How can I be a soldier, when I feel so bad?

As I was reading a daily devotional book a couple of days ago, it occurred to me that mainly what I see in this type of book are articles about the fact that, if you are troubled or suffering or doubting or in pain, Christ can help; that there is balm in Gilead. Now, I cannot and will not disagree with that sentiment, because if there was ever a Great Healer, a Wonderful Counselor, a Prince of Peace, an Everlasting Father, it is Jesus Christ. He has certainly changed my life, lifting me out of the depths of sinful living, renewing my mind and spirit and giving me abundant life.

It seems to me, though, that Christian soldiers need to lay hold of the promises of God, to trust Him and act as if we believe those promises. Promises like, "I am come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10); "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32); "I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me...Thou preparest a table before me in the face of mine enemies..." (Psalm 23:1-5); "...lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20); "he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25); "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). The list of God's promises goes on and on.

Patrick Dennis, in his hilarious novel "Auntie Mame," says, "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death." I am not convinced Dennis was talking about life in Christ, but think how much more it is true for Christians that life is a banquet (abundant). And yet so many of us Christians are starving to death spiritually. Why is that so? I believe that it is because we have decided to focus on being troubled or suffering or doubting or in pain and not on Christ, who has defeated all of those products of the Fall. Yes, He can fix all of those things, but we must focus on Him and His solutions (promises) and not on us and our problems. If we focus on the distress, Jesus won't bless.

In my studies for a master's degree in biblical counseling, I had the opportunity to study the differences between secular psychology and biblical (or nouthetic) counseling. The primary difference, in a nutshell, is that secular psychology focuses on the problem, giving it a clinical name (alcoholism, drug addiction, melancholia, paranoia) and labels the "patient" as a victim, thus absolving him of responsibility for his condition. Nouthetic counseling focuses on the solution, which is Jesus Christ. He has given us all the solutions for every problem of the human heart in His word "...that the man of God may be complete..." (2 Timothy 3:17). But the "cure" does not lie simply in the fact that He has told us what to do. We must lay hold of His word, as if it were our lifeline, because it is.

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3) We need to believe and act upon God's word as a child believes and acts upon what his parents tell him. How many millions of children have believed unquestioningly in Santa Claus to the point that they leave cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer on Christmas Eve? How much more should we believe in and act upon the word of God, which is Truth...with the faith of a child. Jesus tells us we must change. We must become like children before God. We must stop looking at the problems in our lives and look at the solution, Christ Jesus.

"¹Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. ²This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. ³This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, ⁴for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5:1-5, emphasis added) Who is victorious in overcoming the world? Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and carries out His commands; and His commands are not burdensome. Is it any burden for that child to put out cookies and carrots on Christmas Eve? Absolutely not, because that child has faith that Santa will be there, just as his parents promised him. Carrying out God's commands for our lives is not burdensome, if we have the faith of a child and believe what He promises.

Why, oh why, is it so difficult for us to believe the promises of El Eljon, the God most high? We believe the promises of Madison Avenue:

"Brylcreme, a little dab'll do ya;
Use more only if you dare;
But watch out, the gals'll all pursue ya;
They love to get their fingers in your hair."

And Madison Avenue is only after our wallets. God is after our hearts and our souls. I am not sure that anyone was ever set free by the "truths" of Madison Avenue. But Jesus (He who saves His people) promised us if we abide (remain, continue, stay; continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship) in His word, then we will know the truth and the truth will make us free.

Here's a thought: maybe if we spent as much time looking at God's rich promises, as presented in scripture, as we do looking at Madison Avenue's empty promises, presented by TV, magazine, radio, billboard, etc., we would begin to believe the promises of Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals, El Shaddai, the all sufficient one. We are not troubled or suffering or doubting or in pain because God doesn't care; we remain there, because we don't trust Him. We would rather continue sitting on our own little pity pot than admit that we don't have the answers and that He does.

Christian soldier, if you are really going to make a difference for Christ, go to the scriptures and find truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Say, that has a familiar ring. Sounds like the full armor of God, doesn't it?

