The Pastor’s Desk …

“At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One.” (Ephesians 6:16, GNT)

As a follower of Jesus, you have fiery darts coming at you all the time. Satan implants the following thoughts into your mind:

• Doubt. You start asking yourself, “Did God really say that? Can I really trust God? Isn’t that just your interpretation?”
• Discouragement. Satan tells you, “You’re never going to get any better. Your life won’t change. Don’t even try.”
• Delay. Something you want to happen hasn’t happened by now, so you ask yourself, “Why is this taking so long?”
• Difficulty. You think, “Why is this so hard? Why is it so hard to make my marriage work? Why is it so hard to get a job?”
• Depression. You tell yourself, “It’s not worth it.” You don’t even feel like making an effort.

All these darts come on a regular basis. They create uncertainty in your life. In times of great uncertainty — like when you’re out of work or going through a major family transition — these fiery darts will fly at you even faster.

You’ve got to be ready for them! The Bible says, “At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One” (Ephesians 6:16, GNT).

How do you handle these darts? Put on the shield of faith. It’s the only protection you have against doubt, discouragement, delay, difficulty, and depression. Trust God, no matter what you see, hear, or feel about the world around you. You need the certainty of God when you face the uncertainty of Satan’s fiery darts.

You need to doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs. Most people do just the opposite. They doubt their beliefs and believe their doubts. That’s foolish! Believe what God tells you in His Word.

You need that kind of certainty on difficult days. With the shield of faith, you have certainty that God’s promises are true, even when they don’t appear to be true in your life.

Don’t ever take off the shield of faith. Satan will never stop throwing his fiery darts at you. Stay on your guard. Trust God and His Word, no matter what’s going on in your life.

Prayer

Lord, strengthen my faith daily with Your mercy and love. Help my unbelief and help me to focus on my faith in Your promises and in the path You have set out for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.