed inhabitants to his work. He is good officially; whether as Comforter, Instructor, Guide, Sanctifier, Quickener, or Intercessor, he fulfils his office well, and each work is fraught with the highest good to the church of God. They who yield to his influences become good, they who obey his impulses do good, they who live under his power receive good. Let us then act towards so good a person according to the dictates of gratitude. Let us revere his person, and adore him as God over all, blessed forever; let us own his power, and our need of him by waiting upon him in all our holy enterprises; let us hourly seek his aid, and never grieve him; and let us speak to his praise whenever occasion occurs. The church will never prosper until more reverently it believes in the Holy Ghost. He is so good and kind, that it is sad indeed that he should be grieved by slights and negligences. Daily Light on the Daily Path 2 Corinthians 5:4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.Psalm 38:9,4 Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. • For my iniquities are gone over my head; As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. Romans 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Romans 8:22,23 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. • And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 1 Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 2 Peter 1:14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 1 Corinthians 15:53,54 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. • But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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