0:05 [Music]
0:07 welcome to back to the Bible radio
0:09 featuring best-selling author an
0:11 internationally known Bible teacher
0:14 Warren where's being above all taking
0:17 the shield of faith with which ye shall
0:20 be able to quench all the fiery darts of
0:23 the wicked one the shield that the Roman
0:26 soldier carried was a large shield
0:29 almost like a door perhaps 2 feet by 4
0:32 feet it was made of wood it was covered
0:35 with cloth and leather and sometimes the
0:37 soldier dipped it in water so that the
0:40 fire tipped arrows would be extinguished
0:43 when they struck the shield now the
0:45 shield represents the believers faith
0:48 he's talking here about that practical
0:52 everyday faith that says I am trusting
0:56 God for victory today I'm not trusting
0:59 myself I'm not trusting my experience
1:01 I'm not trusting my knowledge I'm
1:05 trusting God to give me the victory
1:08 today first John 5:4 and this is the
1:10 victory that overcomes the world even
1:15 our faith above all taking the shield of
1:18 faith with which you shall be able to
1:22 quench all the fiery darts of the wicked
1:26 one now these fiery darts come suddenly
1:28 they come swiftly they come silently
1:32 there's no announced warning and as they
1:36 land as they strike there is pain there
1:40 is the spreading of the fire and before
1:42 you know it there is a conflagration and
1:45 there is destruction
1:48 what are these fiery darts well I think
1:50 there are many different kinds of darts
1:53 that Satan throws at us Martin Luther to
1:56 change the image used to say I cannot
1:59 keep the birds from flying around my
2:01 head but I can keep them from making a
2:02 nest in my hair
2:04 we've got to be very careful not to
2:08 allow these fiery darts to penetrate and
2:13 to set fire and to do damage I think
2:16 number 1 Satan likes to throw the fiery
2:18 darts of fear
2:21 people get afraid Jesus said why are you
2:25 afraid where is your faith faith and
2:28 fear do not live in the same heart and
2:30 you're going through the day and all of
2:32 a sudden you become afraid there's some
2:35 kind of a threat to you it might be
2:37 something somebody said it might be a
2:40 change in circumstances a letter that
2:43 you read a notice you hear on radio or
2:45 television it might be a telephone call
2:46 I don't know
2:49 but suddenly fear comes into your life
2:52 and that fear spreads like fire it
2:55 begins to destroy your faith now you
2:58 don't want it that way you can always
3:00 tell the fiery darts of the wicked one
3:04 from the inward temptations of our own
3:06 nature because suddenly they hit and
3:09 they hit without warning and they start
3:13 to spread and you don't want them to be
3:16 there there is a resistance on your part
3:17 you say well where did that come from
3:20 that's not a part of my usual thinking
3:23 he likes to throw the fiery darts of
3:28 fear or doubt doubts about God does God
3:30 really know what he's doing does God
3:32 understand what my problems are or about
3:35 the Bible it's amazing how people can
3:37 read their Bible all of their lives and
3:39 then at a certain point say you know I
3:40 don't believe that
3:43 now that's Satan at work his first
3:46 temptation yay hath God said ye shall
3:49 not eat of every tree of the garden he
3:51 throws doubts at us doubts about the
3:54 Bible doubts about other people we get
3:56 skeptical about other folks in the
3:58 church does she really like me
4:02 is he really qualified to be serving the
4:04 Lord what did he really mean by that
4:08 statement in the sermon you see we get
4:10 these doubts about other people and
4:13 Satan likes to fan these fires of doubt
4:16 and before long they grow and they
4:19 destroy your faith sometimes we have
4:22 doubts about ourselves now we should not
4:24 be overly confident in ourselves that
4:27 sin that's pride but we ought to be very
4:30 very careful that we don't start to
4:31 having doubts about ourselves
4:35 I really born again do I really know the
4:38 Lord is my Savior should I really be
