We need to be obedient to God’s command to go into the world and preach the gospel.  Satan’s ultimate goal is to overthrow Christ and the church.  But Ephesians 6:16 tells us specifically how to have victory in Christ by taking up the shield of faith which quenches the fiery darts.  And believers are called to faith and action in resisting the devil’s darts. “Those who are born of God can overcome the world. The victory that overcomes the world is our faith” (I John 5:4).

The sign read, “You are now entering the mission field.”  As we left the church property, I was reminded that the church’s mission in the world includes reaching the lost for Christ.  Having recently visited several churches I was struck by the fact that little, if any, mention was made of the Great Commission and our Lord’s calling us to witness.  Why then is the ministry of outreach so important yet so neglected?  When it comes to participating in outreach ministry most folks are absent.  Many can be labeled bystanders and bench warmers.  They may be watching the game or on the team but not in the game.

I found help in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians by recognizing that the devil is bound and determined to keep us from making Christ known through our personal witness.  Paul mentions in Eph. 6:16 the need to defend against the Devil’s “darts” and in Eph. 6, verse 11 we see the way to do this is with the full armor of God which we use against the Devil’s traps. We often treat the Devil’s attacks at best as nuisances and at worst as minor troubles. The Devil’s darts are deadly. They are aimed at the heart and meant to destroy.

In Paul’s description of believers as armor bearers (Eph. 6:10-17) he emphasizes the absolute necessity of faith as the way to victory over the devil’s dart attacks.  John agrees when he writes in 1 John 5:4 that “faith is the victory that overcomes the world.”  Satan is called the prince of this world.  Paul encourages us to take up the shield of faith: “In every battle you will need faith as a shield.”  The Romans fought with two types of shields.  One was a small round shield used in hand-to-hand combat.  It was easy to maneuver.  The other shield was large and oblong in shape (2 ½ feet wide and 4 feet long).  It was used for advancing into battle with others.

Enemies were faced with a solid wall of shields –row upon row–. This recognition of a powerful personal faith enables us in Christ to extinguish all the flaming darts (arrows) of the evil one. Paul writes, “Do not put out (extinguish) the Spirit’s fire” Thessalonians (5:19).  The same word for extinguish is used there and in Ephesians 6.  The point is that all flaming darts are able to be extinguished by the Holy Spirit working in and through us by faith.  This is not deflection but complete destruction.

During their home ministry assignments, one of our long-time missionary families with Wycliffe Bible Translators used to come to our church to report on their ministry to the Chami Indians in Columbia, South America.  Ron’s presentation always included dressing in the native dress and a demonstration using the native’s blow gun.  The deadly darts were left at home since we didn’t want to lose any members that way, but they were used to kill. In the same way, the Devil’s darts are not made of harmless soft rubber but deadly flaming poison.

Quenching or extinguishing the devil’s darts is Paul’s goal for himself and for all other fellow believers. By examining the many darts the devil shoots, we can see how he seeks to limit our success in carrying out the Great Commission. How can you identify the darts that are shot to harm your spiritual life?  Over the years, I have experienced many of those darts aimed me. I’ve identified at least eight specific darts which are common to believers; I call them the “Devil’s Ds: Doubt – Discouragement – Division – Delay – Difficulty – Deception – Danger – Distraction

1. DOUBT

This “Devil D” makes going into the world without a confident assurance that God is present in the witnessing situation more difficult.  Doubt often leads to fear – fear of the unknown or fear of the “what if”, fear of failure. These fears can create the belief that you can’t do this.  The devil says “Don’t take a chance.  People will think badly of you. You are not equipped.”

Sometimes the root of this “D” is unbelief- unbelief in God’s ability and maybe in His interest in a particular person.  We may also not really believe in the reality of hell.  We sometimes ignore our own accountability to be a part of the process of people coming to know and believe in Christ.  Each person fulfills his own task. Some people plant the seed, some people water, but God makes the seed grow (I Cor. 3:6-8).

Doubts also may be present when we have been witnessing to someone for a long time with little movement toward Christ. In fact, doubts may increase.  You may continue to pray for breakthroughs where there is evidence of continuing unbelief over a long period of time, even as much as fifty + years.  The devil whispers “that’s enough.”  Doubt and faith cannot coexist.  Remember God’s word in James 1:5-8, “But when he asks, he must not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord, he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

I recall at one of the churches I pastored, where I lead an Evangelism Explosion ministry.  A young man, on his first night leading an EE Visitation Team as a trainer, was full of doubt and fear of failure as he led his team.  We all prayed that God would overcome his doubt and fear.  The team visited a young woman to whom he presented the gospel. She prayed to receive Christ as her Savior and Lord that night.  I had the pleasure of officiating their wedding ceremony two years later.

