Van Morris is a gifted preacher, singer, songwriter, and communicator who pastors Calvary Christian Center in Mt. Washington, Kentucky. A couple of years ago, he told a wonderful story about a trip he had taken with his family.
During a recent visit to the zoo with my daughter and grandchildren, we visited the orangutan exhibit. The only thing separating us from these awesome creatures that possess the strength of at least five men were panes of thick glass, each 20-feet tall. My two-year-old grandson, Trevor, was amused at first by the orangutans' antics.
Then one of the hairy beasts suddenly began to beat on the glass. Trevor leapt into the arms of his mother, crying, "I scared! I scared!” His mother tenderly took him, placed his little hand on the glass, and showed him that the glass shielded him from the animal, so there was nothing to fear. Afterwards, any time Trevor seemed uncertain, his mom would simply say, "Remember the glass."
I read this story and was reminded that we, too, have a shield protecting us. It is the shield of faith referred to by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:16: “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Perhaps when he penned these words, Paul had in mind the words of the Psalmist:
1 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." Selah 3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. 4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. 7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Selah (Psalm 3)
This much we know. The evil one would certainly like to do us harm. He would like to reign down destruction upon us in the form of fierce and fiery arrows (Ephesians 6:16). He would like to rise up against us (Psalm 3:1). Indeed, Peter reminds us that the Devil, like a crouching lion, would readily pounce on us at any and every opportunity (I Peter 5:8).
But praise God! Our shield is in place! And nothing Satan has available to him, nothing in all of his bag of tricks, can ever penetrate that shield! To his great consternation, the Devil can touch no Christian unless God, for His own unique purposes, allows him to do so (Job 1:1-12). In short, to get to us, Satan would have to go through God. And that just ain’t gonna happen!!!
Note: Rev. Morris regularly contributes to his blog, which can be found online at: http://cccpastorspage.blogspot.com/.
During a recent visit to the zoo with my daughter and grandchildren, we visited the orangutan exhibit. The only thing separating us from these awesome creatures that possess the strength of at least five men were panes of thick glass, each 20-feet tall. My two-year-old grandson, Trevor, was amused at first by the orangutans' antics.
Then one of the hairy beasts suddenly began to beat on the glass. Trevor leapt into the arms of his mother, crying, "I scared! I scared!” His mother tenderly took him, placed his little hand on the glass, and showed him that the glass shielded him from the animal, so there was nothing to fear. Afterwards, any time Trevor seemed uncertain, his mom would simply say, "Remember the glass."
I read this story and was reminded that we, too, have a shield protecting us. It is the shield of faith referred to by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:16: “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Perhaps when he penned these words, Paul had in mind the words of the Psalmist:
1 O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." Selah 3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. 4 To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. 7 Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. 8 From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. Selah (Psalm 3)
This much we know. The evil one would certainly like to do us harm. He would like to reign down destruction upon us in the form of fierce and fiery arrows (Ephesians 6:16). He would like to rise up against us (Psalm 3:1). Indeed, Peter reminds us that the Devil, like a crouching lion, would readily pounce on us at any and every opportunity (I Peter 5:8).
But praise God! Our shield is in place! And nothing Satan has available to him, nothing in all of his bag of tricks, can ever penetrate that shield! To his great consternation, the Devil can touch no Christian unless God, for His own unique purposes, allows him to do so (Job 1:1-12). In short, to get to us, Satan would have to go through God. And that just ain’t gonna happen!!!
Note: Rev. Morris regularly contributes to his blog, which can be found online at: http://cccpastorspage.blogspot.com/.