Blessed Assurance

During the Persian Gulf War of 1991, the Iraqi soldiers who had boldly marched on neighboring Kuwait were quickly dispersed by the coalition forces who came to Kuwait's defense. After about four days of counter attacks by the coalition, the Iraqis surrendered in droves. Saddam Hussein had boasted that no one could take down his army of highly trained soldiers. Nevertheless, the coalition military forces defeated them handily with very few coalition casualties in a very short time. Had it not been for the fact that then-president George H. W. Bush, commander-in-chief of U. S. forces, was a man of integrity, the coalition might have marched all the way to Baghdad. Bush, however, had stated that the aim of this action was to force Hussein's army out of Kuwait and back into Iraq. So, the coalition forces stopped at the Iraq border, true to their word.

Why did the Iraqis fall apart? There was evidence that many of them, especially the "Republican Guard," were, in fact, highly trained and capable soldiers. Hussein had amassed considerable fire power and had stockpiled arms and ammunition, before his incursion into Kuwait. He himself was prepared for protracted war. So what happened?

It is my belief that no army, regardless of how well trained and equipped they are, will prevail, unless they have an abiding faith in and commitment to their cause. War is hell, and without faith in a transcendent cause to fight for, the human heart is too frail, long to endure it. A little shepherd boy named David was sent by his father to the camp of the Israelites, as they faced the Philistines and their giant champion, ostensibly to bring lunch to his brothers and bring back to his father assurance that the battle was going well. (1 Samuel 17:17-20)

When David arrived at the Israelite camp, he found his brothers and the rest of the soldiers despondent and in disarray. The Philistine champion, Goliath, stood about 9 feet tall and had completely demoralized the army of Israel. He seemed just too powerful and intimidating. "When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear." (v. 24) But little David, probably 16 or 17 years of age, said, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"(v. 26)

The Israelites, like the Iraqis, were focused on the might of their earthly foe, but David was focused on the transcendent cause for which Israel was fighting, the living God. David didn't see a human giant; he saw a puny, "uncircumcised Philistine" who dared to defy the armies of the living God. His assurance was that his God was bigger, stronger, more just, more faithful, and more powerful than any earthly foe. There was no question in David's mind that Goliath could be defeated, because God was with Israel. David's brothers and the rest of the Isrealite army had forgotten that.

Christian soldier, you have a transcendent cause. The advancement of the Kingdom of God is our cause. If you are to endure long in the war "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places," you need assurance that God is with you. The Iraqis had a tyrant for a commander-in-chief. They had no assurance that, even if they fought valiantly, their leader would not later turn on them. He had already slaughtered tens of thousands of his own countrymen, because they got in the way of his selfish agenda.

But you, Christian, have assurance. Job, for all the afflictions he endured, was able to say, "I know that my Redeemer lives." (Job 19:25) In First John, chapter 5, the Beloved Apostle tells us, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (v. 13) Paul wrote to Timothy, "I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." (2 Tim 1:12) "We know that we live in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us." (1 John 4:13-16). This is no Saddam Hussein we are serving.

As you can see from the highlighted passages:

1. Our Redeemer lives,
2. We know we have eternal life, because,
   
3. We know Whom we have believed,
   
4. When we acknowledge Christ as the Son of God, GOD LIVES IN US, and
5. We know and rely on the love God has for us.
   

It took me a long time to realize how amazing it is that we have first-hand, eyewitness accounts of the things Jesus did and said. John was there! Paul was brought into the very presence of our resurrected Lord and transformed from Saul, the persecutor and muderer of Christians, into Paul, the "ambassador in chains" who, for the sake of the gospel of Christ, was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and imprisoned multiple times.

Think what it means to be a Christian! "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!^a]"> Therefore the world does not know us,^b]"> because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (1 John 3:1-3) We are His children, "and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." (Romans 8:17) We are God's children, His heirs; we shall be like Him. If we are willing to suffer with him (i.e., go into battle against the rulers of the darkness of this age), we will be glorified together with Him.

