Sermon Title: The Essential 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)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Every Christian is at spiritual war.
Our engagement in spiritual warfare is the divine work of saving lives alongside our Lord Jesus Christ – in sharing the gospel through our lives, words, examples and deeds empowered utterly by the Holy Spirit. (Ref: Mark 16:20, Acts 1:8)
We are to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power; for we are called to represent Christ. (Ref: Ephesians 6:10)
Our lives must be devoted to Christian Service marked by miracles, signs and wonders.
We serve a God of miracles; of course, our lives must be filled with His miracles.
With every piece of the full armor of God put on and taken up, we can stand firmly and victoriously against the devil and his schemes.
Every Christian’s struggle is against the devil’s schemes.
With the full armor of God, we are guaranteed victory through Christ Jesus our Lord!
In spite of our guaranteed and ultimate victory through Christ, we are – in the meanwhile – still at war.
Spiritual warfare must be the Christian’s reality.
In this war, the devil will attempt to overwhelm us with flaming arrows – arrows that not only hurt, or kill, but would incinerate all that it touches – a clear allusion to the lake of burning sulfur, and a clear indication of the devil’s sole mission objective to drag as many human beings into the second death in the “fiery lake of burning sulfur” (Revelation 21:8) as he possibly can.
In this world, this is where we must be found; this is our place; standing in battle against the devil.
If our war is against the devil, who are we defending?
Quite literally, we are defending a world that is ignorant, apathetic and even defiant to the reality of the love and salvation of God.
And yet, if the church does not take her stand, the world would be completely exposed to the unquenchable fires of hell; and the flaming arrows of the evil one will indeed have an unrestrained access to killing, stealing and destroying the world. (Ref: John 10:10)
As we take our stand as the Church of Jesus – who is, the hope of the Nations (Ref: Mt 12:21) - against the devil’s schemes, we are certainly neither defenseless, nor vulnerable; actually, we are powerful, strong and unstoppable; if only we truly know the power of God that is upon us.
And not only that, as we stand faithfully with the Lord, we become powerful witnesses to the Lord - inspiring those whom we defend to also decide to put on the full armor of God and stand with us against the devil and his schemes.
So when we live in the reality of spiritual warfare, strong in the Lord and in His Mighty Power, we actually become warriors and witnesses for Christ - inspiring the defenceless to take up arms against the true enemy of the world.
Allegiance, courage, fearlessness, fortitude, humility, strength, resolve, wisdom - are hallmarks of the Christian.
Are you prepared to be everything God has called you to be?
If you are, be prepared to step into the line of fire – “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:16)
The flaming arrows spoken of by the Apostle Paul are specially-made, long, slender arrows with hollow interiors that are filled with easily combustible liquids that will explode into a raging fire upon impact.
What are some of the flaming arrows shot at us by the evil one?
Hopelessness, fear, condemnation, helplessness, trials, tribulations, sicknesses, diseases, faithlessness, lies – to name a few; and especially so in our present day, the sheer volume of information which actually leads also to much disinformation, doubts, despair.
That is what we are up against.
When the devil shoots his arrows, his attack may look harmless and inconsequential at first, but would always strike at the heart of our sinful nature and explode into a raging situation.
The damage done is very serious — and all of it could have been avoided if the shield of faith had been properly held and maintained.
What is the shield of faith? What does it do? How do I use it?
Understand that the shield is armor for the armor.
The other parts of the warrior’s armor, protects the warrior’s body; but the shield protects not only the warrior’s body but the other armor as well.
The shield of faith is of utter importance to the essence of being Christian.
“Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6)
“…everything that does not come from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)
Faith in Christ is absolutely essential and necessary, and must take foremost priority, in our lives.
Without faith, you can never be Christian.
“May God the source of hope fill you with all joy and peace, by means of your faith in Him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Without faith in God, there is no joy, peace and ever-increasing hope from God.
Without faith, you will not receive the Power of the Holy Spirit.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8)
Without this gift from God – which is, faith in Him - you will never receive His grace.
Without faith, you are not saved.
For your shield to be effective, you must take it up and hold it steadily and resolutely in front of you.
Faith is the frontline armor of the Christian life; and is critical to the other pieces of the armor of God.
The shield of faith – if intentionally taken up - is our necessary defence against every attack of the evil one.
However, the shield of faith is not only our defence, it clearly and publicly marks our faith in Christ and overtly reveals our identity as a child of God.
Our faith shields also provide the means to advance and attack the enemy at his gates, bringing the fight to Him.(Ref: Matthew 16:18)
Our faith shields are manifestations of God’s power in our lives to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
Here, the Greek word for “extinguish” means to quench by dousing or drowning in water; that Paul references from the water-soaked shield of the Roman soldiers.
