Doubts, Darts, and the Shield of Faith
The Armor of GodEphesians 6: 10 -18
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
A Thought From the Pastor
I have studied the concept of faith this week and how we use our faith as a shield from the temptations that the evil one throws our way. I loved the following scriptures below that I read in a devotional that simply identifies that flaming arrows and darts that will “shot” at us and uses God’s word to show how we can extinguish these arrows with our faith in God. We have to first recognize that we are in a spiritual battle, secondly we have to understand the weapons of the enemy, and finally we have to realize the armor that God has given us to endure, stand strong, and be victorious.
- When the enemy says I am weak, faith says I am strong in Christ (Eph. 6:10).
- When the enemy lays blame at my feet, faith says the blood of Christ makes me clean (Col. 3:13; 1 John 1:9).
- When the enemy says you are a nobody, faith says I am a new creation thanks to the life-giving presence of my Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).
- When the enemy says you can’t do anything right, faith says I can do everything God calls me to do through Jesus who gives me strength (Phil. 4:13)
- When the enemy says God doesn’t care about you, faith says, oh yes, He does (John 3:16).
- When the enemy says you should give up, faith says God will carry me (Ex. 19:4; Isa. 46:4).
- When the enemy says you are all alone, faith says God is still with me (Heb. 13:5).
- When the enemy says you are a slave to sin, faith says no, I am a servant of righteousness (Rom. 6:18).
- When the enemy says, you lack what you most need, faith says God will supply all my needs (Matt. 6:25–33; Phil. 4:19).
Let’s always remember that God is victorious, God’s people are victorious, and we must remain faithful.
Prayerful Planning
- Please stop by our Welcome Center and chat with Bernadette about getting signed up for our texting system and the many ways you get involved with ministries within our neighborhood such as our food pantry, nursery, childrens church, bible studies and prayer groups. We also have flyers for our Homecoming Service this summer and bonfire nights.
Plans and Events at PCOC
- 6/22 - Community Lunch @ 11:30 - 12:30 @ PCoC
- 6/24 - Women’s and Men’s Bible Studies @ 6:30 pm @ PCoC.
- 6/25 - Church Prayer Group @ 10:30 am @ PCoC.
- 6/26 - Bonfire Night at the Bailey’s from 6 to 10 pm
- 6/28 - Sunday Celebration
Purpose For This Week
- Pray that we would submit our will to God.
- Pray that we would find stand firm our faith in God.
Praise Reports & Prayer Requests
- Please pray for our Homecoming Service that is taking place July 12th at Camp Petosega. Pray that we can celebrate and honor God through the Rellinger family and their 30 years of service to the PCoC community. Pray that the teen group coming from Rochester Church of Christ can serve and be served during their week stay here in Petoskey. Pray that we can love God and our neighbors with courage and joy that week.
- Praise God that Brigid and Luke Koch are the new owners of the house next door to the church. This has been a journey of prayer and we can’t wait to have an open house and treats next week.
- Praise God that John Dempster is home. Please continue to pray for his recovery and healing.
- Please continue to pray for Jet Clear and family, Daniel Turner, Brian Cizek, and others that are dealing with physical ailments and ask for God’s healing in their lives.