Every day we are attacked by Satan’s flaming darts. It might be suddenly feeling bitter over someone’s gossip, or fearful about our finances, or jealous of your friend’s promotion.
The good news is that God has given us a weapon that can extinguish all of them:
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16)
So no matter how many flaming darts Satan fires against us, the shield of faith can extinguish them all. But that doesn’t happen automatically. Shields need to be picked up, and used. So how do we do that? Here are steps I have found helpful.
First, identify the flaming dart.
Maybe someone gossiped about you, or didn’t invite you to the party, or hurt you in some other way. And you feel bitterness rising in your heart.
That bitterness is a flaming dart fired by Satan to destroy you. The same is true with lust, greed and impatience. So first, identify the dart.
Second, trust that this dart can be quenched.
When the flaming dart lands, and you feel your heart filling with bitterness, you can feel like there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s why it’s crucial to see that this flaming dart can be quenched.
Look again at Ephesians 6:16:
