Poison Arrows by Rocky Fleming

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.”  Ephesians 6:16 (ESV)

Bows and arrows have been used for thousands of years for hunting and, as well, combat.  From a skilled archer they will kill you or wound you.  If they wound you, it is possible to recover and return to the battlefield.  For that reason, some warring tribes or nations chose to tip their arrows with bacteria that once entering the blood stream would create infection that would kill, or at least get the victim off the battlefield.  Before antibiotics, if infection started in someone, rarely was their recovery.  It would be a slow battle with sepsis that begins a chain reaction throughout the body shutting down organs and life.  Similar are the flaming darts of the evil one.  They are much like the poison arrows I speak of. Though some get into us with little known initial damage (we think), the biggest damage occurs when the poison gets in and stays in.  It is out of sight and hidden that these thoughts inspired by the evil one, and that we agree with, set up residency in us, and a chain reaction begins.  Think of how an insult that is unforgiven can turn to a root of bitterness?  Think of how lust, just a long look and thought that no one sees (right?), can infect our marriages and the purity of our thoughts?  Think of being taken advantage of or hurt by a criminal of a certain race, and how prolonged anger and fear can create prejudice toward that race?  Can racial prejudice not be seen as one of the rottenest spiritual infections that can be when one race hates another?  These are only a few of many examples to make.  It starts with an evil arrow launched against us by the evil man, not even our fault, and yet it can grow much worse from the infection it brings.  How can we protect ourselves from such a powerful and devious force that schemes against God’s family all the time?  Only one way.  The shield of faith.

I think we can easily visualize how a shield would protect us from an arrow.  It would just bounce off, wouldn’t it?  But the evil man’s arrows require a special shield to protect us.  Our part is to use it and to keep using it, for if not, the infection will grow.  It must be stopped and eradicated.

Who is The Accuser?  The Accuser shoots those evil arrows at us in our thoughts.  Satan’s name means Accuser, and it is much deserved, for that’s what he does.  He accuses.  That is who he is.  We read about him and his demise in the following verse:

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”  Revelations 12:10 (ESV)

The Accuser is stronger than any of us.  But he is a defeated foe, and Jesus who defeated Him at His cross and resurrection, has given His family the power and authority to resist and overcome those arrows.  However, we must fight spiritual battles with spiritual weapons, or the poison will get in and grow.  I recently had a battle with the Accuser and those arrows, and I’d like to share what I learned from it.  Maybe it will equip you for your own battles.

The first thing I had to come to grips with is the source of the offenses that came at me.  They were not the person or persons, but the evil person behind them.  If we don’t realize this, we will embrace the accuser’s words against those people and the infection sets in.  Therefore, I’ve realized that my focus needed to be shifted to where the battle must be fought to keep the poison from spreading.  Having this awareness of the schemes of the enemy helps us stay under the shield Jesus provides for us.  So. Let’s talk about that shield.

It is called the shield of faith for a reason.  Is it not a shield made from metal, wood, or animal skin.  Those elements will not stand up to the fiery darts of the enemy.  The element in this shield is our faith, but not just our faith, more importantly it is the object of our faith.  It is not the amount of faith, or even how we wield our faith in battle that counts, for that would be man-empowered.  Rather, it is the Holy Spirit Himself who is that shield for us.  He comes and stands between us and those arrows, and it is He who protects us.  Our part is our faith in Him and His protection.  But make no mistake in thinking that it is our faith that is the shield.  It is Almighty God Himself.

I’ve discovered that I must abandon my anger, or fear, or the desired response that my enemy wants to provoke in me to find my peace under the shield of faith.  I cannot be doubleminded and find my peace.  I must go all the way with it and trust Him.  There are times, if not most of the time, I’m tempted to fight back, or allow the offense to take my eyes off The Shield.  When I do, I then know first-hand the dreaded poison that grows in me from that arrow I speak of, and I learn that it does more damage than the arrow itself.

I will never tell you that those evil darts will be completely cut off, for they will not.  But I will tell you that you can find the best defense for your soul and your life if you learn to use The Shield of Faith that God gives to His family … and use it well and often.  May this be the year of the shield for all of us.