Shield of Faith (Part V)...

May 16, 2009

Danielle Joyner Kelley

“TAKE UP THE SHIELD OF FAITH”

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16.

The Shield of Faith is the third piece of armor you have with you. This one, unlike the previous three, is used directly in battle. For that reason this is not the faith that you are saved or your faith in your beliefs, but it is the everyday faith you will need going into battle. The faith that you are saved goes into your shoes of peace, and your beliefs are contained in the belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness. This faith is the everyday knowledge that God is in control and knows what is best for you.

To understand this, think of a shield. The shield the Apostle Paul is referring to in this scripture is the large one that covers the body almost head to toe. It protects the soldier’s armor, and it was used by soldiers to lock together with other’s shields to march into battle as a huge wall.

This scripture tells us that we are to take up the shield to “extinguish” the “flaming arrows of the evil one.” God is telling you through His word what your enemy is going to do. In New Testament times it was common to take arrows and tie cloth to the tops of them and light them on fire and then shoot them at the enemy. This practice is seen throughout our culture in movies such as Robin Hood.

Your enemy will not just shoot an arrow at you; he will light it on fire. Expect him to do everything he can to drive a wedge between you and God, and weaken your trust and faith in Him.

If your faith does weaken from your enemy attacks, what is the result? You get hit, and the arrows have a lasting effect until you get back up. What effect?

1) Fear. If you are fearful, you are not trusting in God. True faith in Him to handle everything means that you have no fear. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4.

In a world like the one we live in today, fear is a common attack. Every time you read the newspaper or watch the news you see so many things that cause you to fear. Satan knows that if you are afraid you are not completely trusting in God, and he will use it against you.

Know that your enemy will bring to light the very things that you fear the most. If it is failure, that is what he will plant in your head. If it is death, that is what he will attack you with. He knows your weaknesses. But remember you have the victory.

Have that blind faith that you will be taken care of even when faced with the most horrible circumstances. Remember that God loves you unconditionally and will be there with you at all times. In this picture, there can be no fear. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18.

2) Doubt. This is a horrible attack because it shatters what you know is true in your own heart about God. The attack of doubt works against yourself and others at the same time.

When you are going through a bad time or see something difficult your enemy is gauged to cause you to think differently. He wants you to question whether or not God is really listening to your prayers, whether or not God is present because something bad is happening, and wants you to believe that you are somehow being punished.

What else does he want you to doubt? God’s word and truth. He will convince you that the Bible is confusing, that it is contradictory, and that it does not make sense.

Other people. He wants you to doubt others and yourself. When you go somewhere and come home worrying that you embarrassed yourself and someone won’t like you, guess who is putting those thoughts into your mind? He wants you to doubt your spouse, your girlfriend or boyfriend. If you are convinced they are being unfaithful to you, you are more likely to lash out and cause a fight.

And he wants you to doubt his own existence. Today, more people believe in Heaven than in Hell. Your enemy will convince you that he is not real and that the doubts you are having are very real because there is no such thing as evil. Thus, he wants you to believe that anything bad that is happening is from God. But it is not. Remember all good things come from God, not bad. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.

3) Words. Satan will use others to speak words that fill you with anger and rage. And he will use you to speak words that cause you worry and anxiety. This is an attack that he can use to strike more than one person with only one arrow. If he gets you to speak negatively or harshly then you can affect someone else and make them angry. Then he caused you to sin, and them to feel bad and start to doubt God.

4) Confusion. Satan wants you confused. He wants you questioning God every hour of every day. This attack shows how sneaky he really is. Remember when he was tempting Jesus in the desert for 40 days, he used scripture when trying to argue with Jesus. But Jesus was armed with God’s true word; therefore his enemy could not win. He will try to confuse you about your relationship with God, your life, your relationships, your career, and everything else. You will worry constantly if you are with the right person, doing the right thing, in the right job, but know that does not come from God. You have to remember that God is a clear God. He wants you to have a clear mind. He does not bring on the spirit of confusion. That is always your enemy’s doing. “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33.

YOUR SHIELD OF FAITH

To defeat these attacks you need to have your shield of faith ready. Start being proactive instead of reactive. Tell yourself God is in control every single day. How do you accomplish this?