4:40 claiming to be a Christian that's good
4:42 to examine your own heart search me O
4:45 God and know my heart try me and know my
4:47 thoughts but it's a dangerous thing to
4:51 start Fanning these fires from the darts
4:54 the fiery darts of doubt or sometimes
4:56 these fiery darts are words they could
4:59 be filthy words that come to your mind
5:02 slanderous words words of criticism
5:05 words of hatred Satan likes to to throw
5:08 the darts at our mind and we start to
5:10 think things we don't really want to
5:12 thank or sometimes he throws these darts
5:15 at our will and we suddenly decide we're
5:16 going to do something that we know we
5:19 should not do sometimes he throws them
5:22 at the heart the emotions and we we get
5:24 all worked up emotionally sometimes he
5:26 throws the darts at the conscience and
5:29 we start feeling very dirty down inside
5:33 he attacks us he accuses us sometimes he
5:37 uses the fiery darts of confusion God is
5:39 not the author of confusion
5:41 first Corinthians 14:33 when you find
5:43 yourself during the day getting confused
5:45 in your thinking or your emotions
5:49 confused in your living stop right there
5:52 and say somehow a fiery dart got past
5:54 the shield of faith now what does the
5:56 shield do number one it stops the darts
6:00 and number two it puts them out it stops
6:02 them so they don't do damage it puts
6:04 them out so the damage doesn't spread
6:08 you see faith is the shield faith in
6:14 what faith in God God is our shield God
6:17 is all we need our faith is not in
6:19 ourselves our faith is not in the
6:22 doctrines that we believe our faith is
6:23 in God
6:27 have faith in God said the Lord Jesus
6:30 God is our shield our faith is in him
6:33 our faith is not only in God's person
6:35 but in God's promises there has not
6:39 failed one word of all his good promise
6:42 we also have faith in God's providence
6:44 we believe that all things are working
6:45 together for
6:48 good to them that love God that doesn't
6:50 mean we go out and sin and God works it
6:53 out no it means that no matter what kind
6:55 of a battle we may be in God is in control
6:57 control
7:00 faith protects the soldier the shield of
7:04 faith protects the Christian soldier
7:07 secondly the shield of faith also
7:09 protects the armor notice what it says
7:13 above all taking the shield of faith in
7:16 addition to all don't leave the shield
7:18 you say well I'm wearing the helmet of
7:21 salvation that'll protect me I'm wearing
7:23 the breastplate of righteousness I have
7:25 on the girdle of truth and I have my
7:29 sword that's all I need all no you know
7:31 he says above all in addition to all you
7:34 take the shield of faith because the
7:37 other parts of the armor don't function
7:40 apart from faith when you put on the
7:43 girdle of truth integrity you have faith
7:47 in the God of truth you say today I am
7:50 going to do what is right and what is
7:53 true not what is safe not what is
7:56 popular not what may make me successful
7:59 I'm going to do what is right you're
8:02 having faith in truth you put on the
8:04 breastplate of righteousness you have
8:06 faith that your God is a righteous God a
8:09 holy God adjust God and that his
8:12 righteousness will keep you you put on
8:14 the shoes of peace you have faith in the
8:19 gospel the Lord Jesus Christ died he was
8:22 buried he arose again he was seen by
8:25 witnesses you believed the message of
8:28 the gospel that Christ died for our sins
8:32 the helmet of salvation the sword of the
8:36 Spirit prayer all of these things depend
8:38 on faith without faith it's impossible
8:43 to please God and faith is the important
8:45 thing in the Christian life that's why
8:48 Satan attacks your faith that's why he
8:49 tries to keep you from the Word of God
8:52 that's why he wants you to worry about
8:54 all of these things that are happening
8:56 all the changes going on around you that
8:59 you don't understand he wants you to get can
8:59 can
9:01 fuzed he wants you to lose your
9:06 confidence in God the armor is protected
