Friends…Tom asked me to send this to you and ask you to read it in relation to your prayer for us.

Flaming Arrows
You’ve studied the Armor of God many times (Ephesians 6:10-20). You
may have even bought toy armor for your kids. Showing my age now…
many of you may have worn the armor, yourself, as a child.
I want to draw your focus to one piece: “In addition to all this, take
up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming
arrows of the evil one.” I ask you to meditate on this verse in
context of the spiritual war in which we live.

What is the military purpose of a flaming arrow? It doesn’t enhance
“killing power.” In fact, the fuel on the arrow can reduce accuracy.
So, what is the purpose of such a weapon? The goal is to distract
and discourage. The flaming arrows are shot at the fort, the covered
wagon, or the field of straw near or surrounding one’s enemy. They
must now deal with the flames and the enemy.

Satan is good at this; starting little fires around us rather than
just a frontal assault. He often does it when I am on a mission trip.
He uses traveling hassles, weather and glitches in plans to hinder my
evangelistic efforts. The evil one’s arrows have caused all sorts of
“fires” around Laura while I am away. It’s a long list, ask me
sometime.

You might think of any one target, “Oh, that flame is so little; no
big deal.” Let me ask you a pointed question; do most flames stay
small? And what is the potential of a little fire near you or someone
you love? Our spiritual enemy is devious.

We have a tool to counter these arrows, the shield of faith. A Roman
shield was large. It could basically protect the whole man. It was
also designed to overlap. The troops did much of their fighting in
units, not alone.

Now run with that thought. I think that we are most effective dealing
with the damage caused by flaming arrows when we combine our faith –
fight the evil one side-by-side. Check that, I know we are most
effective when we combine our faith. There is a special level of
courage that arises in our hearts when we have someone beside us.
Hopes lift with the news that reinforcements are on their way. Close
air support wins the day. Physical reinforcements and communications
revive morale.

Overlapping our shields lives out “faith expressing itself through
love.” (Galatians 5:5) Remember too, the word often translated
encourage in the New Testament is how Jesus described the Holy Spirit;
one called alongside to help.
Verse 18 describes standing as a sentry while we pray. Our calling as
believers is to be on the lookout for one another, protecting each
other in prayer. I don’t know if you’ve seen this as a God given
responsibility to us as believers. I ask you to ponder it, and your
response.

Laura and I are not the only ones among us involved in spiritual
battle; I am certain of that. But we are involved. We experience the
flaming arrows of the evil one. The smoke and flames make focus on
the battlefield difficult. Feeling alone in the battle can be
discouraging. Let’s not mince words; it is discouraging.
I ask you to spend some time dealing with this scripture and the
viewpoint I have shared. Take it to heart and take it to God in
prayer. Listen to Him and respond as our Commander guides you.

For Jesus’ sake, Tom