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PROGRAM D-7419
We all love stories of courage and bravery, don’t we? I think that’s one reason we love the story of David and Goliath, because this young man had the courage to go face a nine foot giant and defeat him. He didn’t let even a formidable enemy cause him to lose heart.
As David sized up the situation with Goliath, he said to Saul: “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him” (1 Samuel 17:32). Where did David find the courage to face this impossible enemy?
Well, David knew the Philistine giant was the enemy of the Lord and therefore should be defeated. He said to his brothers, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26). That wasn’t arrogance on David’s part; it was a recognition of the enemy and a belief that God could not be defied by some mere enemy, no matter how big he was.
As believers we all face an enemy daily—Satan—and his objective is to defeat us any way he can. So he chooses the weapons he thinks will work best against each of us and starts shooting his flaming arrows from all directions. He’ll try the arrow of hurt feelings; he loves to use the arrow of self-centeredness; he’s an expert with the arrow of the fear of failure or rejection; self-pity is one of his most effective arrows. He has a whole arsenal of flaming arrows, and he’s a straight shooter. What arrows has he been aiming at you lately? Are they causing you to lose heart?
Ephesians 6 teaches us that when we have faith as our shield, we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. So, in the face of our enemy we must hold up our shield—faith—and refuse to allow his flaming arrows to get through to our fearful hearts. Holding up that shield of faith is not an act of our emotions; it is an act of our will. We do it by faith.
When I’m feeling the attack of the enemy, I try to say out loud, “Satan, look here, I’m holding up the shield of faith; I believe the promises of God; I believe the Bible; I believe you are a defeated foe and none of your flaming arrows can get through.” It’s always best to come back at him with a specific verse in the Bible, like Jesus did.
James tells us: “...Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Resisting the devil is simply recognizing his attack and standing up to him with the shield of faith.
What arrows have you been dodging lately? Will you hold up the shield of faith, by faith, and believe God’s promise that the devil will flee from you? That’s how you keep from losing heart when facing the enemy.