Verse of the Day 2/25

Ephesians 6:16  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;   English Standard Version (ESV)

I read today's verse this morning and was reminded of how important it is for us to daily "put on the full armor of God" as we are called to do in Ephesians 6:10-18.  In today's society Christians will have all kinds of darts hurled or fired at them.   The flaming darts can clearly be seen, but in seeing them they can take our focus off of other things.  There are also "unseen" things that are hurled at us and come our way, things that come up unexpectedly and have to be dealt with.

The Bible is full of examples of what this full armor looks like and in particular what the shield of faith looks like.  Both Old and New Testaments provide examples.  Abraham, David, Elijah are some examples that come to mind.  This full armor is not something that is automatic, it has to be put on, to be applied.  So it is with the shield of faith.  One of the things that faith tells us in the circumstances of life, as flaming arrows fly is that we are loved.

The following three verses from Daniel chapters 9 and 10 were quoted in John Piper's devotional for the day.  The angel encouraged him 3 times that "you are greatly loved."  We have the Holy Spirit telling us the same thing as we read God's Word.  Think of the situations that Daniel and his friends faced in the book of Daniel, from being thrown into the fiery furnace (his friends) to Daniel's being thrown into the lion's den for not backing down from what he believed.  Daniel prayed, he had had confidence in God, he had faith.  Daniel and his friends used the shield of faith regularly.

• "At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved."Daniel 9:23)
• "O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you" (Daniel 10:11)
• "And he said, 'O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage" (Daniel 10:19).

Take heart. If you have faith in Jesus, God himself says to you, "You are greatly loved."   And if you are greatly loved you should be encouraged, to be strong, be of good courage, have God's peace" for He is with us.

Before we go out and face the circumstances of the day, the darts and the arrows, put the full armor, take up the shield of  faith and be strong and of good courage and  "Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out." The Message

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Ephesians 6:10-18The Message (MSG)

A Fight to the Finish

^10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

^13-18 Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.