The Shield of Faith
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The Shield of Faith
IN Ancient Battles many warriors were on foot. Many wore armor to protect their bodies, some wore helmets to protect their heads and all carried weapons to fight the enemy, but most held shields out in front of them, on foot or on horse to deflect arrows and spears shot at them from the enemy. The spears were sharp metal or stone on poles which if they hit their mark, would kill a soldier. A soldier stood behind the shield, safe from the enemy on all sides with careful use of his shield. God warns us to "ABOVE ALL" take up the shield of faith: He warns us how important this part of His armor is. Faith is spoken of many times in the Bible and it protects the Christian soldier!
The enemy we are protecting ourselves against is the ancient enemy of our souls, and he does all he can to turn a child of God away from God. The enemy does not want you to love Jesus or other people. He wants you to give up and not keep walking in Christ. He wants you to hate others and not love them. And he wants you to stay out of the Word of God, which is very dangerous to him! His weapons are described as "fiery darts". Now, a fiery dart is not just a spear that can wound or kill your relationship with God or others, it is a dangerous barb, on fire with whatever it takes to stop you in serving the Lord. It can often be unkind or cruel words, ridicule, or horrible circumstances. It can be severe disappointment or even physical harm. But faith can overcome all these, becoming a shield against the worst the world and Satan can do.
The enemy we are protecting ourselves against is the ancient enemy of our souls, and he does all he can to turn a child of God away from God. The enemy does not want you to love Jesus or other people. He wants you to give up and not keep walking in Christ. He wants you to hate others and not love them. And he wants you to stay out of the Word of God, which is very dangerous to him! His weapons are described as "fiery darts". Now, a fiery dart is not just a spear that can wound or kill your relationship with God or others, it is a dangerous barb, on fire with whatever it takes to stop you in serving the Lord. It can often be unkind or cruel words, ridicule, or horrible circumstances. It can be severe disappointment or even physical harm. But faith can overcome all these, becoming a shield against the worst the world and Satan can do.
What does God teach in His Word about faith? Part of faith is TRUST. We learn over time to trust God for His provision, for His protection, for His love and comfort, and for His power and ability when we are weak. An even harder lesson but an important one is trusting God even when it seems that all of the above has failed. With time, we often find that even in the worst things that happen to us, God either had a reason for it or used the bad thing to bring about good. That is sometimes the hardest lesson of all. The Bible also teaches " The Just shall live by faith". It is not 'good works' or religious rituals that make a difference to God- in fact unless these are in obedience to Him they make no difference at all! But FAITH is the thing that pleases Him.
Abraham lived by faith and is called the Father of Faith. We are told to be his children and live by faith also. The first and most important faith we are ever asked for, is Faith in Jesus and what He has done for us. Now, that seems like a small or easy thing, but there is a difference between real faith that heals and saves, and just simply believing that Jesus died on the cross. The Bible says even the demons believe and tremble. But FAITH trusts in what Jesus did. The difference is between just saying Jesus did what He did, or thinking it in your head, or really trusting that He died for your sins. The second takes more than the first, but it is Saving Faith. How is faith possible? It is not something we can "muster up" on our own. God's Word describes it as a gift: from the Old Testament through the new, Faith is something that is given by God. It is however given freely to all who seek, and it is required to walk with the Lord.
The only thing we can do is learn to RECEIVE the faith God gives. How do we do that? Jesus said,
" And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."
That is what we can do: we can become as a little child. A little child trusts their parents. We can trust what God says, even if we do not see the worldly logic in it. We can believe HIs Word is true and obey it. We can suspend our everyday thinking for "Divine" thinking. We can become as little children, trusting and believing what Our Heavenly Father says.
I once was a University Professor who did not really believe in God very much. I believed that education and human reason alone were to be trusted. When I finally trusted the Lord, it was exactly like the above: I learned to set aside the way the world thinks, and come to God as a child, trusting and believing His Word and divine ways. The result? It was not riches or fame or success. It was a faith in God that has seen me through every very hard time of Life. It was also a perfect peace that always returns after trouble. And it was a deep love for Jesus Christ that gave rest. Faith is the straight and narrow path of God.
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SHIELD OF FAITH
A. -Stay in the Word: it keeps your faith strong.
B. -Study in the New Old Testament about Faith. How can you obey these passages?
C. -Meditate on Jesus, what HE said about faith. D. -Faith does not require getting rid of reason or thinking, it requires GOD's &
E. -Avoid Faith Robbers: People who hate, TV, unbelievers, drugs, alcohol, disobedience, sin, lack
F. -Memorize verses on Faith.
G. -Pray for Faith, and for God to keep you in "First Love" of His Son.
H. -Walk in faith, believing God will do what He said.
I. - Exercise trust and faith in the things that are good and holy and God's Will. We know things by His Word and Holy Spirit.
J. - Pray for Faith in your Church and home.
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