Sometimes, in an appeal to universal brotherhood, we hear one of Satan's captives say, "we are all God's children," and we mustn't think unkindly of those who don't accept our beliefs. Sorry! Paul tells us, "those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.^a]"> And by him we cry, 'Abba,^b]"> Father.'" (Romans 8:14-15) We are not God's children simply because he created us. No! We are God's children if we are led by the Spirit of God. So, Christian, you who acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, you who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, you who have Christ in you, the hope of glory, stand firm in the face of the enemy. Rest assured that you have a transcendent cause worth fighting for and a commander-in-chief who not only will not desert you, but who has laid down His life for you and made you a joint heir of God Almighty, Himself.

Going into battle...

Paul ends his exhortation to don the full armor of God with this: "...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:18-20)

Girded for war, the Christian soldier has one more bit of preparation before he steps onto the battle field. Perhaps, the most overlooked resource the Christian soldier possesses is the power of prayer. I know, in my life, I don't take everything to my Abba Father in prayer. Why is that? I think in my case, it comes from a fear of intimacy. Understand, please, that God wants the most intimate kind of relationship with us that we can ever conceive or experience...anywhere, at any time. Twice this week, I have encountered pastors who referred to Genesis 4:1, "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived..." This statement is one we often blow past without considering its import.

Often, we see the word "knew" in this passage as simply a euphemism for "had sexual intercourse with." The Hebrew word translated here as "knew" has a much broader meaning:

1. Yada - to know

   1. (Qal)
      1. to know 1a
   2. to know, learn to know 1a
   3. to perceive 1a
   4. to perceive and see, find out and discern 1a
   5. to discriminate, distinguish 1a
   6. to know by experience 1a
   7. to recognise, admit, acknowledge, confess 1a
   8. to consider
      1. to know, be acquainted with
      2. to know (a person carnally)
      3. to know how, be skilful in
      4. to have knowledge, be wise
   9. (Niphal)
      1. to be made known, be or become known, be revealed
      2. to make oneself known
      3. to be perceived
      4. to be instructed
   10. (Piel) to cause to know
   11. (Poal) to cause to know
   12. (Pual)
       1. to be known
       2. known, one known, acquaintance (participle)
   13. (Hiphil) to make known, declare
   14. (Hophal) to be made known
   15. (Hithpael) to make oneself known, reveal oneself

If we look at the highlighted meanings that are ascribed to this word, we see that this is a two way kind of "knowing." Not only does it indicate a deep knowledge of the other person, as described in words like, "learn to know," "perceive and see," "find out and discern," "distinguish," and "experience;" it also may mean "to make oneself known, reveal oneself." This is the kind of relationship God wants with you. One in which you know and are known by God. Of course, God already knows everything about you, but He wants to reveal Himself to you, as well.

How does God reveal himself to us? There are at least three ways. 1) Creation, 2) Scripture, and 3) Prayer. Let us contemplate the third of these, prayer. When we pray, God is not so much interested in the words we use. After all, He already knows what we need. (Matthew 6:8) What He wants is the fellowship, the closeness, the personal interaction. It is common, nowadays, for prayers to resemble a laundry list more than a conversation. We get on our knees and trot out our wish list, as if we were presenting it to a kind of cosmic Santa Claus. But what God wants is to hear from us about the things that matter to us. Are we hurting from some trauma; are we overjoyed by some blessing; are we wrestling intellectually with some passage of scripture; are we struggling emotionally with a family member who is mired in sin; are we grateful that the first robin of spring showed up in the yard today?

As we pray in the quietness of our "closet" or private space, God wants us to listen for His still, small voice. Part of prayer is listening with our hearts. Many is the time that God has spoken to my heart, when I have been patient enough to kneel quietly and listen.

