In Part II of this series we considered the first three pieces of armor for the Christian warrior_the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of the preparedness of the gospel of peace (verses 14,15). This armor, as noted previously, is needed to combat Satan’s cunning efforts to divert us from making a definite effort (a) to learn more about our God and Saviour, (b) to worship, pray, and commune with God, (c) to know and to do His will, and (d) to be of service to Him. Some of Satan’s tactics include (a) presenting to us through false teachers error concerning the person and work of Christ, (b) ever reminding us of our sinful, unrighteous behavior in the past, and (c) whispering to our minds excuses for not sharing the gospel of peace with others, and hindering us from being peacemakers, living peaceably with others, and manifesting a peaceful spirit before all.

We conclude this series of articles by considering still more of Satan’s devices and more of the pieces of armor given to us by God to protect us from Satan’s wiles and attacks.

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked [one]." Another tactic of Satan is to cast fiery darts into the minds of the believers. What is the nature of these darts? No doubt it varies according to the temperament and spiritual maturity of each individual believer. For some, the darts may be blasphemous thoughts and doubting questions implanted by Satan and his demons in the minds of believers. For example:"How do you know there really is a God?" "The Bible is a bunch of lies and fantasies." "Are you sure the truth of God is found in the Bible and not in the Koran or the teachings of Buddha?" "Jesus was an imposter, not the Son of God." "You were never really saved; you only think you were." No doubt we all, on occasion, have experienced some such thoughts flitting into our minds. Most are able to dismiss them immediately as untrue and invalid. However, some believers may become very upset and agitated by such thoughts, thinking that they initiated the thoughts and hence that God must be angry with them, or wondering if they could really be saved and think such thoughts. To protect against these darts we need to take the shield of faith, that is, unflinching, unshakeable belief in the Word of God_that what God says in His Word is true. The fact that such thoughts most often come when one is positively seeking to worship, please, or serve God, and the fact that we are horrified at them, should be sufficient evidence to us that the thoughts did not originate with us but were really the fiery darts of the wicked one. Thus, our best response to such darts is to dismiss them immediately by confirming our belief in God’s Word, and then going on about our business.

For others, the darts may take the form of words or pictures that bring to mind past sins, habits, or indulgences. For a former alcoholic such a dart might be, "Wouldn’t a cold beer taste good right now?" For one with a past history of sexual sin the dart might be a lewd picture implanted in his mind. Again, one must combat such darts with the shield of faith, the confirmation that I now belong to Christ and am dead to those old habits, and the immediate dismissal of such thoughts and pictures from one’s mind. If one is not careful to take up the shield of faith, there will be a tendency to dwell on these thoughts; this may lead in turn to fantasies and longings for the old life; and this, if not checked, may lead to a sliding back into those old habits and sins. It is important to note here that while Satan is absolutely delighted if his darts result ultimately in a Christian falling back into old sin patterns, he is still happy, and has achieved his immediate objective, if he succeeds in getting the believer’s thoughts off the Lord and onto something else.

"Take the helmet of salvation." Our failure with regard to other parts of the armor may result in doubts arising in our minds as to whether we are saved. Without the girdle of truth I may fall into believing those who proclaim that it is possible to lose one’s salvation. Without the breastplate of righteousness I may allow Satan to convince me that if I were really saved I would not have committed so terrible a sin. Without the shield of faith I might start believing that those blasphemous thoughts that have popped into my mind have issued from my innermost being, and then think that this indicates that I very likely have never been saved. Satan may use yet other ways and means in addition to these, such as taking advantage of physical weakness or mental depression, to bring doubts into the believer’s mind as to his salvation. As far as Satan is concerned, no doubt the next best thing to preventing a person from becoming saved in the first place is making him either think that he has lost it or doubt that he ever had it. In such a condition, the individual will have little interest or ability to pray, worship, serve, or commune with the Lord. Either he will spend his time fretting about whether he really is saved, or else will tend to give up hope and fall back into his pre-Christian life style.