Before the battle, Roman soldiers would intentionally soak and saturate their shields in water; making them heavier, but fireproof.
They knew that their enemies would be shooting fiery and explosive arrows in their direction.
If a shield was dry, it would be set on fire when struck; but if it was water-saturated, the flames would be extinguished the moments the flaming arrows impact.
Our shield of faith must be soaked in water as well; in fact, “rivers of living water” (John 7:38-39) that comes from our lives being soaked in the power of the Holy Spirit in order for our faith to be truly effective.
In addition, Ephesians 5:26 alludes to the word of God as water that cleanses us and makes us holy and radiant.
When the devil shoots his flaming arrows, we are covered and protected if we take time and effort to maintain the shield of faith; regularly soaked in the water of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God – held steadily and resolutely between us and our enemy.
We need not fear the enemy.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Christ keeps us safe because we are “born of God.”
“We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.” (1 John 5:18)
The Christian’s faith – which is a gift from God - is established and fortified only by the Spirit and the Word of God.
In fact, in God’s mighty power, Paul is also telling us that not only would our faith shield protect us and extinguish the flaming arrows, it is powerful enough to serve as a counter attack against the enemy – revealing the devil’s true nature of evil and wickedness to the world.
Empowered and Emboldened
Every flaming arrow of the evil one shot at us actually is a shot back at him; a counter attack - which is, a revelation and condemnation of his true nature, intent and purposes – through the Power of the Holy Spirit that empowers and emboldens us to live a life of godliness and holiness; never conforming to the patterns of this world. (Ref: Romans 12:2)
In Christ, our faith shield is so powerful that it empowers and emboldens us to hold our position in the face of immense depravity and a rapidly escalating rejection against all that belongs to the living God.
The devil will be relentless in his attempts of bringing us down in flames; but with the shields of faith held out boldly in front of us as it ought to be, we will be divinely empowered to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” and together - to stand against the gates of hell.
Together.
In the context of the shield of faith in Ephesians 6:16, the Apostle Paul must have had in his mind the ‘Testudo’ or Tortoise formation – which is, a shield wall formation famously used by Roman Legions in both defensive and offensive maneuvers .
This corporate joining of shields to form an exponentially more effective defense against the attacks of the enemy also enables a group of like-minded warriors to advance confidently on the battle-field to take the enemy head on.
Our faith shields are effective when used individually; but when used corporately for the sake of God’s Kingdom purposes – in our case, as a church – we become a group of warriors that is unstoppable in our faith.
The Unstoppable Power of Corporate Faith
When the earliest “believers were together and had everything in common”, “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Ref: Acts 2:42-47),
As a Church, we are called to stand alongside one another in this spiritual war and persevere in corporate faith.
Together, we are called to “draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)
There is power in corporate faith; power to simply “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles”; and power to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Listen.
You may not have started well; but in Christ, you can finish well!
If only you fix your eyes on Jesus - “the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
Your faith shield may be a work in progress; but it is still a shield that can effectively extinguish the evil’s flaming arrows – and it will only get stronger the more you fix your eyes on Jesus and follow Him.
There is sacred purpose for our faith; and divine reason for why we must “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)
We have faith only and utterly in Christ.
To build our faith together is to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” (Hebrews 10:24-27)
To not have utter faith in Christ is to be an enemy of God.
Utter faith in Christ is manifested in the desire to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds”; of which, Christ’s definition of love and good deeds is simply found in
John 13:34-35:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”;’ and
Matthew 28:18-20:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Never ever give up “meeting together” in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Let us meet and encourage one another to keep our faith shields held high – soaked and saturated in the Power of the Holy Spirit and in the Word of God.
Only then may we have the confidence to stand strong right in the face of the devil.
We are God’s community of holiness; we are the children of God; and we are at war against the forces of darkness in this world.
There can be no doubt.
Our faith shields come from God (Ref: Ephesians 2:8, 2 Peter 1:1-2, 1 Corinthians 12:7-9)
Christ is head of the Church. He provides us with everything we need - including the very faith that we have that trusts and hopes in Him.
This faith from God allows us to declare,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (blessed).” (Job 1:21);
Though he slay me, yet will I hope in Him; (Job 13:15a)
And it comes to us “from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Romans 10:17)
To the Christian, eyes are quite unnecessary.
Ears that are ready to listen to the Gospel; and hearts that are ready to daily receive the power of the Holy Spirit are our essential organs for faith.
