St. Paul exhorts us to take the shield of faith in order to quench the “flaming darts” of the Evil One, but what are these flaming darts, I wondered, and how do we quench them with faith?
I felt like God was telling me that the devil’s flaming darts are lies, seeds of doubt and dissension, gossip, slander, etc. The enemy is very subtle, so I need to be on guard at all times. As with Adam and Eve, he often starts by making me doubt my relationship with God. Like a fire, these seeds of doubt spread until I fall into sin. A small spark can lead to a raging fire. In the same way, seemingly small things like a bit of gossip can spread and grow rapidly like a fire, having the potential to rupture relationships and destroy families or friendships.
To combat this, I need to have complete trust in God and in his love for me. I need to remember God’s faithfulness and all that He has done in my life. I need to trust that He has a plan for my life and that everything He does is for my good. As the Lord promised through Jeremiah: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer. 29:11)
I also need to be grounded in the Word of God. I need to learn the story of salvation history and ask God to reveal my role in that story. I need to memorize Scripture verses, so that I can call them to mind when I am tempted, just as Jesus did when He was tempted by the devil.
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