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DORMITORY DARTS

Becky was a college freshman, living in a dormitory away from Mom and Dad for the first time in her life. It was winter quarter, and the entire campus had been just plain wet for almost two weeks. The sun hadn’t come out a single time since before Valentine’s Day. Speaking of Valentine’s, Becky had, without meaning to, gotten into a bad relationship with a guy in the engineering department. Cuter than Matt Damon, funny . . . but not a Christian, and with a sarcastic tongue which was hilarious when used on other people, but not so good when unleashed on Becky. Two days ago, he’d left a message on her voice mail, essentially saying “Forget you. I can get anybody I want, and you were a big waste of my time.”

So the weather and the “Dear Jane” explosion were strikes one and two. And Becky could just feel the walls closing in on her. Whenever she was stressed out, she faced a temptation to binge and then starve herself. Then her clothes all felt too tight, and she’d be depressed, and binge again. So the bulimia and the eight extra pounds were strikes three and four. She tried to call home, but the machine clicked on, and she remembered that her parents were out of town for the next four days.

And all of a sudden, Becky Rittencourt, student ID # 42830041 — fictional name, fictional ID — could hardly breathe. Could she go on? Would the sun ever shine again? Would she ever feel good about herself again?

Well, friend, stories like these are real. Maybe you’ve lived in one. We get letters that are almost word-for-word like this all the time. Here at the Voice of Prophecy, we have staff members who have kids and grandkids and nieces and nephews. We’ve prayed for exactly such circumstances in our Thursday morning worldwide prayer circles. I may be in an insulated recording studio at this moment, but the mean streets of discouragement run right through 101 West Cochran here in Simi Valley, California; I can guarantee you that.

And what does the Word of the Lord say about all this — when we face strike one, two, three, and four . . . and Lucifer in his umpire’s suit calls us out? Here in Ephesians 6, we’ve already read where you and I and Becky have a struggle against . . . who?

“Against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Now, this Becky, hiding in that dormitory room, is a Christian. The promises of Ephesians 6 are hers to claim. So now, as she faces her personal “day of evil,” as mentioned in verse 12, what does she do?

We’ve already mentioned the famous “belt of truth” and the breastplate of righteousness, but our generous Lord gives us three additional weapons for those darkest of times. And one of them in particular is perfect for our friend in that big, impersonal university with the rain-soaked sidewalks.

“In addition to all this,” Paul writes — and remember that he faced some rainy days too, not in claustrophobic dorm rooms, but jail cells — “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

We’ve taken the clear biblical position in this series, and especially this week, friend, that these enemy forces are real. Satan is real. The hurts he causes are real. Now, sometimes bad things just happen . . . but it’s also painfully true that Lucifer often aims arrows directly at our unprotected parts, and we can hear them coming: zing! zing! zing!

In the Tyndale New Testament Commentary we’ve been digging into, the author has some colorful details about the shields used in the days of Paul and his Roman guards.

“Darts were often made with tow [that’s flax or hemp fibers] dipped in pitch and then set on fire,” he writes, “and the wooden shield needed to be covered with leather so as to quench them quickly. The ‘wiles of the devil’ Paul knew to include such fiery darts, the arrow tongues of men, the shafts of impurity, selfishness, doubt, fear, disappointment, that are planned by the enemy to burn and destroy.”

Notice here — “shafts of impurity, selfishness, doubt, fear, disappointment.” These are the very things that are driving this Becky into a shuddering spiral of grief. But what exactly is this shield of faith — besides another “cute” word picture? What IS faith? Some Christians try so hard to whip up this “feeling of faith” — and fail — that they end up more discouraged than ever.

Well, friend, the Bible teaches very plainly that faith is simply knowing and trusting God. Faith in God is trust in God. Faith in God’s promises is simply trust in God’s promises, believing that they are real and true and guaranteed. So if you or I or this Becky wants to have more faith in God, a better “shield of faith,” covered with the leather of divine confidence, then she needs to do one simple thing: get to know and trust God. Spend a few minutes each day in her Bible. That’s the sword of the Spirit, by the way, the Word of God. Pray each morning and evening, and then little “sentence prayers” whenever crises hit. Get to a good Bible-believing church every weekend where truths about God are proclaimed and where members are looking up verses in their Bibles while the pastor preaches. Join a small group fellowship for an hour a week, or join Campus Crusade for Christ. And please forgive me for this commercial, Becky, but turn on your laptop computer, go to “www.vop.com,” click on “Bible Guides,” and arm yourself with faith by taking our Discover Bible Course!

Now, does all this mean a boyfriend won’t still dump you in a thoughtless, crass way? No, there’s no guarantee of that. But knowing the promises and will of God might keep you from slipping into a damaging relationship in the first place, when you really begin patterning your life after God’s blueprint, where it says not to be unequally joined up with an unbeliever. We should notice that Satan’s armies fire darts of discouragement and grief at us, and also darts of temptation. Satan wants us to sin, because sin leads to sorrow and death, and those are his two most successful exports. He owns the franchise on both. That same Tyndale study resource comments:

“Faith stops the arrows of temptation before they become sin in the soul. Temptations and all assaults of the enemy are to be encountered before they reach the vulnerable parts of the spiritual body.”

And if and when you DO get that soul-shredding “Dear Jane” e-mail, your faith in God’s promises will see you through. You’ll know that “all things work together for good to them that love the Lord.” We found an incredible promise in the Adventist commentary for this same verse, writing about those “incoming” darts and bullets.

“They may take the form of fear, discouragement, impatience, unholy thoughts, envy, anger, or any other vice,” the scholars point out. However, listen to this, and Becky, take heart! “But faith in God, held aloft like a shield, catches them, snuffs out the flame, and makes them fall harmless to the ground.”

Here’s a good question. When is the last time we held that shield of faith “aloft”? When did we ever say out loud — to a roommate or just to the devil — “I’m God’s child. It’s raining hard in my life right now, but I still trust Him. I still believe that He has good things planned for me and not evil. He’s never failed me before, and I’m going to hang in there with Him through this storm too”? Have you done that lately, just lifted up the shield of faith where others could see you brandishing it?

Let’s continue. What are weapons two and three? Let’s look together here in verse 17, and these are absolutely marvelous:

“Take the helmet of salvation,” Paul advises, “AND the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Which we just mentioned.

Just stop and think about this one with me: the helmet of salvation. What an amazing reality that, even if your romance or your marriage breaks down, your salvation is still secure. As we record these words here in October 2004, summer wildfires are licking at the suburbs of Show Low, Arizona. You might lose your home or even a loved one to a tragedy like that . . . but your salvation is still intact; your mansion in heaven stands forever. You may slip and fall into sin, get caught in an embarrassing transgression. And your face reddens; you feel ashamed. But friend, you still have the promise of salvation. Satan’s pretty promises dangle before you for a few fleeting moments, and then vaporize like that Arizona smoke, but God’s sure word regarding your eternal security of salvation will never fail. Dr. Foulkes writes in that Tyndale commentary:

“Salvation is a provision for man that can as definitely be received as any other part of the Christian armor — the soul’s deliverance is not a matter of uncertainty to the end.”

Isn’t that good news? If you serve in the U.S. Army, you can take your two hands and pick up a helmet and put it on. If you’re in the Lord’s army, the same thing is true. There’s the helmet of salvation — both the Old and New Testaments describe it. Reach out your hands, pick it up, and put it on. Friend, it’s just that simple. Wear it with confidence, and trust that the sun will soon shine again.