THE CHRISTIAN’S ARMOUR-EPHESIANS 6:11-18.

THE SHIELD OF FAITH (Part 4)

I will round off the shield of faith by explaining how faith’s power quenches all the fiery arrows of the enemy,” In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,” verse 16.

In this verse we see faith’s power. “You will be able to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the evil one.” From God’s perspective there is no doubt or uncertainty regarding the protective power of our shield of faith. “You will be able,” is absolute. Can we ever imagine our God, who went to such great pains and cost to save us from Satan’s power and influence, ever giving us faulty protection when we have to fight against God’s arch-enemy? You will also notice that this verse categorically says, “All the fiery arrows.” It is not speaking of just ordinary temptations, but also the most lethal arrows in Satan’s arsenal.

Satan’s arrows travel very swiftly. He doesn’t need any time at all to plant one of his arrows in the mind. For example, in 2 Samuel 11:2 David watched Bathsheba bathing, before he turned away. Too late for David, Satan’s arrow was quicker than David’s action and even as David watched, evil had embedded itself in his heart.

Satan’s arrows also fly secretly. Satan will sometimes use other means to deliver his arrows, but the source is him. Sometimes he will use a wife’s tongue as the vehicle for his arrow, or a husband or friend to do his dirty work, but he himself remains unrecognised. In Genesis 20:1-7 Abraham, that man of God, failed to protect his wife from Abimelech, and at Satan’s instigation, betrayed her. Sadly, Satan often uses Christians to fire his arrows for him. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall,” 1 Corinthians 10:12.

After the Lord had experienced Satan’s temptations, He teaches us to ask the Father, “Lead us not into temptation,” Matthew 6:13. Jesus well knew Satan’s tempting skills, and although He was able to overcome them, knew perfectly well how they would be strong enough to defeat the strongest of His saints. Apart from Christ, Satan has successfully deceived every man who ever lived.

Our verse tells us that Satan’s temptations are like “flaming arrows.” Why flaming? Since God removed Satan from his original high place among the angelic beings, and because sin was found in him, he, like Paul in Acts 9:1, has been breathing out fire and slaughter, anger and bitterness, against everything and everyone whom God loves. His nature is destruction and his motive is to take as many people as possible to hell with himself. We are dealing with a very, very malevolent angelic being and only our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His faith working in us will quench Satan’s flaming arrows.

Satan has many flaming arrows in his arsenal, but despite their variety, there are three which are the main focus of his attacks. The Apostle John in 1 John 2:16 lists these three particular weapons, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”(It is these three temptations which we observe in the Garden of Eden). These three temptations are the keys which, if used, open the door to the whole realm of sin in one form or another, or, as James puts it, “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed,” James 1:12.

So let us briefly consider these pleasing temptations (for that is how many people find them), and then see how faith can quench them. The lust of the flesh: “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food,” Genesis 3:6. This temptation obviously promises pleasure of the fleshly nature. It can have its way in ungodly sexual pleasure leading to adultery; over indulgence of alcohol or food, or any other self-satisfying pleasure or activity to the detriment of one’s morals, health, or family, or, as Paul says in Ephesians 4:19, “And they, having become callous, having given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity and greediness.” A person who is overtaken by a lust of the flesh can never get enough of his particular problem to satisfy his craving.

How do we quench the lust of the flesh? Satan tries to disguise it by telling us it is a natural feeling, or it’s harmless. The person tells himself that he can control it, and Satan tells him he would be narrow minded if he resisted it. All these thoughts are the devil’s lies. A Christian will know in his heart, and his conscience will tell him of the sin in a particular vice of action. Faith will say, “I will not be cheated by and lied to by a lying spirit. It has been truly said, “We can never eat the sweet fruit of delight from Satan’s root of bitterness or grapes from his thorns.”

Faith sees lust of the flesh (in whatever form), for what it is. Moses fled the passing pleasures of sin in Egypt and chose affliction with the people of God.” He saw the pleasures for what they were. Faith will relish holiness and will choose close relationship with God rather than indulge the flesh, and afterward cry under conviction for forgiveness because of yielding to the temptation. Faith sees the world’s standards and will not compromise itself when compared with the glory and perfections of a future in heaven. Faith will seek the Holy Spirit’s power to overcome the lusts of the flesh.

Now we pass on to the lust of the eyes,- “The tree was a delight to the eyes,” Genesis 3:6. The eye was delighted, and so it is when the unclean eye considers another man’s wife, or anyone of the opposite sex whether or not the one doing the looking is already married. Or as Job once said, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?” Job 31:1. We can cast a covetous eye another’s success, or wealth, or possessions, and then jealousy can take hold of the onlookers mind and heart. What enters our ‘eye gate,’ as John Bunyan called it, can affect our thinking and actions to such an extent that we can also become slaves to our technological age. Christian children can become hooked into violence and killing in computer games, Christian adults can become addicted to certain television programmes and can even become affected by the attitudes shown in the programme. Things we see, enter into our minds, and can affect what we do and how we do it.

Let us not lust after what we see, either in desire or attitude, rather let us take the words of Paul in Ephesians 5:1-5, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or course jesting, which are not fitting, but rather the giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral person, or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.” If we live as imitators of God, as Paul states here, our faith will overcome Satan every time he tempts us through the lust of the eyes.

The pride of life-“…and that the tree was desirable to make one wise,” Genesis 3:6. Satan can use the sin of pride with devastating effect among Christians. A Christian can become proud of his achievements, his position in society, his position in the Church and among other Christians, and also his possessions. But the problem with pride is, that it often shows in its dealings with other people. A person of pride will often override both people and their opinions because he is in the position, therefore he knows best. The ability to see another’s point of view, or to appreciate another’s problems is rarely a strong point with a proud person.

Faith encourages the Christian to expect all his honour from Christ, not self. Faith helps us to realise that the world’s glory can never satisfy. Faith reminds us of those who have lived and died in humility and are now enjoying the glories of heaven. “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted,” Matthew 23:12. “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, ‘God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” James 4:6; “Humble yourself in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you,” James 4:10. Pride was the sin for which Satan was thrown out of heaven, let us therefore recognise this form of attack and immediately humble ourselves before the Lord and so win the victory.

When experiencing an onslaught from the evil one, seek God in prayer. Remind God of His promises, Romans 6:14, Micah 7:19; plead with God as His child, Psalm 119:133; Claim Christ’s finished work, Titus 2:14; finally, expect answers from your prayer, Psalm 5:3.

God bless you

John.