Month: March 2022

33.m. “For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy”

 

Matthew 15:25  But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

 Ephesians 2:12    remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

 Daniel 9:18    O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.

 Psalms 145:19    He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.

 The woman responded with great faith. She admitted her low estate, and did not debate the issue when Jesus called her one of the little dogs. She did not demand to be seen as a child; but only to be blessed as a dog. Her response is especially meaningful in light of the increasing rejection of Jesus by the Jewish religious leaders. It was as if the woman said, “I’m not asking for the portion that belongs to the children, just the crumbs that they don’t want.” In the flow of Matthew’s gospel, there was more and more that the Jewish religious establishment did not want to receive. These were two faith-filled words: Yet even. She accepted Jesus’ description and asked for mercy despite it – or perhaps because of it. (Guzik)

Take note that the mother prayed “Help me”. Her daughter was afflicted and we would think the prayer would be “Help my daughter”, but this woman, distressed about her daughter, has heard of this Jesus who healed many, and more than likely has attempted every worldly remedy for her condition has taken on this burden of her daughter as her own. It is good for us to continually ask the Lord to help us, as we take from a night’s sleep, as we set out on our day, as we walk into work or other destinations, as we read His Word, as we try to understand and apply His purpose in our lives, and I have to imagine many of us do this more often than not. But, to love and care so deeply for a person that our prayer would seem empty if asked “Help my child” instead of “Help me”, is a one that both shows great love and great faith. To carry the burden of another person so deep in our heart that our prayer is for our help is hard for me to understand even though it is very clear this is just what this mother did. It does bring a scripture to mind; “Love your neighbor as yourself”. We do well to seek this type of love to permeate out of our thoughts, words, and actions as we live to honor and glorify Jesus Christ.  

33.l. “You have given me relief when I was in distress”

 

Matthew 15:21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 

 Psalms 4:1  Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

 Jeremiah 50:6-7    “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold.  All who found them have devoured them, and their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the LORD, their habitation of righteousness, the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’

 Ezekiel 34:5-6   So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered;  they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.

 Ezekiel 34:16    I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

 Ezekiel 34:23  And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.

 Acts 13:46    And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.

The dark corners of the country, the most remote, shall share Christ’s influences; afterwards the ends of the earth shall see his salvation. The distress and trouble of her family brought a woman to Christ; and though it is need that drives us to Christ, yet we shall not therefore be driven from him. She did not limit Christ to any particular instance of mercy, but mercy, mercy, is what she begged for: she pleads not merit, but depends upon mercy. It is the duty of parents to pray for their children, and to be earnest in prayer for them, especially for their souls. Have you a son, a daughter, grievously vexed with a proud devil, an unclean devil, a malicious devil, led captive by him at his will? this is a case more deplorable than that of bodily possession, and you must bring them by faith and prayer to Christ, who alone is able to heal them. (Henry)

This mother speaks as though she herself were the one that needed healing, identifying herself with her oppressed daughter, as though the horrible anguish, distress, and torment lay upon her own spirit and could not be relieved without the cure of her suffering daughter. (Guzik)

But he answered her not a word,…. Not that he did not hear her, or that he despised either her person or petition, or that he was not moved with it; but to continue her importunity, and try her faith, and make it manifest: for like reasons the Lord does not always, and immediately, answer the requests of his people. This giving her no answer, either that he would, or would not help her. (Gill) 

But he answered her not a word,…. Not that he did not hear her, or that he despised either her person or petition, or that he was not moved with it; but to continue her importunity, and try her faith, and make it manifest: for like reasons the Lord does not always, and immediately, answer the requests of his people. This giving her no answer, either that he would, or would not help her. (unknown)

Send her away; for she cries after us.—It appears that after no response from Jesus the mother turned to the disciples. The disciples words, as interpreted by our Lord’s answer, were, in some sense, a plea in favor of the woman. They wished Him to grant what she asked for, and so to dismiss her. And yet we feel that their words were far harsher than their Master’s silence. They wanted only to be rid of her presence, which had followed them from the streets into the house, to be freed from the loud eager cries which vexed them. (Elliot)

