Probably by now your ability to recognize fiery darts is on the rise.  And with that quickened awareness you are beginning to see what heretofore was hidden from you. A case in point is the fiery darts of Christmas, in particular the fiery dart of keeping Christ in the manger!

Even in today’s culture which favors a diversified Christmas, while shying away from emphasizing the birth of the Savior, we will allow for a babe in the manger.  After all, how intimidating can a baby be? And that is the fiery dart that I want to dissect here.

Think about it.  If we keep Jesus in the manger, then we don’t have to come to terms with the message given by Him as our Savior.  We don’t have to worry about having to change our ways to accommodate such a message, either!  We are free to live the way we want and never have to bother with asking the question, “What would Jesus do?”  Keep Jesus a baby and we get to live life on our terms!

But living life on our terms carries some conditions.  When self becomes our focus instead of Christ, then we don’t possess the capability to see Jesus for who He really is. For example, as He is described in Isaiah 9:6,

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

All that Jesus is, what He has to offer, and what He has done to secure our abundant life here on earth and in heaven will be hidden from us.

So, want to know what this fiery dart of Christmas is hiding from you? Here’s just a few:  true love, true peace, true joy, a growing faith, comfort, security, and freedom from fear, doubt, and worry.  AND that’s just a few off the top of my head!

Now I ask you, where has living life on your terms taken you?  After meditating on that question for a while then I’d like to ask you to consider the verse in Jeremiah 29:11,

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD. Plans to prosper you not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.”

Are you experiencing the abundant life promised by God in John 10:10 living on your terms?  Probably not!

Therefore, if we are going to experience the abundant life God has planned for us then obviously we are going to have to accept His terms.  AND one of the first things we might have to do will be to check and see if we still have Christ lying in that manger. If we find that we have succumbed to this troublesome fiery dart, then we must pray that this weapon will not prevail and wield the power of God’s Word in raising our Shield to deflect it.

So, let’s acknowledge that fiery dart.  When we do then we will be able to grasp His message to us as our Savior.   We will have the vision to see how He lived and the sacrifice He made for us.   The promise in John 3:16 will then be ours,

 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

To have the correct focus on Christmas remember–as the Christ child lay sleeping,  there was the shadow of a cross cast over that manger!

Be wise intercept those fiery darts with God’s Word before they hit their targets! If you do, then your gonna have a GREAT CHRISTMAS!