Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
This passage of scripture makes two very important points. It tells us that the devil has, and often uses fiery darts against us, and two, it teaches us that every one of these darts can be extinguished by the invisible shield of faith. Faith is the means whereby the omnipotent power of God is engaged and exercised in behalf of His children, and it is also the only means by which we can dodge the bullets of the evil one.
The devil has many different fiery darts in his arsenal which he unleashes at the Christian in different ways and means. There is the fiery dart of malice and evil speaking behind one's back, and there's the fiery dart of materialism, and inordinate love of gain. There is the fiery dart of anger and impulsiveness, and there's the fiery dart of sabotage. But one of the more common darts that the enemy hurls at us is when our personal rights are violated at the hands of those who wish to do us harm, or by those who couldn't care less about our well being.
It was one such dart that was hurled at Elisha after the king of Syria learned of his prophetic utterances, warning the king of Israel to avoid certain places where traps were laid for his feet. Let's read:
2nd Kings 6:8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
This exposing of his strategies enraged the king of Syria, and prompted him to extract from his soldiers any names of persons in his army that were acting as spies. To his inquiry, the servants replied that it was not the activity of spies, but rather the utterances of the prophet Elisha who, by the power of God, had invaded the king's mind and was regurgitating the kings innermost thoughts. This then prompted a very harsh response by the king of Syria. Let's read:
2nd kings 6:11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? 12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
This particular fiery dart would have doubtless moved many Christians to call down fire from heaven to destroy the enemy, but Elisha, using the shield of faith, was able by the grace of God to quench this fiery dart, once and for all. Let's read:
2nd Kings 6:19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. 21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? 22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. 23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
Many Christians do not understand how the shield of faith works in the various obstacles that are placed in our pathway. The Bible teaches us to overcome evil with good, and this method of dodging satan's bullets, has been proven time and time again to diffuse very volatile situations that could easily have spun out of control. Furthermore the Lord guarantees us that we would not be tempted above what we are able, but that He will also make a way of escape. Let's read:
1st Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
In our daily experiences, we have great need of taking the shield of faith wherever we may go, for we never know just when we may be called upon to use it. Sometimes we are cursed at for no apparent reason, sometimes we may be cut off on the highway by an angry driver, or sometimes someone may deliberately step in front of us while we are waiting in line. All these and other fiery darts can be successfully squelched by the shield of faith, if we will only take this important piece of armor wherever we go.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to use the shield of faith in our daily battles, and if we do we will find that victory will be an everyday occurrence. Let's read:
1st John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
May this shield of faith be interwoven in our everyday experiences , for God is faithful, who has promised. God Bless!