flaming arrows – The Arrow Preacher

Don’t hide behind the wall

“Christians often want to hide behind the walls of the church, where we are comfortable, but sometimes we have to come out of the box.” Cheryl James

We as Christians are all afraid of something. Some are afraid to go and proclaim their faith at work. Some fear going abroad and putting themselves in situations that make them uncomfortable. What are we hiding behind? Do we build our walls to protect ourselves from life? I know a great many people who’ve been hurt in the past and they proclaim to the heavens, “I’m never dating again, I’m better off alone.” The truth is this statement is them putting up a wall and hiding from their pain, or pain they think might come if they come out from behind the wall they’ve erected.

Fear can push us to recluse ourselves to an extreme level. Some people who’ve been hurt curl up inside themselves putting up walls so no one can see them, no one can get close. Being hurt that bad from those closest to us, or those whom we love dearly isn’t new. Someone told me recently that, “being cheated on is apart of life, it happens.” Sadly she was right that it does happen. The area we disagreed on is the emotionless response. Anyone who goes through pain like that is owed their time to it. We are human and we have feelings. The important thing about that is making sure we only put up healthy defenses.

In Ephesians 6:16 “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;” It’s important to know what to shield yourself from and what to let in. You can’t hide behind the shield all the time. Sooner or later you have to come out and breath the fresh air again. In the early church Christians hid in the Catacombs to teach and preach. Of course this is different when you’re hiding to preserve your life, that makes sense. Hiding to preserve the possibility of getting hurt, something in which may or may not happen is something many Christians need to work on. We all feel what we feel and we all handle differently. We cannot or rather should not judge how someone handles a situation, but rather as Christians help them so they can manage in a scripturally sound way.

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that^[^a^] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” The light of the lord shines through and cannot be hidden. As is such your heart, your life, you cannot hide away your feelings and expect to remain safe. I am reminded of the Battle of Helms Deep in the second of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The wall had never been breached before. King Theoden was confident that the wall would hold off the horde. He was confident that in all the years since it’s construction no one had ever breached the wall, and thus the plan was just to keep them off the walls and continue to hold them off. If we put our faith in the wall, that wall will eventually fail us. Saruman the white wizard found a weakness in the wall and once exploited the wall would never again be the same, a bomb of sorts placed in a small drain detonated and blew a 60-foot wide hole in the wall allowing the enemy to flood into the fortress.

If we think our walls are strong enough to hold out the world we are sadly mistaken. No wall we can ever create for ourselves is strong enough to withstand the onslaught of the Devil’s attacks. The only shield you can ever count on is that in which is built upon Christ. If we allow the Holy Spirit to cover us that’s the only wall we can ever count on. Even the Roman Empire’s walls as strong as they were eventually fell. Do not hide behind your own fear. Do not allow yourself to shut yourself in and hide away from the world. Only bad things happen when we shut everyone and everything out that loves us.

The Archer

The breeze flows over the ground and pushes the leaves across the earth. The man stands firm, feet planted, slow smooth breaths. The air fills the lungs, cool and crisp. The string is taught, the bow is lifted and the sight lines up. The air exhales from the lungs, the bow rests, and all three fingers release from the string at the same time. The bow jars forward slightly as the arrow is projected forward at 1535 fps. The arrow soars through the air, the sound of the thud hitting the target 35 yards away. Not everyone can be an archer, just as not everyone can be a soldier, not everyone can play football, or other sports. Our gifts are from God and we must learn to embrace the ones we have. Stop trying to be something or someone you aren’t. Love your gifts and make them the best you can.

Psalm 18 1-3 “I love you, O Lord, my strength.2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18 34-35 “He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 35 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.” The archer is a long time tradition that crosses the globe. The Japanese have a word kyudo (way of the bow). It’s a martial arts form that uses, physical, moral and spiritual development. The myth of Odysseus’s wife Penelope using his bow to find her next husband, someone worthy who can string his legendary bow and shoot it. Archery can take years to master, but you can walk with Christ today.

Archers are warriors, hunters, protectors, they are one with nature. It takes great time and patience to become an archer. As for me, archery has become an important part of my life. Archery is a gift; it’s a passion that when used for mindfulness can allow quiet time with God. Every great army has a great battalion of archers. Today the roll of archers has turned into snipers with rifles. As Gods army has it’s soldiers, I am an archer for Christ, I am patient, aware, and accurate. As the devil uses his flaming arrows of lies and deceit, I shall use the words of the bible as my weapon for Christ. Draw back your bow and let every one of your senses take over. Let the arrows fly and let every one hit their target.