I am not sent, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; as a priest, or as a Saviour and Redeemer, he was sent to make satisfaction and atonement for the sins of all God’s elect, and to obtain eternal redemption and salvation for all of them, whether Jews or Gentiles; but as a prophet, in the discharge of his own personal ministry, he was sent by his Father only to the Jews; he was the “minister of the circumcision”, Romans 15:8 that is, a minister to the circumcised Jews; he was sent only to preach the Gospel to them, and work miracles among them, in proof of his Messiahship; and upon their rejection of him, then his apostles were to be sent among the Gentiles; but he himself was sent only to the Jews, here styled “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”: by “the house of Israel”, is meant the whole body of the Jewish nation, so called from Israel, the name of Jacob their father, from whom they sprung; and by the “lost sheep” of that house, are more especially designed the elect of God among them: for though all the individuals of that house were “lost” persons, considered in Adam, and in themselves, as the rest of mankind, and Christ, in the external ministry of the word, was sent to preach to them all; yet the elect of God are only “sheep”: they are the sheep of Christ, of his pasture, and of his hand, whom he has the particular care and charge of; and who, in their natural state, are lost and straying, and could never find their way, or recover themselves from their lost state in Adam, and by their own transgressions; but he came to seek, and to save them, and to these his ministry was powerful and efficacious. (Gill)

33.k. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

 

Matthew 15:10  And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

 Isaiah 55:3    Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live;

 Titus 1:15    To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

 Isaiah 60:21   Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified.

 Isaiah 56:10   His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.

 Isaiah 28:9-10   “To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast?  For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”

 Proverbs 10:32   The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse

 Jeremiah 17:9   The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

 Revelation 21:27   But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

In the heart and mind of every person resides the root of their intents. Lust, anger, hate, envy, lies, gossiping, selfishness, self-worthiness, and self-reliance seeds are planted, rooted, watered, cultivated, and harvested within the heart and mind and manifest in thoughts, words, and actions that reveal a person’s path in this life. When the gospel of Jesus Christ is rejected the fertile ground within our hearts and minds will raise and harvest crops that do not honor and glorify Jesus Christ. When the Word of God is rejected and neglected the harvest is surely not God-honoring or glorifying.  

We don’t have to be around people very long to see what is planted and being harvested within their hearts and mind.  Their words and actions reveal their intended harvest. How is a person to know what it is that is planted, growing, and being harvested from within their hearts and minds? The Word of God will lay wide open a person’s heart and mind, exposing the thoughts, intents, and actions stemming from within. Without the Word of God it is clear – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”  Human discernment apart from God’s Word will never understand the thoughts and intents of the heart. Their understanding is blind and deaf because there is nothing planted from which good crops can be harvested in either thoughts, words, or actions. Oh, they can do good things according to cultural and social norms, but the intent is self-serving, not God-honoring and glorifying. People will blindly accept their life without God in it and give no thought to their eternal destination. As they age and approach the time in their life where death is closer than their birth, they may give some thought to death and eternity.  They may ask themselves; where is my eternal destination? Are heaven and hell real? Have I been good enough to be allowed into heaven?  These questions all reveal a heart and mind that has never humbly repented, surrendered, believed in, and trust Jesus Christ for their forgiveness, redemption, and salvation. The good news is that it is never too late, nor is a person too old, nor is a person too unforgivable. Jesus Christ came into the world to save the sinners.  He died on the cross, bearing all their sins so that they might have eternal life if they would just humbly repent, surrender, believe, trust, and rely on His sacrifice alone and apart from any good works they may have done. It is in this humble repentance, surrender, belief, trust, and reliance in Jesus Christ that a person is born again and eternal life promised.  These lost souls will find rest for their souls and peace of mind for their hearts. 

I have seen the intents of the hearts and minds of “Christians” revealed in their words and actions. We are not immune to the seeds of destruction being planted, rooted, and harvested in our lives. These seed thoughts are being planted all the time by what we read, what we watch, what we are exposed to, and what we allow to reside in our hearts and minds. Paul addressed this very clearly when he said; “take every thought captive”. We are to be able to discern what is right, holy, good, pure, and acceptable. How can this be if we neglect and become complacent with the Word of God? God’s Word is the seed, fertilizer, and water for all that is right, true, holy, good, and acceptable. Discernment is a result of desiring and seeking God’s Word with the intentional choice to know what is right, true, good, pure, holy, and acceptable for the single purpose of being able to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we say, think, and do.

