Ephesians 6:16, ‘Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.’
Being a Christian does not make you immune to attacks in the flesh. The fact that you hold the shield of faith does not stop the darts from being fired, but it prevents them from penetrating your heart. When you steadfastly hold the shield of faith, as a faith man or woman living in line with the truth of God’s Word, it does not mean the enemy will stop firing his darts at you. But with the shield of faith raised, they cannot penetrate your heart, take you out of your relationship with Christ, derail you from where God has destined you to go, or from being who God has promised you to be.
When you let down your guard and drop your defences, the attack of the enemy penetrates your heart which can easily mislead you to a sinful response. That’s when you step out of God’s protection and the attack can penetrate – not just the flesh, it can affect your heart and push you to take decisions that intensify your problems. It could be grumbling and complaining about a situation, falling into self-pity, or comparing yourself with others. Your response could push you to seek alternatives outside the boundaries of God’s Word, emotionally overwhelming you to the point where you take decisions out of reason rather than God’s Word or from the senses rather than the prompting of the Holy Spirit. This can cause you to succumb to bad habits leaving you in pain and bitterness.
Proverbs 4:23, ‘Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.’ The shield of faith is to guard your heart, not your flesh. So guard your heart and be alert!
We are in an imperfect world, surrounded by imperfect people with imperfect situations. If you realise that you have lowered your shield of faith, quickly get back on track, repent, pick up that shield of faith, lift up that weapon of watchfulness. If you know the value of your relationship with God and you know the real battlefield is in the heart, not the flesh, you would recognise the importance of prayer and watchfulness. So, create daily time with God through His Word alongside daily time in prayer.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, in this journey of faith, help me to remain watchful and prayerful. Help me to guard my heart by renewing my mind with God’s Word and submitting myself to the authority of that Word. In Jesus’ Name, amen.