9:09 by the shield of faith and if you want
9:11 to protect your integrity you better
9:15 have faith you want to protect the shoes
9:18 of peace you'd better have faith you
9:20 want to protect the sword of the Spirit
9:23 you'd better have faith above all taking
9:27 the shield of faith with which you shall
9:30 be able to quench all the fiery darts of
9:33 the wicked I like that word all above
9:37 all you're able to quench all the fiery
9:40 darts of the wicked one learn today that
9:44 there is no tactic there is no piece of
9:47 strategy that Satan can throw at you
9:51 that God cannot equip you to defeat you
9:54 are on the winning side not only does
9:57 the shield of faith protect the soldier
10:00 and protect the armor but it also unites
10:03 the soldiers in the army you see the
10:06 edges of these big shields were beveled
10:08 in such a way that they could lock
10:12 together a row of Roman soldiers would
10:15 put their shields together and march
10:18 like a solid wall and you couldn't
10:21 penetrate that wall you see faith means
10:25 you and I love each other and we walk
10:27 together and we stand together we fight
10:30 together against the enemy we do not
10:31 fight each other
10:35 we need that today if only all the
10:37 soldiers could pray together and trust
10:40 God together and march together all what
10:43 we could accomplish in the work of the
10:46 Lord but we get selfish we get
10:50 individualistic we get proud and we
10:53 don't stand and work together
10:57 Deuteronomy 33 29 happy art Thou O
11:01 Israel who is like unto thee o people
11:06 saved by the Lord the shield of thy help
11:09 and who is the sword of thy excellency
11:12 and thine enemies shall be found liars on
11:13 on
11:16 to thee and thou shall tread upon their
11:18 high places
11:22 oh what a privileged people we are to be
11:29 able to wear the whole armour of God and
11:34 take the helmet of salvation this is
11:37 commanded in Ephesians 6:17 the Roman
11:40 soldier had a bronze helmet with a
11:42 leather strap on it and he carried this
11:45 helmet over his shoulder or on his
11:47 girdle until he needed to put it on for
11:50 the battle now the emphasis here is on
11:51 the mind
11:55 protecting your mind from the attacks of
11:58 the enemy you see salvation involves
12:02 your mind in order to be saved a person
12:05 has to repent Paul preached repentance
12:07 toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus
12:10 Christ John the Baptist came and said
12:12 repent for the kingdom of heaven is at
12:15 hand our Lord Jesus Christ preached
12:18 repentance what is repentance a change
12:22 of mind not regret where we look back
12:24 and we're sorry about something that
12:26 happened usually we're sorry that we got
12:32 caught not regret and not just pity for
12:35 ourselves but sincere repentance we
12:39 change our minds about our sins and
12:41 about what God has to say about them now
12:43 that involves the mind the Christian
12:46 life begins with repentance and faith
12:48 the Christian life continues and grows
12:52 as you cultivate your knowledge of the
12:54 Word of God but grow in grace and in the
12:56 knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
13:00 Christ 2nd Peter 3:18 a person who does
13:03 not use his mind is not going to grow
13:06 God wants us to have a spiritual mind he
13:08 wants us to have the mind of the Lord
13:10 Jesus Christ he wants that our minds
13:14 shall be transformed be transformed by
13:16 the renewing of your mind
13:19 and so the Christian life begins with a
13:22 change of mind repentance and faith in
13:26 Christ it grows as we have a transformed
13:29 and we are not going to have victory in
13:32 the Christian life unless we have an
13:35 understanding of the Word of God how
13:37 Satan works and how God gives us the
13:40 victory don't ignore the helmet of
13:43 salvation some Saints do not have
13:45 victory in their lives because they
13:47 don't have the right mindset they have
13:50 not put on by faith the helmet of
13:53 salvation they are not thinking victory