To His gift of faith, we must therefore:
Live by faith - “For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7);
Daily seek an increase in faith – “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”” (Luke 17:5);
Be utterly obedient to GOD – “Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.” (Romans 1:5)
Church, obedience to God is standing victoriously against the devil’s schemes; victoriously extinguishing each of his flaming arrows.
Disobedience is falling to the devil’s treachery.
As a family, we do a lot of work around our property; work that requires the use of safety gear such as helmets, eye protection, gloves and steel-toe boots; and every child has received a set of these safety gear from us with the strict instruction to put them on every time they are out working.
When a child comes to us with a cut on their hand that was completely preventable if they had their gloves on, as parents, we would be saddened; but more so, we would be disappointed that our instruction was disobeyed, resulting in a totally unnecessary wound.
All of our wounds from the devil’s flaming arrows are unnecessary wounds and could have been completely preventable; if only we would take up the shield of faith that God has given to us.
Daily saturate your faith shield with the Power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God; and daily take it up resolutely to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Together, let us fix our eyes on Jesus; and be unstoppable in our faith!
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Holy Spirit, grant me supernatural fortitude and resolve to recognize and fully engage in spiritual warfare alongside Christ my King in the divine work of saving lives through sharing the gospel.
Make me strong in the Lord and in His mighty power; daily putting on and taking up the full armor of God.
I recognise that every struggle is a struggle against the devil’s schemes; and also recognise that with the full armor of God, I am guaranteed victory through Christ Jesus my Lord!
As I stand in defense of the world that God loves, help me stand faithfully with the Lord Jesus Christ as His emboldened and empowered witness – inspiring those whom I defend to also decide to put on the full armor of God and stand alongside me and my Christ against the devil and his nefarious schemes.
Prepare me, O Lord, to be everything You have called me to be – by daily taking “up the shield of faith, with which I can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:16)
In Jesus Name, I reject hopelessness, fear, condemnation, helplessness, faithlessness, lies, disinformation, doubts, and despair.
Lord Jesus, forgive my disobedience in being willfully wounded; having neglected to take up my faith shield.
Grant me the courage, strength and resolve to take it up and hold it steadily in the face of darkness.
May the world clearly see my faith in You, Lord Jesus; and may my faith shield daily grant me the divine means to advance and attack the enemy at his gates.
May my faith shield be soaked and saturated in the Power of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God; and grant me peace in the revelation that Christ keeps me safe because I am “born of God” (1 John 5:18)
Holy Spirit, empower me; and embolden me – through Your gift of supernatural faith -to hold my position in Christ in the face of every evil and depravity.
Surround me with like-minded warriors; that we may together – as a church – stand against the gates of hell; for we know that in You and Your Mighty Power, we are unstoppable – drawing near to God together “with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)
Grant us Power to simply “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles”; and Power to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Lord, increase my faith in You!
Help me live by faith; and never by sight – that I may be found utterly faithful and obedient to You.
Surround me with a great cloud of witnesses; that as a church, we may truly be unstoppable in our faith in You!
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
“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)
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Every Christian is at spiritual war.
Our engagement in spiritual warfare is the divine work of saving lives alongside our Lord Jesus Christ – in sharing the gospel through our lives, words, examples and deeds empowered utterly by the Holy Spirit. (Ref: Mark 16:20, Acts 1:8)
We are to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power; for we are called to represent Christ. (Ref: Ephesians 6:10)
Our lives must be devoted to Christian Service marked by miracles, signs and wonders.
We serve a God of miracles; of course, our lives must be filled with His miracles.
With every piece of the full armor of God put on and taken up, we can stand firmly and victoriously against the devil and his schemes.
Every Christian’s struggle is against the devil’s schemes.
With the full armor of God, we are guaranteed victory through Christ Jesus our Lord!
In spite of our guaranteed and ultimate victory through Christ, we are – in the meanwhile – still at war.
Spiritual warfare must be the Christian’s reality.
In this war, the devil will attempt to overwhelm us with flaming arrows – arrows that not only hurt, or kill, but would incinerate all that it touches – a clear allusion to the lake of burning sulfur, and a clear indication of the devil’s sole mission objective to drag as many human beings into the second death in the “fiery lake of burning sulfur” (Revelation 21:8) as he possibly can.
In this world, this is where we must be found; this is our place; standing in battle against the devil.
If our war is against the devil, who are we defending?
Quite literally, we are defending a world that is ignorant, apathetic and even defiant to the reality of the love and salvation of God.
