At
first, Allen held his shield of faith high, deflecting those fiery satanic
darts, extinguishing them quickly. But as time wore on, his shield seemed
heavier and his focus scattered so it wasn’t held as high. A little space is
all Satan needs for those darts. He is an excellent marksman.
Time passed, Allen’s attention
shifted, his shield dropped lower. More darts hit their mark. Allen seemed less
positive about his faith and standing in Christ. He found doubt to be a normal
part of his life, slowly replacing faith, slowly dropping his shield.
Until finally, Allen didn’t bother
to put on his armor at all. His shield of faith was somewhere in the closet,
under a pile of doubt and insecurity.
If
only I'd (done or not done) that. I should’ve seen that coming; saved more
money; got rid of that credit card; been more honest with them; studied harder;
finished the project on time. . . and so the little accusing voice (fiery
darts) within our minds goes, piling on guilt and condemnation. The Bible
clearly says, however, that there is no condemnation for believers. Will I
listen to the condemning voice (not God) or the uplifting, encouraging one
(God)?
Romans 8:1-2 So there is now no
condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 For
the power of the life-giving Spirit—and this power is mine through Christ
Jesus—has freed me from the vicious circle of sin and death.
Romans 8:9-11 But you are not carnal but spiritual if the
Spirit of God finds a home within you. You cannot, indeed, be a Christian at
all unless you have something of his Spirit in you. Now if Christ does live
within you his presence means that your sinful nature is dead, but your spirit
becomes alive because of the righteousness he brings with him. I said that our
nature is “dead” in the presence of Christ, and so it is, because of its sin.
Nevertheless once the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives within
you he will, by that same Spirit, bring to your whole being new strength and
vitality.
Romans 8:14-15 For all who are being led by the Spirit of
God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery
leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which
we cry out, Abba! Father!
Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth
the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father!
Romans 8:28, 31 Moreover we know that to
those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that
happens fits into a pattern for good. What can we ever say to such wonderful
things as these? If God is on our side, who can ever be against us?
John 1:12
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
God's rescue is eternal and very
personal. He prepared the way by allowing Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God, to be crucified so we may experience not only
joy for the moment, but a joy everlasting. Well aware of our weaknesses, He
implanted His Holy Spirit in our hearts, our souls—preparing an immediate, incorruptible two-way
communication system between us and Himself.
And what of your shield of faith? Is
it shiny and dent-free, hanging on the wall or hidden in the closet? Or is it
covered with dings, dents, scrapes and black spots where those fiery darts were
extinguished?
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