Our confidence in witnessing does not come from ourselves.  If it did, we would have no way to have assurance.  Our confidence comes from God and his promises to us. Paul writes in Romans 10:17,” Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”  By grace, we overcome doubt with faith.

The shield of faith deadens the dart of doubt.

2. DISCOURAGEMENT

I can’t begin to tell you how many discouraging conversations and disappointments I’ve had with people who profess faith and walk away. They remind me of Jesus’ Parable of the Soils in Mark 4 and Matthew 13.   Based on circumstances, situations are seen from a human perspective.  So the discouragements are based on our ability to communicate the gospel.  The work of God’s providence is at work behind the scenes as the Holy Spirit opens hearts and minds to a true belief in Christ.  The devil tells us to stop wasting our time.

I am reminded of a witnessing opportunity I had with a college student.  I was leading a visitation team from our church.  He and his parents had visited our church.  Our plan was to visit and present the gospel.  It turned into a nightmare rather than a dream visit.

Our college friend was big into philosophy and I was a new Christian.  Our team was overmatched. We were escorted from their house with a big “no thank you to a gospel invitation”.   Fast forward a few years and I was attending a Christian conference. I was approached by a young man who asked if I knew who he was.  I could not place him until he started telling me about that night at his house that I described above. He shared with me how that night was the beginning of his road to faith in Christ.  He was now in seminary and heading for a career in full time vocational ministry.

We don’t often see this kind of result, but when we do it makes us realize that God is at work. The parable of the growing seed (Mark 4) illustrates this point. The seed is scattered indiscriminately on the ground. As with the parable of the soils too often our attempts to share Christ with others fail without bearing fruit.  Mark states, “Night and day, whether the farmer eats or drinks some seeds sprout and grow, though he does not know how.  All by itself the soil produces” (Mark 4:28).

I often pray for God to use me to bring someone to Christ who in turn will be much more fruitful than me. Success in personal evangelism is not measured in the number of converts but in obedience to Christ’s Great Commission.  Be encouraged by the fact that you cannot fail if you obey.  Paul summarizes this by simply saying, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

The shield of faith deadens the dart of discouragement.

3. DIVISION

This dart may be the most damaging of all since church relational problems often become public and open the door to the devil’s getting a foothold.  My inclusion of division focuses on fractured relationships in the church.  An emphasis on building strong, healthy church connections makes the ministry of church growth through personal evangelism a key to any church’s success.  Paul writes in Ephesians 4:2-3 and Philippians 4:1-3 words that promote peace and unity, not fights and destruction.

We sinners, saved by grace, are at times vulnerable to the devil’s temptations.  Nowhere is this more evident than in the ministry of personal evangelism which is prone to suffer due to conflicts which shift the focus of the church.  The outward look becomes inward and stagnant.  Conflicts in life are inevitable.  The church is no exception.  The devil uses conflicts to divide members of church groups into unholy factions. In Acts 6:1-2, the Grecian Jews felt neglected over the daily distribution of food. In Acts 15:36, Paul and Barnabas disagreed on whether to take Mark with them on their missionary journey. These and other conflicts can easily erupt into energy sapping, time consuming battles which, if not checked and resolved, can easily create a ministry paralysis while ministries such as outreach take a back seat or no seat at all.

Church division can often take years to resolve. Most never heal completely.  Ugly scars remain. As I was writing this point, I overheard one person tell another, “Susan told me about the trouble at XYZ Church.” This is the devil’s dart to “divide and conquer.”  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand. The church must use the shield of faith to avoid being separated from each other and Christ.

The shield of faith deadens the dart of division.   

4. DELAY

The devil’s “D” here tempts us to make witnessing a lesser priority in our lives.  The ministry of evangelism should be one of our top priorities.  To procrastinate means to postpone something. Too often this is the way we handle evangelistic ministry opportunities.  We say, “I’ll get to it later,” which may mean if ever or never.  A high priority becomes, practically speaking, a low priority.  It may look good written out under the Mission Statement but rarely gets off the paper. The devil tempts us from doing the most important things.