The prayer that Paul covets in the passage above from Ephesians 6 is intercessory prayer, for the saints and for himself. Paul wrote this letter from prison, where he was incarcerated because of his zeal for spreading the gospel. Notice that he does not pray to be released from prison, but rather for opportunities and the boldness to continue preaching the gospel within the prison! That is a soldier undaunted. Paul is not down in the mouth. He calls himself "an ambassador in chains." He is less interested in his circumstances than he is in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Christian soldier, it is precisely because he has on the full armor of God that he is able to continue to engage the enemy, even as a prisoner of war.

So, pray for the saints. Pray especially fervently for the leadership of the church. An army is always interested in taking out its opponent's generals, thus leaving the troops without direction. If your pastor is preaching the Bible, you can bet he is a prime target for Satan's attacks. Pray for him; pray for his family; pray for the elders. Beseech God to protect them and to raise them up to lead us against the powers of darkness that rule the world.

We have all seen the ignominious demise of a preacher who was overtaken by sin. Often it is because he has been too effective in going to battle against the enemy. Satan doesn't like that, and will try everything in his power to take out an effective servant of the Lord. That pastor is not to be scorned, but to be nurtured back to spiritual health. Ministered to by his congregation and given an opportunity to grow strong again and re-enter the fray. Soldiers are a band of brothers, united by their common enemy and their love for one another. Let us, the church, stop shooting our wounded and begin carrying them to safety and helping them to heal and get back into the battle. "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)

1. 
   

The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God

So, we come to the final piece of the Christian soldier's armor. And in fact, it is not really a piece of armor in one sense. We generally think of a suit of armor as comprising all of the protective/defensive, that is to say the passive, pieces in the soldier's gear; the stuff he puts on his body for protection. The final piece of equipment that the Apostle Paul lists for "the full armor of God" is the "sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

In the photo on the right is depicted a sword, purportedly of the era of the Roman army to which I have referred. It probably is not an accurate portrayal of the Roman gladius, and in fact there were a number of different types of swords used by Roman soldiers over the course of several centuries of Roman world domination. Suffice to say that the soldier did carry, among a host of other weapons, a sword, probably longer and narrower than that in the photo.

According to Wikipedia, "The soldier generally led with his shield and thrust with his sword. Despite the gladius being designed for thrusting at the enemy from behind the protection of the shield, all types of gladius appear to have been suitable for slashing and chopping motions." In other words, the sword was used primarily as an offensive weapon. Of course, we all know from watching Errol Flynn and other swashbucklers that one cannot wield a sword for offense, without also using it defensively.

You, Christian soldier, are called upon to use the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, in both ways: for defense and for offense. Let us consider our Lord Jesus in the wilderness, where Satan spent 40 days tempting Him. During that time, Jesus ate nothing, and on the fortieth day, He was undoubtedly weak and hungry. Just as Satan thought Jesus was weakened not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually, as well, he made another attack: "And the devil said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.'" (Luke 4:3) Now, make no mistake. This thought had undoubtedly already crossed Jesus' mind. Nevertheless, He had on the full armor of God, including the sword...which is the word of God, and he parried with: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” (Luke 4:4) This was a quote from Deuteronomy, chapter 8.

Then, having taken Jesus up on a high mountain and having shown him all the kingdoms of the world, Satan thrust again: "Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” (Luke 4:7). And Jesus again parried, this time from Deuteronomy 6: “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” (Luke 4:18) Satan, a clever chap, picked up on Jesus' tactic. His next thrust was from scripture itself. "[H]e brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written:


‘ He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’

and,

‘ In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” (Luke 4:9-11)

These quotes are right out of Psalm 91:11, 12. Notice that even our enemy uses the word of God as an offensive weapon! But Jesus had a countermove, also from scripture: “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’” (Luke 4:12; quoted from Deuteronomy 6:16). Notice what happened at the end of this sword fight: "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time." (Luke 4:13, emphasis added).

As you can see, the word of God defended Jesus, even in his weakened condition, from the thrusts of Satan. Notice, too, that the war was not ended, just that skirmish, for we read that Satan departed until an opportune time. Satan is no idiot. He is cunning and clever. He will wait for an opportune time for his next attack. All the more reason, dear soldier, to keep the full armor of God on at all times.