And yet, if the church does not take her stand, the world would be completely exposed to the unquenchable fires of hell; and the flaming arrows of the evil one will indeed have an unrestrained access to killing, stealing and destroying the world. (Ref: John 10:10)
As we take our stand as the Church of Jesus – who is, the hope of the Nations (Ref: Mt 12:21) - against the devil’s schemes, we are certainly neither defenseless, nor vulnerable; actually, we are powerful, strong and unstoppable; if only we truly know the power of God that is upon us.
And not only that, as we stand faithfully with the Lord, we become powerful witnesses to the Lord - inspiring those whom we defend to also decide to put on the full armor of God and stand with us against the devil and his schemes.
So when we live in the reality of spiritual warfare, strong in the Lord and in His Mighty Power, we actually become warriors and witnesses for Christ - inspiring the defenceless to take up arms against the true enemy of the world.
Allegiance, courage, fearlessness, fortitude, humility, strength, resolve, wisdom - are hallmarks of the Christian.
Are you prepared to be everything God has called you to be?
If you are, be prepared to step into the line of fire – “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:16)
The flaming arrows spoken of by the Apostle Paul are specially-made, long, slender arrows with hollow interiors that are filled with easily combustible liquids that will explode into a raging fire upon impact.
What are some of the flaming arrows shot at us by the evil one?
Hopelessness, fear, condemnation, helplessness, trials, tribulations, sicknesses, diseases, faithlessness, lies – to name a few; and especially so in our present day, the sheer volume of information which actually leads also to much disinformation, doubts, despair.
That is what we are up against.
When the devil shoots his arrows, his attack may look harmless and inconsequential at first, but would always strike at the heart of our sinful nature and explode into a raging situation.
The damage done is very serious — and all of it could have been avoided if the shield of faith had been properly held and maintained.
What is the shield of faith? What does it do? How do I use it?
Understand that the shield is armor for the armor.
The other parts of the warrior’s armor, protects the warrior’s body; but the shield protects not only the warrior’s body but the other armor as well.
The shield of faith is of utter importance to the essence of being Christian.
“Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6)
“…everything that does not come from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)
Faith in Christ is absolutely essential and necessary, and must take foremost priority, in our lives.
Without faith, you can never be Christian.
“May God the source of hope fill you with all joy and peace, by means of your faith in Him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Without faith in God, there is no joy, peace and ever-increasing hope from God.
Without faith, you will not receive the Power of the Holy Spirit.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8)
Without this gift from God – which is, faith in Him - you will never receive His grace.
Without faith, you are not saved.
For your shield to be effective, you must take it up and hold it steadily and resolutely in front of you.
Faith is the frontline armor of the Christian life; and is critical to the other pieces of the armor of God.
The shield of faith – if intentionally taken up - is our necessary defence against every attack of the evil one.
However, the shield of faith is not only our defence, it clearly and publicly marks our faith in Christ and overtly reveals our identity as a child of God.
Our faith shields also provide the means to advance and attack the enemy at his gates, bringing the fight to Him.(Ref: Matthew 16:18)
Our faith shields are manifestations of God’s power in our lives to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
Here, the Greek word for “extinguish” means to quench by dousing or drowning in water; that Paul references from the water-soaked shield of the Roman soldiers.
Before the battle, Roman soldiers would intentionally soak and saturate their shields in water; making them heavier, but fireproof.
They knew that their enemies would be shooting fiery and explosive arrows in their direction.
If a shield was dry, it would be set on fire when struck; but if it was water-saturated, the flames would be extinguished the moments the flaming arrows impact.
Our shield of faith must be soaked in water as well; in fact, “rivers of living water” (John 7:38-39) that comes from our lives being soaked in the power of the Holy Spirit in order for our faith to be truly effective.
In addition, Ephesians 5:26 alludes to the word of God as water that cleanses us and makes us holy and radiant.
When the devil shoots his flaming arrows, we are covered and protected if we take time and effort to maintain the shield of faith; regularly soaked in the water of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God – held steadily and resolutely between us and our enemy.
We need not fear the enemy.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Christ keeps us safe because we are “born of God.”
“We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.” (1 John 5:18)
The Christian’s faith – which is a gift from God - is established and fortified only by the Spirit and the Word of God.
In fact, in God’s mighty power, Paul is also telling us that not only would our faith shield protect us and extinguish the flaming arrows, it is powerful enough to serve as a counter attack against the enemy – revealing the devil’s true nature of evil and wickedness to the world.
Empowered and Emboldened
Every flaming arrow of the evil one shot at us actually is a shot back at him; a counter attack - which is, a revelation and condemnation of his true nature, intent and purposes – through the Power of the Holy Spirit that empowers and emboldens us to live a life of godliness and holiness; never conforming to the patterns of this world. (Ref: Romans 12:2)
In Christ, our faith shield is so powerful that it empowers and emboldens us to hold our position in the face of immense depravity and a rapidly escalating rejection against all that belongs to the living God.
