Page 181 - Ephesians

I hope you picked up the sarcasm in all I just mentioned. For
years I believed that, and I can’t begin to tell you the trouble it
caused. I used to believe that if I wanted to be safe, I had to have
all seven pieces, at the ready, all the time. Have you ever tried to
live that way? Let me describe my life.

“I was busy working on my sandals, to make sure that I had peace
in my heart. That I was sharing the gospel of peace with others.
While I was working on my sandals, I got stabbed in the chest!
So I decided to work on the breastplate instead of my sandals,
because I was more vulnerable in the chest. Then, while I was
working on righteousness, I got struck in the head. So I went
back to my helmet. While I was getting my helmet in place I
tripped over a stone. Of course, this lead me back to my feet, and
the sandals once more. So, I was working on my sandals and my
helmet, while trying to hold onto my breastplate of righteousness
and wouldn’t you know it, my belt fell off. While I was fixing my
belt, someone stole my shield. You ever feel like that?

I read a verse like 6:16, and it mocked me, “You will be able to
quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Yeah, right! I
couldn’t quench any of them!

And here was God, saying that I would be able to quench them
all. I felt like I was stabbed to death by a porcupine. I didn’t feel
like I was getting any victory in my life. I think every Christian has
tasted the bitterness of sinning before his God. We fall down, or
we fall into rebellion. I tell you, I was a slave to my old nature. I
would sin against God and I would apologize in tears. He would
restore me, and then I’d fall on my face again. Then God would
have mercy, and restore me. I would confess my sin and I would
get right with God, and go out and do the same thing. I had no
power over my life, whatsoever. The more I would work on this
gospel, the worse it got. Those verses which were supposed to
give me hope, “You will be able to quench all the fiery darts of
the evil one,” mocked me.

It caused me to doubt that the Bible was really as sweet as honey,
like everyone claimed it was. I wondered if everyone was really
having victory like they said they were, because I wasn’t. Then I