The Shield Of Faith

Ephesians 6:13-17-"Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the SHIELD OF FAITH to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

Do you have your armor on yet today? 1. Belt of truth 2. Body armor of God's righteousness 3. Shoes of peace 4. Shield of faith? Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that we need the shield of faith to protect us from the fiery arrows of the devil. Oh yeah, you have probably felt the heat of those fiery arrows a time or two. He shoots us with all sorts of things like doubt, self-pity, worries, weakness, and temptation. By shielding our heart with the faith we have in OUR BIG, LOVING GOD, we can block his arrows and do more than we had ever thought possible or imagined.

1 Samuel 17:32-37-
"'Don't worry about this Philistine,' David told Saul. 'I'll go fight him!'
'Don't be ridiculous!' Saul replied. 'There's no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You're only a boy, and he's been a man of war since his youth.'
But David resisted. 'I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats,' he said. 'When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!'
Saul finally consented. 'All right, go ahead,' he said. 'And may the Lord be with you!'"

David had remarkable courage-why? It was because he took up his shield of faith everyday and trusted the Lord to rescue him from the mouths of lions and bears, and from the hands of Goliath. Because he trusted and obeyed God instead of giving into the devil's fiery arrows, he saved the Israelites from Goliath, and eventually became Israel's greatest king.

Matthew 16:7-10-"At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn't brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, 'You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? Don't you understand even yet? Don't you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up?"

If you ever have trouble putting your faith in God-REMEMBER everything He has done for you in the past. Satan will try and try to make your view of God's power smaller, but don't let him! Take up your shield of faith everyday, and believe that whatever God calls you to do can be done by you, just as the people in the Bible and in history have done what God called them to do. The One True God can move mountains! He is good! Never forget it!

2 Samuel 5 1-3-"Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, 'We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the LORD told you, 'You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be Israel's leader.''
So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the LORD with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel."

Keep Measuring up! You are loved :)

-Jenna Hampton
with encouraging words from God's Holy Bible.