1) Take control of your mind. This is where your enemy is attacking: thoughts and emotions. It is your own mind that God gave you. Take it back. Start to pay attention to the negative thoughts you are thinking and as soon as you feel them tell yourself your alarm is going off. Fear, doubt, anxiety, worry, and the like are warning signals to stop and talk to God. “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:31-34.

2) Be prepared. Your enemy strikes you without warning, and he hits you where you are weakest. Be prepared for these sudden attacks by not letting them catch you off guard. When something happens that seems shocking stop and talk to God. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2-3.

Know God’s word and promise, so you will know what is true. If you do not know God’s word or promise because you have not taken the time to learn it, remember your enemy knows that. God warns you about your enemy, and He also tells you what is reality about what you are thinking. Stop and talk to Him. Otherwise, you are going into battle without talking to your commander about who you are fighting and what you need to do to win. Recognize your weaknesses now and start preparing for Satan to attack them. Know better next time. Faith in God will never leave you in defeat. “He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20.

Combine God’s word with your faith. Your faith is believing in what He tells you, and knowing that it is truth. It is the confirmation that you are going to be alright no matter what. That is what makes it so valuable so believe it, walk in it, live it. “For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.” Hebrews 4:2.

Rely on God and no one else. “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.” 1 Corinthians 2:4-5. Your faith rests on God’s power and not man’s wisdom. Always keep that in mind.

Do not let your enemy know through your thoughts and actions that you will only believe in something that is seen. Give yourself over to the “unseen”. “We live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7. When you allow him to convince you that faith can only be in something you see, he steals your hope, and hope in your future and in your everything is what you need to keep going. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1.

3) Hold your shield no matter what. In the darkest moments keep moving forward. Do not give up. If this seems hard remember Christ’s sacrifice. “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” Hebrews 15:14. “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” Hebrews 15:17. You have victory on your side. “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:12.

Keep seeking God and talking to Him. Do not let the enemy convince you that your dark moment is because of God. Do not be quick to blame God when you have not even bothered to talk to Him about the situation first. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6.

4) Do not let your enemy use you against others. Soldiers would frequently soak their shield in water to put out flaming arrows. If you fall because you are attacked while your shield is down, pick it back up and do not let your fire spread to someone else. Watch what you say to others. If you find yourself attacked and you fall get back up. Your shield is still there.

Hold one another up in Christ’s name. Make sure your relationships are in line with His word. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25. Prepare your own defense strategy. Walk with other believers and seek God through them. Lock your shield with theirs and grow united.

Share your faith and testimony with others. “I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.” Philemon 1:6. Chances are you have gone through something in life in order that you may help someone else going through the same situation and point them to God. “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.” Romans 1:12. And humble yourself enough to know that they are being attacked just as you are. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.1 Peter 5:8-9.

Make sure you have done everything you can to relate to people as Christ would have. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17. Then you will know that you have done everything good you could have, and be at peace no matter what someone else does. “They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.” 1 Timothy 3:9.

5) Live with your shield. Always work on your relationship with God. Talk to God every day all the time. Keep seeking Him. It may make your enemy more angry at you, but it will make you stronger. Know you are on the winning side. Your enemy’s fate is certain.

You already live by faith. When you are driving and press down on the brakes how do you know the car will slow down? Faith. When you are on an operating table how do you know you will wake up from surgery? Faith. When you sit in a chair how do you know it will hold you up and you won't come crashing to the ground? Faith. Give your Creator the faith that you are giving to everything else. He is the one that will not fail you, but your car brakes might.

Act. You do not just live by faith, you walk in faith. Do not count on your actions to make sense, or be explainable to others. If they are in line with God, do not worry about what this world thinks. Put your faith into practice. Live by it. “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” James 2:14-18.

If God tells you something is going to happen, start preparing for it and do not wait for the world to confirm it is true. He is above all things. Show Him that you only need His word to move and nothing else. "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Proverbs 30:5.

Living by your faith allows you to hear God’s truth. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6. If you are asking Him for something make sure you have made it easier on yourself, through your actions, to hear Him. “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Romans 1:17.

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17.