“Taking the shield of faith…to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Eph. 6:16 NKJ).
Crimes of passion take place when the enemy ignites an inflammable area within the human personality. We hear of flaming anger, fiery jealousy, burning passion, of people being afire with lust, consumed by hatred, devoured by the flames of prejudice.
All these can occur when a person has no guard to protect him from the fiery darts of Satan.
The word diaballo (the original Greek word for the devil) is composed of two words: dia meaning “through” and hallo meaning “to throw.” Diaballo is thus the evil who tries to throw fiery darts through the believer.
These darts will ignite trouble in some area of life if a shield is not used. In Roman days the shield was as big as a door. With it a soldier could advance under attack knowing that he had no vulnerable areas exposed.
As mature Christian soldiers we are called out of the comfort zone into the combat zone, out of the nursery into the trenches. We are to get off the charismatic love boat where life has been all fun and games and onto the spiritual battleship from which we can shell the enemy’s fortresses and demolish his strongholds.
The shield of faith enables us to remain unscathed in the very midst of battle while the onslaught is at its worst. No area of our life or personality can be touched. The shield of faith completely covers every area of our existence.
We are not only protected, we are gaining ground against our adversary. The Church of God is moving onward to great victories.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Dick Mills was ordained at The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in 1949. He and his wife Betty traveled as evangelists all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, and Australia. Dick and Betty are now home in heaven.
In 1966 Dick and Betty became a part of the then-emerging Charismatic Renewal. Passing through all denominational barriers, Dick has had the opportunity to speak in thousands of churches of varied backgrounds all over the world.
He ministered within several Christian organizations, including the Full Gospel Business Men, Women's Aglow, Inter-church Renewal Catholic Pentecostals, mainline Charismatic groups, CBN and TBN television networks, and many other independent Christian TV stations.
Dick appeared on numerous radio talk shows, written several magazine articles, and spoke at many Bible conferences and universities. He served as an adjunct professor at six Schools of the Bible and Seminaries.
In addition, Dick authored and co-authored several books and tapes. Dick's ministry was characterized by the unique gifts God has blessed him with. His services informed, enlightened, and motivated people to a higher level of commitment to God.