To combat such satanic efforts to make us doubt our salvation, we need to be armed with the "helmet of salvation," that is, by continually having fresh in our minds and memories those scriptures that speak of the assurance of our salvation. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life" (1 John 5:11-13). This eternal life cannot be lost, for Christ said, "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand" (John 10:28). Also, we "are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5). If a believer sins, he does not lose his salvation; he does lose his joy of salvation (Psa. 51:12) and fellowship with his Father, but not his salvation. And even this fellowship is restored when he confesses his sin:"If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. … If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:7,9).

If Satan suggests * that you never really trusted Christ to begin with, you might review in your mind those verses that speak of the way of salvation. Remind yourself and your tormentor that you have acknowledged to God your sin and guilt, that you have owned that you deserve God’s eternal punishment, and that you have placed your trust for salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ who bore the penalty for your sin on the cross. Then quote John 6:37_"Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out"_and ask God to protect you from the enemy.

Taking the helmet of salvation may also refer to having a complete, balanced understanding of what is entailed in our salvation. Our salvation has past, present, and future aspects. "Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver; in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us" (2 Cor. 1:10). There are many New Testament scriptures that present to the believer his eternal portion in the heavens, to be totally delivered from the presence of sin, both in self and in others; on the basis of such a wonderful hope, we are exhorted to live accordingly in this present life (see, for example, Eph. 5:25-28; Tit. 2:11-14). Satan, on the other hand, will take advantage of the blessed truth of eternal security and will suggest to those who have an ear to hear:"Since there is nothing you can do to lose your salvation, why not treat yourself to some of those pleasures you enjoyed before you were saved." So for attacks like this we also need to have the

helmet of salvation, that clear understanding that God has saved us for the purpose of serving Him, worshipping Him, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, and obeying His Word, and that He wants us to live in view of that soon coming day when we shall be delivered totally from indwelling sin. True joy and happiness in eternity will come as a result of such deliverance from sin and total attachment to Christ. In like manner, true joy and happiness in this present life will result from deliverance that God will give us_if we but allow Him_from the power of sin in our daily lives.

*As always, he will try to do this in a way that will make you believe the thought originated in your own mind. It is very important to be aware of this wile of the devil.

"Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." The best example in Scripture of wielding the "sword of the Spirit" is given by the Lord Jesus Himself when tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Jesus responded to each of the three recorded temptations with a quotation from the Old Testament Scriptures:"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. . . . Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. . . . Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve" (Matt. 4:4,7,10). It is important to note that Jesus did not simply state scriptural principles, but quoted the Scriptures themselves. There is a lesson here for us. As important as it is for us to be familiar with the basic doctrines and teachings of Scripture, it is equally important to be familiar with the Scriptures themselves on which the doctrines are based. If we only know doctrines, Satan can confuse us and trip us up by pointing out Scriptures that seem to contradict the doctrines we have learned.

"The sword of the Spirit … is the word of God." "Word" here is not the Greek word logos (as in John 1:1) but rhema, meaning "speech" or "sayings." Thus it is not referring to the entire Bible as such, but to the individual passages of Scripture which the Spirit brings to our minds at appropriate times. And the most efficient way for the Spirit to bring specific scriptures into our minds is for us to have read them often, better yet, to have committed them to memory, and best of all, to have put them into action in our lives.

While the sword is often used as an offensive weapon, in the present context its use would seem to be intended, like the pieces of armor, to defend the believer against the attacks of Satan (verses 11,13). Along with the shield, helmet, and breastplate to protect against the blows of the enemy, the sword is used to parry the offensive thrusts of Satan. Thus the believer is equipped to meet both the error and the mangled or incomplete Bible quotations used by the enemy with the truth of Scripture (see Matt. 4:6 where Satan quotes Scripture incompletely and misleadingly, and Matt. 4:7 where Jesus responds with a concise statement of truth from the Scriptures).

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." Prayer is not presented as one of the pieces of armor per se but that attitude of total dependence on the Lord that should accompany the use of each piece of the armor. And that prayer is not solely for ourselves as we personally "stand against the wiles of the devil." We are enjoined to engage in "supplication for all saints." How much we need the help, the encouragement, and the prayers of one another as we all experience the attacks of Satan. May we all be more diligent in praying for our fellow saints, not just for their physical health, but much more for their spiritual health and energy as they, too, wrestle against "principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."