Above was a clear example of using the word of God as a defensive weapon. It makes a dandy offensive weapon, as well. In Hebrews chapter 4, the writer of that book stated: "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (v. 12) Such is the power of the word of God. Not only can it divide "joints and marrow" but even "soul and spirit." It is the word of God that advances the kingdom of God.

In the Gospel of John, Christ is referred to as the Word. In the book of Revelation, we see Christ coming in his glory to establish his kingdom once and for all, and "His name is called The Word of God...Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations." (Revelation 19:13, 15) Yes, the Word of God is an offensive weapon against Satan.

How can I, a lowly private in God's army, bring the word of God to a sin-sick world? Someone once told me that I am called to be a witness, not an attorney. I found that such a comfort to know that it is not up to me to convince people to follow Christ. My job is to put on my armor and go forth into the world confidently to share what I know of Christ. That's it. It is the Holy Spirit's job to convict of sin and righteousness and judgment. (John 16:8) Remember that Jesus promised us "another Comforter" (John 14:16) who would dwell with us. So, you needn't be fearful when we share the good news, "For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." (Luke 12:12)

If our job, then, is to tell what we know of Jesus, how shall we know what we know? In Psalm 119, the psalmist tells God, "Your word I have hidden in my heart." (v. 11) If we read and study the word, meditate on it, hear it from the pulpit, and teach it to others; and finally, if we commit it to memory, it will be hidden in our hearts. Then the Holy Spirit can teach us in that very hour that we need it, what we ought to say. Of course, Christian soldier, you are always to speak the truth with grace. Still, when the Holy Spirit, through the word of God, convicts someone of sin in his life, he may find it offensive, even when the word is delivered with grace. So, wield the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, from behind the shield of faith, and then let your Heavenly Father take over to do His work on the hearts of the captives you encounter.

The Helmet of Salvation

The Roman soldier was, of course, not fully equipped until he put on his helmet. The purpose of the helmet, or coolus, was obviously to protect the soldier's head, where several important senses are located, as well as the brain.

The Christian soldier, similarly, must be protected with the helmet of salvation. One of the most important things a Christian must know is that his salvation is NOT dependent on his performance. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." In other words, it is God's grace that saves us, not anything that we do. What a secure feeling it is to know that our salvation is not dependent on our performance.

Just as the Roman soldier's head (brain, senses, understanding) was protected by the wearing of his helmet, so our heading (eternal destiny, sense of belonging, understanding of who we are in Christ) is protected by our salvation that is bestowed on us by God's grace, through faith. In the Gospel of John, Jesus said, "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." (John 10:29, emphasis added) Our salvation, because it is secure, protects our mind (brain) from the lies of Satan. When he would club us over the head with lies like, "I am not good enough to serve God," or "I have to follow all the rules I can find in the Bible, or I am in real trouble with God," we are protected by God's faithfulness. God is never disillusioned with us, because He has no illusions about us. He knows we are imperfect, fallen, that we stumble; but He sees us washed by the blood of Christ so that we are without spot or wrinkle or blemish of any kind.

The powerful protection of God's salvation is unbreakable. Isn't that the kind of protection you want as you go into the battle "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age?" Christian, we must never forget that we are secure in God's grace. We needn't fear Satan's wimpy weapons, when he attacks. The Lord has already given him into our hands. That happened at Calvary, when Christ won the victory over Satan by paying the ransom for our sins. So, don't lose your head in the heat of battle. Put on the helmet of salvation, and go forth, confident that God will never leave you nor forsake you.

The Shield of Faith

No Roman soldier would have dared to venture into battle without his shield. The Roman scutum was a rectangular shape molded in an arc around its long axis. It may have been constructed of overlapping strips of wood steamed and bent over a form, similar to modern day molded plywood chairs. Other sources indicate it was made from carved boards covered first with canvas and then with calf skin. The scutum was edged with iron to fend off downward or slashing blows. In the center was an iron boss or umbo, the purpose of which was to deflect spears and arrows. The scutum measured about 2 1/2 feet wide by four feet tall. It was strong enough to deflect most missiles and yet light enough to be carried long distances. It was large enough that the soldier could kneel behind it and be completely covered on two sides. Its purpose, of course, was to deflect the enemy's weapons and missiles before the soldier's breastplate was needed to protect him.