Build a friendship first?  Certainly, if possible. The danger is that in waiting we may miss open doors.  The longer you put off witnessing to someone the harder it becomes.  Providential contacts such as waiting in line at a store, sitting together at a meeting, or walking your dog in the neighborhood can provide a moment’s time to spend with a heretofore unknown person. You may never know how God can use your word of truth or act of kindness.

In this context, the Devil uses the dart of delay to keep us from making an attempt to share the gospel with another someone else. I have operated on two extremes at times.  Times of extreme busyness gave me an excuse for avoiding things I didn’t want to do; time would not allow me to do it.  Jesus describes three men in Luke 9:57-60; he calls these men to follow him. Each one has a “delay” excuse. Jesus counters their excuses in these words, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

“No time” is one thing but, too much time is another.  In retirement when we have more free time we can still procrastinate and put off witnessing. Two much time says, I’ll do it tomorrow and when tomorrow comes we can do it another day. The devil gets a foothold.  Whenever possible, do the important things first.  Do not delay.  In the booklet, The Tyranny of the Urgent, we read how often the important things are pushed aside and are replaced with apparent “urgencies.” This is the devil’s game plan to bombard us with his flaming darts aimed at our hearts.

The shield of faith deadens the dart of delay.

5. 5. DIFFICULTY

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that is in you.” (i.e., testimony or gospel presentation) 1 Peter 3:15.

Evangelism training often includes a great amount of memory work that can make the learning process difficult and provide good excuses for not making an effort.  Memorizing Scripture, outlines, and illustrations over an extended period, which we did in the early days of Evangelism Explosion Training, often kept people from completing the course. Having said this, it is important to learn as much as possible to be able to communicate as clearly as possible. The hard work will pay off in confidence and assurance.  The devil tempts you that training will be too difficult. Let somebody else do the evangelism.  It’s not my spiritual gift. It’s the pastor’s job.

It is not too hard. You don’t have to be a seminary graduate.  There are many ways to begin.  You can use the words “do” and “done” to show the way of work and of grace. Various biblical tools exist to provide training, whether the Evangelism Explosion booklet, the Bridge booklet, or some other biblical tool.

Another way to encourage people in sharing the gospel is to give a personal testimony.  Every testimony carries the same message but is unique to an individual experience.  People often are afraid to give a personal testimony in public or to a group of people.  I remember that at an early EE clinic at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the pastor D. James Kennedy was explaining the EE presentation of the gospel.  After the meeting, one of the participants came up and said to him,” I don’t like the way you present the gospel.”  Kennedy responded,” that’s interesting, how do you do it?”  He said,” I don’t do it”.  Kennedy followed as only he could with, “I like the way I do it better than the way you don’t do it.”   My question is, “How do you do it?”

The pastor’s job is to model, train, and lead faithful Christian witnesses. You don’t need the gift of evangelism to witness any more than you need the gift of giving to be generous in giving.

The shield of faith deadens the dart of difficulty.

6. DECEPTION

“Many deceivers who do not acknowledge Jesus as coming in    the flesh have gone out into the world.”  2 John 1:7.

This verse reminds us that deceivers are in the world and in the church. The devil’s dart of deception is false teaching.  In Genesis 3, Satan deceived Eve by raising doubts about God’s word.  He twists the words of God just enough to make Eve believe that God is not good. I John 4:1-4 teaches that Jesus Christ is the truth and those who do not acknowledge him in the church are deceivers.  Do we want people to be deceived?  Of course not!  The first piece of armor in Ephesians 6 is the Belt of Truth.  People pick up false ideas and then use those false ideas to live their lives.  People want to believe in a God who is all loving but not all powerful.  This is not the God of the Bible.  Also, people want control over their lives; not wanting to submit to God who is sovereign over our lives.  The Bible is truth, and if we want to know truth, we must hear and do what God’s Word teaches.  If we are not in God’s Word, we can be easily deceived with false teaching.

The Triune God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, is truth. Believers must be aware that deception comes in many forms and they are to test all teaching to make sure they are true.

The shield of faith deadens the dart of deception.

7. DANGER

“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” 2 Timothy 3:12.

In Acts chapters 4 and 5 we read about the apostles being threatened and put in jail for teaching about Jesus. They were willing to stand against the threats of danger to preach and teach about salvation in Jesus. Even when ordered to stop preaching they would not.

John 15:18-20 says, “If the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belong to the world, it will love you as its own. You do not belong to the world.  I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you.  Remember the words I spoke to you, ‘No servant is greater than his master, if they persecuted me, they would persecute you also.’”

