DRAWING NEAR
September 19
Extinguishing Satan's Fiery Darts
"In addition to all, [take] up the shield of faith with which
you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the
evil one" (Eph. 6:16).
Don't elevate Satan's will above God's will in your life.
In Ephesians 6:13 Paul characterizes Satan as "the evil one" who
attacks believers with flaming missiles. The Greek word translated
"evil one" literally means "bad," "vile," or "wretched." All are apt
descriptions of the archenemy of our souls, who seeks to maim and
destroy us spiritually.
The term "flaming missiles" pictures one of the Roman weapons of
Paul's day: arrows that had pitch-soaked cotton material affixed to
their tips. In battle they were set on fire and shot at the enemy. As
the arrow hit its target, flaming pitch spread onto clothing and
other flammable surfaces. Under such attacks a Roman soldier without
a shield was in a perilous situation indeed.
Satan's flaming arrows come in many forms: solicitations to impurity,
selfishness, doubt, fear, disappointment, greed, vanity,
covetousness, and the like. But whatever the specific form, all are
seducing temptations aimed at eliciting ungodly responses.
Your faith protects you from such attacks when you elevate God's will
above Satan's in your life. When tempted by Satan, Jesus responded by
saying in effect, "I will not violate my Father's will by yielding to
your devious schemes. In His own time He will feed Me, anoint Me as
Messiah, and give Me the kingdoms of the world. I will not elevate
your will and timing above His" (Matt. 4:1-11).
Jesus could have created food. He is the Messiah and the sovereign
Lord over the kingdoms of the world. But He trusted the Father and
yielded to His will, even though it meant personal discomfort and,
eventually, the cross. When Satan saw that Jesus' trust in the Father
was unshakable, he left Him (v. 11). That's the power of faith.
I pray you will show similar strength in times of testing. Satan will
flee from you if you "resist him, firm in your faith" (1 Pet. 5:9).
Suggestions for Prayer:
Praise Jesus for His sinless character and His example of how to
triumph over temptation.
For Further Study:
Memorize James 4:7 as a reminder of the importance of resisting
Satan.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Matthew 4:1-11
4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted by the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He
was hungry.
3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of
God, command that these stones become bread."
4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the
pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.
For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and,
'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot
against a stone.'"
7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the
LORD your God.'"
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and
showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will
fall down and worship me."
10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written,
'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered
to Him.
1 Peter 5:9
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same
sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
James 4:7
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from
you.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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