Temptation

The Flaming Arrows

In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

-Ephesians 6:16

So what are the fiery arrows of the devil?

Temptations.

I talked quite a bit about temptation in another post, but after yesterday’s post, with faith as our shield, I thought it would be nice to add a little to our allegory-ish thing with the fiery arrows of temptation.

When you think Marvel, “the shield” normally makes you think of Captain America’s shield (or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D…), and “arrows” normally make you think of Hawkeye. (Quick note: Everything I know about Hawkeye comes from watching the Avengers, and my friends talking about him. So… don’t judge.)

So, when Hawkeye shoots one of his explosive arrows, what normally happens afterwards?hawkeye1

Yep. Ka-poof. That’s what happens when we give in to temptation. Now, maybe it doesn’t get that bad, but consequences always follow sin. Even if it doesn’t seem like anyone will ever find out.

So use your shield of faith to block the arrows of temptation. Cuz the devil won’t mind if you blow up.

If you want to read more about temptation, check out my previous post about it.

Advertisement

The Shield of Faith

In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.

-Ephesians 6:16

With our faith, we can block the flaming arrows of the enemy, like a shield. Paul was probably thinking about a Roman shield, kind of like this one:

romanshield

Maybe. The Roman’s shields were made out of wood, but they were covered in leather so they wouldn’t catch on fire, which was a big part of their battles. (Thank you, Pastor Tim from Wayside!)

When we think of shields, we normally think of something more like this:

CaptainAmericasShield

Sorry, I couldn’t help it… But, although this shield would definitely stand up pretty good to some flaming arrows (now there’s an idea, Marvel!), it doesn’t provide quite as much full-body protection. See what I mean?

HidingCaptain

The stronger your faith is, the better your shield will be, and the better you’ll be able to guard yourself against the devil’s flaming arrows of temptation. Which just might be mentioned in the next post.

(I can’t help it… which shield would you rather have? Why?)

The Ultimate Battle

The ultimate battle that Christians face is the battle against the world and its temptations. This is mentioned many times in the Bible since it’s so important. It’s hard to live the Christian life with all of the worldly influences around. The Bible says that we should submit to God, and that, if we resist the devil, he will flee from us (James 4:7). 1 John 2:15-16 tells us that we shouldn’t love the world. It also states that things of the world do not come from God. 1 Peter tells us that we should be self-controlled and alert. It compares the devil to a roaring lion, saying that he is ready to devour us (verse 8), and, in verse nine, it tells us to stand firm in the faith and to remember that there are others going through the same thing.

This is a good point. Other Christians around us are also suffering, and they struggle with many of the same things we do. That’s why it’s good to have Christian friends close to you to help keep you accountable. It’s also nice to have them there when you’re really being tempted. They can encourage you and give you advice, especially when you’re feeling vulnerable to temptation. Having Christian friends to support you is a great way to resist the world and its influences.

One of my favorite verses about resisting the world is Romans 12:2:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

-Romans 12:2

Challenge: Think of one way the world tries to influence your life. Talk to a friend about it, and try to recognize and resist when the world is tempting you.