Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor (30 page)

BOOK: Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor

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Answers to Questions for
Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor

C
HAPTER 1

Evil is most dangerous when we don’t recognize it as evil. The Bible says that Satan can appear as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).

C
HAPTER 2

Rearrange the letters of
paytha
and you get
apathy
. The dictionary defines
apathy
as a state of indifference, a lack of interest or concern, or a lack of emotion or feeling.
Apathy, or any vice for that matter, can grow as “large” as we allow it. The more we give in to a stronghold, the more control it gains over our lives. It’s important to remember that the only power Satan or his demons have over Christians is the power we relinquish to them.
The world and the kingdom of God are not compatible, so we must give up one to gain the other. The merchant’s offer represents the temptation to give up a portion of our spiritual walk with the Lord to enjoy something of the world.
The shield represents faith, which is our defensive weapon against the “fiery darts” of the Evil One. By trading his shield, Tav makes himself vulnerable to the attacks of Lucius (Satan).

C
HAPTER 3

Disty and Bli represent the spiritual
dis
tractions and spiritual
bli
ndness that may cause apathy to take root in a person’s life. Unless a person can see the danger, he or she won’t be concerned with it.
Apathy can be contagious! When one friend grows apathetic, other friends may become apathetic too. When a leader grows apathetic, so will many of those over whom he or she has influence.

C
HAPTER 4

Some possibilities are Matthew 10:38; Mark 10:23; Luke 14:26–27; and Romans 12:1–2.

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HAPTER 5

Bli understood he might lose control of Quinlan. A vice like apathy is hard to break because our flesh wars with our spirit. Satan
and his demons will also tempt us to keep a vice in our lives that controls us and keeps us from living a victorious life for Jesus.
Lucius didn’t want Quinlan to become an active soldier for the King, just as Satan doesn’t want a believer to become an active Christian.
Some examples are Ecclesiastes 4:8–12; John 17:21–23; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27; and Ephesians 4:11–16.

C
HAPTER 6

God often calls the “least of the least” to perform amazing works for Him. He does this to show mankind that He is powerful and that “no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:25–29). Some biblical examples are Moses, Saul, David, Gideon, most of the disciples, and so on.
These things represent the Bible, which is God’s Word (Ephesians 6:17).
Worldly distractions—material possessions, relationships, pastimes, and so on—can hinder a believer’s ability to identify the spiritual battle waging around us (Mark 4:18–19).
Possible answers are prayer, financial help, encouragement, and so on.
Examples are 1 Thessalonians 5:19 and Hebrews 3:7–12.

C
HAPTER 7

The sword of God’s Word is “living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). The better we know it, the better able we are to defend ourselves against arguments and attacks that discourage us and weaken our effectiveness. Jesus gave us an excellent example of how to defend ourselves when He fought His great spiritual battle with Satan in the wilderness. He quoted Scripture for each of Satan’s three temptations (Matthew 4:1–11).

C
HAPTER 8

Because of sin, the world is in decay, and tragedies are a natural result. However, God says He will never leave nor forsake those
who are His (Hebrews 13:5) and that He will work all things for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). The final outcome of a tragedy is really dependent on whether the person chooses to believe and follow God—and the good outcome might not be apparent until heaven.

C
HAPTER 9

Answers will vary.

C
HAPTER 10

Answers will vary.

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HAPTER 11

Just as in Jesus’ parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3–8, 18–23), Tav lets the seeds of doubt and unbelief sown by the Evil One take root in his life. Instead of refuting them with truth, he allows the lies to linger so long that he begins to believe them.
The verse is Philippians 3:13–14.

C
HAPTER 12

God’s Word and the Holy Spirit are our windows into spiritual realities.

C
HAPTER 13

One possibility is fasting, described in Matthew 4:1–11; Matthew 17:19–21; Acts 10:30; and Acts 13:2.
First Corinthians 6:11 says that through Christ we “were sanctified”—made perfect. That’s past tense—we already are who we hope to become! See also Hebrews 10:10–14.
We find out who we are in Christ by reading the Bible and spending time with the Lord in prayer. The more we get to know who He is, the more we understand who we are in Him. This is important because our corrupted flesh is in a battle with our perfect spirit (1 Peter 2:11 and Romans 8:1–14), and sometimes that battle keeps us from remembering that
we are more than conquerors (even over our own flesh) in Christ (Romans 8:37).
4. This theme is explored in the book of Hebrews.

C
HAPTER 14

This refers to the coming of a “beast” or “antichrist” (false messiah) to rule the earth. Scriptural references include Daniel 7; 2 Thessalonians 2; 1 John 2 and 4; 2 John; and Revelation 13–14, 16–18.

C
HAPTER 15

God created all people in the first place so that He could have a relationship with us. Second Peter 3:9 makes it clear that He doesn’t want any of us to perish but desires that we all should come to salvation through Jesus.

C
HAPTERS 16 AND 17

The Greek word
pentho
means “passion.” The penthomoth represents passion (energetic commitment) as opposed to apathy (indifference).
Passion can be dangerous if misdirected. The difference lies in the
object
of the passion. Passionate commitment to the cause of Christ is what moves His kingdom forward.

C
HAPTER 18

Answers will vary.
A good Scripture passage is Romans 8:16–17.
See Philippians 4:13.

C
HAPTER 19

Because passion for Christ offends them just as Jesus said it would in John 15:18–19.

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HAPTER 20

See Matthew 19:14.

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HAPTER 21

Often, the unsaved do not believe that their eternal lives are at stake and will not listen to the truth of their need for salvation. This can be frustrating for Christians. We must remember, however, that we are called simply to proclaim the gospel. We are not responsible for whether another person accepts or rejects Jesus.

C
HAPTER 22

First Peter 5:8 refers to Satan as a roaring lion. His objective is to “devour” and destroy the unwary.

C
HAPTER 23

Strongholds can have a powerful grip on people, including believers, and can be difficult to give up. Release from a vice or stronghold often requires the accountability and support of strong, faithful friends.
The rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16–26; Mark 10:17–27; Luke 18:18–29) is a good example.
A passion for serving the Lord is the key to overcoming apathy.
It represents Christians joining together in intercessory prayer. (Other answers are possible.)

C
HAPTER 24

Answers will vary. Some possible roles are that of messenger (those who spoke to Daniel, Mary, Joseph), protector (those who helped Peter, John, Paul), worshiper (those described in Isaiah), proclaimer (as in Matthew, Jesus’ birth), minister or caregiver (Elijah, Matthew, Jesus), and warrior (Michael in Revelation 12:7 and Daniel 10:13).

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PILOGUE