Do you want to discern what is in your heart, continually expose it to God’s Word with an expectant mind that God will reveal it. David had such a heart – “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

33.j. I found this worth sharing as I have seen this too many times in the life of a church.

 

From Dr. Jeffress.

Somebody has said we tend to immortalize leaders of the past while treating our current leaders like faces on a dartboard. Unfortunately, that is true in too many churches, and that is why the writer of Hebrews talked about our responsibility to our current leaders. He wrote, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls” (13:17).

Let’s admit, this is a difficult command for all of us because we have a natural resistance to obeying any kind of authority. Yet in 1 Corinthians 11:3, Paul said all of us are under somebody’s authority: “Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.” God puts every one of us under somebody’s authority, whether it is a mate, a boss, or a pastor. And if we cannot obey the human authorities we see every day, how in the world will we learn to be obedient to a God we have not seen?

You might say, “But what about those who abuse their authority? What do we do about bad spiritual leaders?” The Bible says there are two reasons to get rid of a spiritual leader: heresy and sexual immorality. But for any offense outside of those two, the Bible illustrates a different way of dealing with them. In Matthew 15:13-14, Jesus was telling His disciples how to respond to the hypocritical Jewish leaders, the Pharisees. He said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Leave them alone. Let God deal with it.

I had a deacon who called me from another church, and he told me this story. He said he was not pleased with the current pastor at his church. Some other deacons came to him and said, “We sense you are as upset with this pastor as we are. We want you to join us in removing the pastor from office.” And this deacon said no. He told them, “If we uproot this pastor, we will also uproot the other members in the church who revere him and respect him. We cannot do that. Leave him alone and let God deal with it.” That is what Jesus was saying here. If you try to uproot somebody, it will hurt other people in the process as well.

Maybe you do not care for your current pastor. Pray for him. If you need to, go talk to him and share your concern in a spirit of love. And if you still cannot resolve it, do not lead a rebellion; go find another church. Go find a pastor that you respect and whose authority you can follow. That is the way you deal with leaders that you do not agree with. But know that the vast majority of pastors are doing the best they can to take care of you, to watch over your soul.

33.i. “hey profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”

 

Matthew 15:1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, Honor your father and your mother,’ and, Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

 Matthew 7:3-5    Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

 Mark 7:13    thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

  Colossians 2:8  See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

 Colossians 2:22  These will all perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such restrictions indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body; but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

 Titus 1:10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers

 Titus 1:16  They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

 Acts 28:25-27    And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:  “‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

 We can appear to draw near to God, all the while having our hearts far from Him. It is easy to want and be impressed by the image of being near to God without really doing it with our hearts. It is very bad to have a heart and mind that has convinced you of doing right when what you are doing is very wrong. What can lead to such actions in a person’s life? What can deceive a person to live like this? The truth is each and every one of us is born with a sinful nature that wants to be self-important, self-worthy, and self-reliant. When “self” is allowed any root in our hearts and minds nothing good can come from it, for it will twist God’s Word to convince us that what we are doing and thinking is right and true.  This certainly can happen very fast when our eyes and ears become deaf to God’s Word. Becoming neglectful and complacent will blind and deafen hearts and minds so fast that the recipient will not even know it has happened. 