These verses make it clear that the danger of persecution can erupt at any time.  Not knowing what to say or how to answer hostile questions can be frightening. Frightening words that describe the action of Satan include roaring lion, murderer, liar, evil one, adversary, tempter, accuser.

Dangers might include being falsely accused, gossiped about, spoken against to others, being misrepresented, ostracized, or treated with hostility.  Danger can take many forms, including tangible penalties, losing opportunities or being relegated to the sideline at work. We must remember God’s promise in Hebrews 13 that he will never leave us or forsake us, and we should not fear what anyone can do to us. God is sovereign in the midst of all oppression.

The shield of faith deadens the dart of danger.

8. DISTRACTION

Jesus was never distracted from his mission to redeem sinners by his death on the cross. A classic passage of choosing the best over the good is Luke 10:38-42. Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made for the meal, but her sister Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus.  Martha was well meaning but lacked the priority of sitting before Jesus.  When she complained to Jesus that her sister wasn’t doing her share of the work, Jesus said, “Only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.”  We can be like Martha and distracted by many things and thus we become easy prey to the devil’s temptation of distraction.

As a new Christian, I was convinced to put evangelism first. It wasn’t always easy, and distractions were always around me. I still face the same difficulties of keeping a focused and prayerful commitment on what is essential to obeying Christ’s command and following his example.

It is easy to get distracted.  Professional golfers get distracted by noise.  At football games the fans try to distract the players.  In our Christian life, Satan wants to distract us from doing what is best and focusing on something less. Too often we give in to his attacks and fail to accomplish the mission.  I am reminded of our early days of church planting. The simplest method of sharing our faith was going door to door and talking to friends and neighbors. I well remember how easy it was to look for excuses not to do it.

Distraction comes in many different ways.  Being self-conscious and fearing embarrassment can cause distraction. We are also distracted when we have an elevated sense of our own plans and schedules, and we don’t notice “divine appointments.”

In Ephesian 6:11 and 16 the devil’s opposition to us and his power over us is shown. As I said before, in Christ we have the victory over all the names of Satan: adversary, tempter, Evil one, angel of light, roaring lion, murderer, deceiver, enemy, and accuser.

Philippians 3:13 reminds us to stay focused: “One thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” And Matthew 6:33 calls us to seek first the kingdom of God with the promise that everything we need to follow God, including evangelism, will be given to us.

Application and Conclusion

“I will hasten and not delay obeying your commands.” Psalm 119:60

We need to be obedient to God’s command to go into the world and preach the gospel.  Satan’s ultimate goal is to overthrow Christ and the church.  But Ephesians 6:16 tells us specifically how to have victory in Christ by taking up the shield of faith which quenches the fiery darts.  And believers are called to faith and action in resisting the devil’s darts. “Those who are born of God can overcome the world. The victory that overcomes the world is our faith” (I John 5:4).

So, when you think about evangelism, do you have Doubt, Discouragement, Delay, Division, Deception, Difficulty, Danger or Distraction? We all face at least one of these. Ephesians 6:18 says that we should pray in the spirit with all kinds of prayers to battle these darts.  Even Paul, in v. 19 asks for prayer that he might be an ambassador of the gospel.

Remember, “if you resist the devil, he will flee from you.”  James 4:7

Memorize these eight darts.  Pick three for needed prayer and thoughtful practice.  Seek out a faithful prayer partner, Consider the words of Charles Wesley’s hymn which describes the battle and victory.

Soldiers of Christ, Arise – Charles Wesley

Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armor on,
Strong in the strength which God supplies.
Through His eternal Son,
Strong in the Lord of hosts, And in His mighty power,
Who in the strength of Jesus trust
Is more than conqueror.

Stand then in His great might, with all His strength endued,
And take, to arm you for the fight,
The panoply of God.
That having all things done, And all your conflicts past,
Ye may overcome through Christ alone,
And stand entire at last.

Leave no unguarded place, No weakness of the soul.
Take every virtue, every grace,
And fortify the whole.
From strength to strength go on,
Wrestle and fight and pray,
Tread all the powers of darkness down,
And win the well-fought day,

In 1973, Dr. John S. McNicoll and his wife Diana planted the first church in the Presbyterian Church in America, a new denomination at the time. Throughout John’s ministry he has served in various pastoral positions and continued to plant churches in many parts of the United States, until he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2012. He is retired but continues to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone who will sit long enough to listen.