Stairway to Heaven – Part 1

As we battle the darkness in our lives, sometimes actively, sometimes intentionally, and probably most frequently completely unaware, a new idea has come to me that I want to share. And over the next several weeks, we’ll explore the implications of it and embrace the reality of it. Hopefully, it gives you some practical tools to overcome adversity in your life. 

In Ephesians 6:16, Paul writes to his readers to “take up the SHIELD of FAITH with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Each week in this series we’ll look at one of five arrows that Pastor Rick Warren says, in a devotional series titled, The Invisible War, the enemy uses to steal, kill, and destroy us: doubt, discouragement, delay, difficulty, and depression. 

Before we dive into this week’s arrow, I just want to share this little hunk of gold the Holy Spirit gave me from this verse. We are to take up the shield of faith. We all know what a shield is and for the most part, know what faith is…or at least have a basic idea that it is believing in what cannot be seen. But looking at the idea of taking this shield up through more of a Greek lens is rather interesting. 

The Greek word for ‘shield’ is thyreos which means ‘a shield’. DUH! No surprise there. But it’s root word thyra which means ‘a door, a gate, an entrance, a portal, a passage into’ or in metaphor it means ‘an open door refers to the opportunity of doing something’. 

So, as we take a peek into the first of the flaming arrows, I want you to have this thought: in order to extinguish these specific attacks from the enemy, we must take hold of and walk through the door of faith. This means repeatedly and frequently, entering in the threshold of believing in God and what God says to be true. This portal is the stairway to heaven, to quote the great poet, Led Zepplin, and each week we’ll have the chance to do something more than passively cower in fear. 

Doubt is the first arrow and simply put, the enemy causes us to question what we believe, to question what God has said, to question what we’ve known to be true in the past, to question the truth about God, to question trusting God, to question whether or not we’re going to make it. 

When it comes to doubt, I think of Ms. Doubtfire. The truth is we know it’s not real and yet, due to our own insecurity, our own needs, and our own pain, we are blinded by what little truth is woven in and we end up thinking our ‘dad is this older woman who is our new housekeeper.’ 

What doubt is the enemy firing at you: 
    Doubting 
your worth
        your potential
        your identity
        your lovability
        your capacity for change
        your spouse’s faithfulness
        your commitment to your spouse
        your need for God
        God’s interest in your life, struggle, pain
        God

By taking up this shield of faith, we have the opportunity to do something great, to fight back against the enemy and devastate his attacks, bringing victory in our lives! By walking INTO the doorway of faith in Christ, we extinguish the arrows of doubt.

#OhDearNoDoubt
#StairwayToHeaven
#RestoringWholenessOfLife 

Brett