It is time spent in God’s Word with a humbly expectant, surrendered, obedient, and reliant heart that we are renewed, daily, in our commitment to live in such a way that in all we say, think, and do Jesus Christ is honored and glorified. There are those who are so gifted in what they say and how they say it, so much so, that people are easily snatched from the right and true path to following after the wisdom and ideas of man. Doing what is right in our own eyes with our own wisdom as guidance brings no honor or glory to Jesus Christ no matter how brilliant what we are doing may seem. And so it is, neglect and complacency yield worthlessness to the very things we think are doing to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. There is no renewing of our hearts and minds. There is no room for the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds so as to guide us in ways that honor and glorify Jesus Christ. Even with God’s Word before us, we are blind and deaf to it because our hearts and soul are not humbly expectant, surrendered, obedient, and reliant on it.
We do well to examine our hearts and minds and cultivate soil that is saturated with seeking and desiring true and pure things of God for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. Be mindful it is not just spending time in God’s Word and knowing it that guides the souls of man.  Look at the Pharisees and Scribes, they knew God’s Word, but their hearts and minds were blind and deaf to it.  Why? Because their hearts were not humbly expectant, surrendered, obedient, and reliant on it. They were bound in self-worth, self-reliance, and self-importance. It is only when self is surrendered to Jesus Christ that seeds of honor and glory for Him alone will yield works that honor and glorify Him.

33.h. “When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him”

 

Matthew 14:34  And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

 Matthew 4:24-25    So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.  And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

 Mark 1:28-34    That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

 Mark 2:1-12    And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.

 Mark 3:8-10   and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him.  And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him,  for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him.

 Mark 6:54-56  And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was.  And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

There was a time (and not that long ago)  when people spoke openly about Jesus Christ and what He did and was doing in their lives. It seems now the only place where Jesus is spoken about is through social media. I don’t think this is wrong, in fact, it has its place – (a call to prayer, a call to worship, a call to rejoice) However, there is nothing more important than the children of God proclaim God’s grace, mercy, love, power, abundance, ever-present help, guidance, encouragement, promises., etc…… It is in our spoken word people will see the faith, trust, and reliance we have in and through Jesus Christ. People will hear and feel the spoken word of confidence, joy, hope, faith, and reliance we have on Him. It is in the simplest of words spoken by the simplest of people that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed. Out of the abundance of the heart our mouths speak – let us speak of our confidence, hope, trust, reliance, joy, and faith, in our Creator, Savior, Redeemer, and coming again King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ.

33.g. “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Matthew 14:28  Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

 Romans 4:18-20   In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”  He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.  No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,

 James 1:6-8  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Daniel 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Faith is not based on wishful thinking; it is an assured expectation. Faith is confidence, trust, and firm steadfast reliance. True unwavering faith can only be put in and on God alone who is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. Yet, faith can be misplaced. We can put faith in family, friends, governments, people of authority, teachers, bosses, and things of this world like money and possessions. This type of faith is misplaced and is based on people and things. People can make a promise and for all practical purposes intend to keep and fulfill that promise but may not have the power and wherewithal to fulfill it. A parent might promise to always be there for their child and to protect them from harm. The child finds strength and comfort in this promise, and yet, it is a promise the parent can not always keep. Sickness, accidents, and other things of life can circumvent the parent’s promise. A boss may promise you a job for as long as you live, only to have that promise broken when the company is sol and under new management. A teacher, professor, or other instructors may promise you purpose, contentment, fulfillment, and satisfaction through what they teach or instruct you towards, but in the end, anything apart from God’s purpose first in our lives will always leave us wanting and empty no matter how much faith we put in that which we are doing. 

Abraham was given a promise of a son and though he was old when the promise was given, he believed it. He waited 15 years for it to be fulfilled. 

 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew God could save them but even He He chose not to they were not going to bow down before a false god.

Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water, howbeit he took his eyes (faith) off of Jesus and was overcome by the wind and waves and started to sink.

We might think we have strong and steadfast faith but faith untested is just words truly until it is tested. There are many things and situations that can test our faith. Satan can fire thousands of “doubt” arrows at our faith hoping one will strike us and cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus Christ. Anyone of these “doubt” arrows can be shot at us at any time of our lives and when we least expect it. 

Paul was firm in his instruction on how to be dressed for this battle: Ephesians 6:10-17 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Keep your eyes focused on Jesus Christ and stand firm in your faith, trust, and reliance in Him alone. Give no thought or fear to the doubt arrows being shot into your life – just know they are there and He who has all power and authority will guide you through all of them to eternity. Though our life in this world may end our faith, trust, and reliance on Jesus Christ are not misplaced. It is placed on and in the one who can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine, both on earth and in heaven.