13:57 they are not thinking like Christians to
13:59 put on the helmet of salvation means to
14:01 think like a Christian to think God's
14:04 thoughts after him it means that God
14:07 communicates his thoughts to us through
14:11 his word and by His Holy Spirit if you
14:14 are wearing the helmet of salvation you
14:18 will not have the wrong kind of mind the
14:20 wrong kind of attitude for example if
14:21 you're wearing the helmet of salvation
14:25 you'll not have a divided mind no
14:28 soldier is ever going to win the battle
14:32 with a divided mind James 1:8 tells us a
14:35 double minded man is unstable in all his
14:38 ways the Roman soldier wore those
14:42 hobnails shoes now if you have hobnails
14:45 shoes you ought to have stability in
14:48 your stand and in your walk but if you
14:50 have a divided mind you're going to be
14:53 unstable what good are these shoes of
14:55 the gospel of peace if our mind is
14:58 divided you cannot take a half-hearted
15:01 approach to the Christian life we need a
15:05 mindset of victory now what kind of a
15:08 mindset is this Peter describes it for
15:12 us in 1st Peter chapter 4 verse 1 for as
15:15 much then as Christ hath suffered for us
15:19 in the flesh arm yourselves likewise
15:24 with the same mind your mind is a weapon
15:26 in the battle nice that you arm yourself
15:30 with the same attitude toward sin and
15:33 suffering that Jesus had have the
15:36 mindset of victory and this is not a
15:38 divided mind
15:41 I'm thinking of Joshua and Caleb there
15:45 in numbers chapter 13 the only two spies
15:49 who said we can go in and conquer the
15:51 land the other 10 spies had divided
15:54 Minds they said no we can't go in it's
15:57 impossible for us to conquer those
16:00 Giants and scale those walls and destroy
16:03 those cities Joshua and Caleb had armed
16:06 themselves with the right mind they did
16:09 not have a divided mind you see a
16:13 divided mind leads to a deceived mind if
16:16 we do not have a single hearted devotion
16:19 to the Lord Jesus Christ Satan will be
16:22 able to deceive our minds now how did
16:25 Satan deceive the mind of Eve Genesis
16:27 chapter 3 gives us the answer to that
16:30 question he took three very simple steps
16:33 in deceiving her first he questioned
16:38 God's Word Genesis 3:1 and he the
16:41 serpent said unto the woman yea hath God
16:45 said ye shall not eat of every tree of
16:48 the garden he questions God's Word and
16:52 then in verse 4 he denies God's Word and
16:54 the serpent said unto the woman ye shall
16:58 not surely die and then in verse 5 he
17:01 substitutes his own lie for God doth
17:04 know that in the day ye eat thereof then
17:06 your eyes shall be opened and ye shall
17:09 be as God knowing good and evil
17:12 that's what Satan always wanted I will
17:15 be like the Most High he said in Isaiah
17:19 chapter 14 he questions God's Word he
17:22 denies God's Word and then he
17:24 substitutes his own lie this is how
17:27 Satan deceives us that's why it's so
17:30 important to study the Word of God it's
17:33 good to study things like how to raise
17:35 your children or or how to handle your
17:37 money or how to do these other things
17:40 but at the foundation of all of this is
17:43 the truth of the word of God and the
17:45 better you know the Word of God the
17:46 better you'll be able to raise your
17:48 family the better you'll be able to
17:51 handle your business affairs a deceive
17:55 mind Satan loves to deceive us well if
17:57 you're wearing the helmet of salvation
18:00 you will not have a divided mind or a
18:04 deceived mind or a doubtful mind in Luke
18:07 12 29 the Lord Jesus warns us be not of
18:11 a doubtful mind don't let your mind be
18:13 filled with doubts now this is the only
18:15 place in the New Testament where this
18:19 Greek word is used and it's the greek
18:21 word that gives us our english word
18:25 meteor that's Luke 12 29 in Luke 12 29
18:29 this greek word translated doubtful
18:31 gives us our english word
18:34 meteor neither be e of doubtful mine
18:36 what's a meteor well the word means to
