Armed for spiritual warfare (2)

Let’s look at the next three pieces of spiritual armour God has provided for us to live victoriously: (1) “You will need faith as your shield” (v. 16 TLB). For what? “To stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan” (v. 16 TLB). Do you remember in the old western movies the battles between Native American Indians and the settlers? The settlers circled the wagons, and the Indians shot flaming arrows into them. They both understood that you can’t fight fires and fight foes at the same time; flaming arrows are a distraction. Satan uses the same tactic. But faith (focusing on God’s Word) snuffs out those flaming arrows. (2) “Put on salvation as your helmet” (v. 17 NLT). This helmet protects your mind. When Satan whispers, “If you were really a Christian, you wouldn’t have…,” you repel his attacks by knowing your identity in Christ – a blood-bought, totally forgiven, seen-as-righteous, heaven-bound child of God. (3) “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (v. 17 NLT). “The word of God” referred to here isn’t logos (the written word) but rhéma, which means “utterance.” It calls for speaking God’s Word to defeat Satan; utilizing the right scripture at the right time to deal with the problem. That’s why Satan fights you so hard over Bible reading. Three times he attacked Jesus in the wilderness, and three times Jesus answered, “It is written” (Matthew 4:4-10). He demolished Satan with scripture! The devil can outargue you, but he has no defense against the Word of God. So memorize the scriptures, and use them as a weapon to defeat him.