In Ephesians 6:16, Paul tells the Christian soldier to "take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." In other words stand confidently behind your faith, which will deflect the weapons that Satan uses to attack you. Notice that the first line of defense for the Christian soldier is faith. It comes before the breastplate of righteousness.

The writer of Hebrews wrote: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1) Is this then a blind faith? Is this faith in fairy tales? Not at all. Consider the last time you drove your car. You probably slid into the driver's seat, checked your mirrors, started the engine and drove off. Did you first look under the hood to see if the engine was still there? Did you sign up for a course in automotive science in order to learn how the internal combustion engine works, or a computer course in order to understand the marvelous electronic controls that keep our modern cars running reliably, while reducing emissions? No. On faith, you turned the key, the engine turned over and you were on your way. When you got to the stop sign at the corner, you exercised incredible faith when you stepped on the brake pedal; faith that your car would safely come to a stop and not roll on into the intersection and the path of that busload of commuters. Did you see the brakes work? Do you have any clue as to how brakes work?

The fact is we "step out in faith" every day. We trust our very lives to acts of faith frequently. We are sure of what we hope for (not colliding with that bus), and certain of what we do not see (the pistons going up and down in their cylinders; the spark plugs arcing at just the right moment; the hydraulic pressure pressing the brake pads against the rotor). These acts of faith are in man-made things. Why then do so many of us have trouble having faith in the Creator of the universe? We have several thousand years of recorded history in our Bibles, all of which chronicles the consistently faithful, patiently loving, powerfully capable, perfectly just, and inexplicably gracious character of God. And yet, we put more faith in the mechanical systems of our automobiles; contraptions invented by the finite and fallible mind of man a little over a century ago. (And I might add, a number of people have lost their lives to mechanical failures of these "modern marvels." God, on the other hand, has never failed.)

Paul tells us that faith enables us to "extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." He did not say some of those flaming arrows but all of them. How can faith do this? Ephesians 2:8-9 explains that "...it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Faith is what allows us to avail ourselves of God's gift of salvation. That gift is an act of grace beyond comprehension. Grace may be defined as "undeserved favor," or getting something you don't deserve. Salvation certainly falls into that category. "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) And "The wages of sin is death; but God's gift is eternal life through Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:23)

Faith allows us to extinguish all of Satan's flaming arrows, because Christ's death on the cross was an act of grace that paid the penalty for our sins...all of them...all of the sins in our past; all of the sins we commit today; all of the sins we will commit for the rest of our lives, before God calls us home. Think about that for a few moments, Christian soldier. ALL of your sins have been forgiven already. That means that Satan, the great accuser, HAS NO CASE AGAINST YOU!! When you feel defeated by Satan, remember that it is a lie. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" (Romans 6:1) Of course not; as Paul says, how can we go on sinning, when we are dead to sin? Or, perhaps, you do not know that when we were baptized in Christ we symbolically died with Him and were resurrected with Him. Remember 2 Corinthians 5:17: "...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation."

We are saved [from Satan's flaming arrows] by God's undeserved favor through being sure of what we hope for [God's protection and deliverance] and certain of what we do not see [No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. - John 1:18]. We are not called to faith in fairy tales. We have "seen" God in the incredible splendor of His creation. Jesus (a real person whose existence is documented even more in the writings of secular historians who were his contemporaries than in scripture) showed us the Father's nature and attributes. (John 14:7-11) And we have God's love letter to us, the Holy Bible, which documents His incredible grace and mercy, His love and devotion to us, His children.

So, Christian, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. It is your first line of defense. It is reliable, because it is underwritten by the grace of Jesus Christ who first went into battle and gave His life for us, His comrades in arms.