18:39 be raised on high to be in midair to
18:43 live in suspense to hover a lot of
18:44 christians have minds that are living in
18:46 suspense they're hovering they never
18:49 settle down on anything there they're
18:52 always up in the air about something a
18:55 doubtful mind now why should we be of
18:58 doubtful mind God provides for us God
19:00 protects us
19:03 oh how Satan loves for us to have a
19:05 doubtful mind because if we have a
19:06 doubtful mind we won't claim God's
19:09 promises if we don't claim God's
19:12 promises we can't enjoy God's power if
19:14 we don't enjoy God's power we can't
19:17 share in his victory Satan wants us to
19:20 have a divided mind a deceived mind a
19:24 doubtful mind and a discouraged mind in
19:28 1st Thessalonians 5 8 Paul writes about
19:31 this helmet but he describes it a little differently
19:31 differently
19:35 1st Thessalonians 5 8 but let us who are
19:38 of the day be sober putting on the
19:41 breastplate of faith and love and for a
19:45 helmet the hope of salvation I like that
19:48 the the helmet of salvation is the
19:51 helmet of the hope of salvation when a
19:54 soldier loses his hope he loses the
19:57 battle if he looks around and says well
20:00 we cannot possibly win he's done for it
20:03 you see defeat is on the inside not the outside
20:05 outside
20:07 the successful soldier is the one who
20:12 never capitulates down inside within his
20:14 heart he is saying I know that God is
20:17 going to see me through God controls the
20:20 future hope in the Christian life is not
20:24 hope so it's confidence in God's promise
20:28 confidence in God's purposes what is it
20:29 that creates discouragement in the
20:32 Christian battle well we forget the
20:34 Blessed hope we forget that our great
20:37 captain of salvation is coming to save
20:40 us and to take us to glory we start
20:43 walking by sight and not by faith we
20:45 look around and see all the casualties
20:48 and all the chaos we say well there's no
20:50 sense going any further and we quit or
20:52 we give in to our feelings oh how many
20:55 Christians do that they just give in to
20:57 their feelings I don't feel like praying
21:00 today I don't feel like reading God's
21:02 Word that's when you need to pray and
21:04 read God's Word I don't feel like going
21:06 to church that's when you need to be
21:09 with God's people we give in to our
21:10 feelings or we listen to what other
21:13 people have to say and before long we
21:15 get a discouraged mind and you watch
21:18 that soldier if he takes off the helmet
21:20 of salvation he cannot lift his head
21:23 high rather his head drops in
21:27 discouragement and defeat God is the one
21:31 who lifts up our heads and he does it by
21:33 putting on our heads the helmet of
21:37 salvation if we are wearing the helmet
21:41 of salvation then we can take our stand
21:45 then Satan will not be able to rob us of
21:48 the inheritance that we have in the Lord
21:50 Jesus Christ remember the purpose of
21:53 this armor is not that we might invade
21:56 Satan's territory we do that but the
21:58 purpose of this armor is that we might
22:02 hold on to the territory Jesus has
22:06 already gained for us may God help us to
22:08 put on the helmet of salvation don't
22:12 have a divided mind make up your mind
22:15 you're going to fight the battle to the
22:18 very end don't have a deceived mind
22:21 leave God's truth don't have a doubtful
22:24 mind always up in the air living in
22:26 suspense don't have a discouraged mind
22:30 have the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ a
22:33 transformed mind and one day you will
22:40 trade in your helmet for a crown thanks
22:41 for being a part of our back to the
22:43 Bible listening family so be sure to
22:45 come back again for more wisdom from
22:48 God's Word back to the Bible leading you
22:50 forward in your relationship with Jesus
22:52 Christ that's all we have time for today
22:55 please join us again tomorrow for more
22:56 back to the Bible radio [Music]
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