~ Shield of Faith ~
“Above
all, taking the shield of faith with
which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one”
(Ephesians 6:16).
The shield of faith has
the core concept of trust in God and in Him alone. “Without faith it is impossible to please
Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder
of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). A shield in warfare of that day was probably the single most
important defensive aspect of armor. It
deflected the darts, arrows, spears, and swords of the enemy. Our modern concept of armor is that of
defensive protection; for example, think of “armored vehicles.” In spiritual warfare we have many deadly
weapons hurled at us—two of the greatest are doubt and erosion of our
confidence in our Savior.
When an army marches
together or forms a solid line, the combined shields are much more effective
than when a single soldier stands alone.
This is illustrative of the need for believers to meet together for
strength. The strength of the total is
far more than the sum of the individuals.
While
shields are primarily defensive, they certainly provide confidence that allows
us to move forward with an offensive thrust.
We have faith in the One who is “the author
and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
When we put on the shield of faith, we are declaring our trust
in the One who created us and adopted us into His family and into His
army. We are trusting Him for protection
and safety. “You will keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You”
(Isaiah 26:3).
don’t miss this ~ (1) You have been given armor that covers you
from head to foot. Satan’s attacks will
not be effective against you as long as you keep all your armor in place. (2) The most important aspect of faith is to
remember the focus and value lies not in your exercising faith but in the One
in whom you place your faith. “Faith
comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). The more you know the written Word and the
living Word, the greater faith you will have.
How much time have you spent in the written Word this past week? How much time have you spent on your knees
this past week? Are you fully trusting
your life to the One who created you and redeemed you? Do you have complete faith (confidence) in
all the promises of God?
~ Robert
Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE
NOW
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