The devil will be relentless in his attempts of bringing us down in flames; but with the shields of faith held out boldly in front of us as it ought to be, we will be divinely empowered to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” and together - to stand against the gates of hell.
Together.
In the context of the shield of faith in Ephesians 6:16, the Apostle Paul must have had in his mind the ‘Testudo’ or Tortoise formation – which is, a shield wall formation famously used by Roman Legions in both defensive and offensive maneuvers .
This corporate joining of shields to form an exponentially more effective defense against the attacks of the enemy also enables a group of like-minded warriors to advance confidently on the battle-field to take the enemy head on.
Our faith shields are effective when used individually; but when used corporately for the sake of God’s Kingdom purposes – in our case, as a church – we become a group of warriors that is unstoppable in our faith.
The Unstoppable Power of Corporate Faith
When the earliest “believers were together and had everything in common”, “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Ref: Acts 2:42-47),
As a Church, we are called to stand alongside one another in this spiritual war and persevere in corporate faith.
Together, we are called to “draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)
There is power in corporate faith; power to simply “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles”; and power to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Listen.
You may not have started well; but in Christ, you can finish well!
If only you fix your eyes on Jesus - “the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
Your faith shield may be a work in progress; but it is still a shield that can effectively extinguish the evil’s flaming arrows – and it will only get stronger the more you fix your eyes on Jesus and follow Him.
There is sacred purpose for our faith; and divine reason for why we must “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)
We have faith only and utterly in Christ.
To build our faith together is to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” (Hebrews 10:24-27)
To not have utter faith in Christ is to be an enemy of God.
Utter faith in Christ is manifested in the desire to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds”; of which, Christ’s definition of love and good deeds is simply found in
John 13:34-35:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”;’ and
Matthew 28:18-20:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Never ever give up “meeting together” in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Let us meet and encourage one another to keep our faith shields held high – soaked and saturated in the Power of the Holy Spirit and in the Word of God.
Only then may we have the confidence to stand strong right in the face of the devil.
We are God’s community of holiness; we are the children of God; and we are at war against the forces of darkness in this world.
There can be no doubt.
Our faith shields come from God (Ref: Ephesians 2:8, 2 Peter 1:1-2, 1 Corinthians 12:7-9)
Christ is head of the Church. He provides us with everything we need - including the very faith that we have that trusts and hopes in Him.
This faith from God allows us to declare,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (blessed).” (Job 1:21);
Though he slay me, yet will I hope in Him; (Job 13:15a)
And it comes to us “from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Romans 10:17)
To the Christian, eyes are quite unnecessary.
Ears that are ready to listen to the Gospel; and hearts that are ready to daily receive the power of the Holy Spirit are our essential organs for faith.
To His gift of faith, we must therefore:
Live by faith - “For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7);
Daily seek an increase in faith – “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”” (Luke 17:5);
Be utterly obedient to GOD – “Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.” (Romans 1:5)
Church, obedience to God is standing victoriously against the devil’s schemes; victoriously extinguishing each of his flaming arrows.
Disobedience is falling to the devil’s treachery.
As a family, we do a lot of work around our property; work that requires the use of safety gear such as helmets, eye protection, gloves and steel-toe boots; and every child has received a set of these safety gear from us with the strict instruction to put them on every time they are out working.
When a child comes to us with a cut on their hand that was completely preventable if they had their gloves on, as parents, we would be saddened; but more so, we would be disappointed that our instruction was disobeyed, resulting in a totally unnecessary wound.
All of our wounds from the devil’s flaming arrows are unnecessary wounds and could have been completely preventable; if only we would take up the shield of faith that God has given to us.
Daily saturate your faith shield with the Power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God; and daily take it up resolutely to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Together, let us fix our eyes on Jesus; and be unstoppable in our faith!
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Holy Spirit, grant me supernatural fortitude and resolve to recognize and fully engage in spiritual warfare alongside Christ my King in the divine work of saving lives through sharing the gospel.
Make me strong in the Lord and in His mighty power; daily putting on and taking up the full armor of God.
I recognise that every struggle is a struggle against the devil’s schemes; and also recognise that with the full armor of God, I am guaranteed victory through Christ Jesus my Lord!
As I stand in defense of the world that God loves, help me stand faithfully with the Lord Jesus Christ as His emboldened and empowered witness – inspiring those whom I defend to also decide to put on the full armor of God and stand alongside me and my Christ against the devil and his nefarious schemes.
Prepare me, O Lord, to be everything You have called me to be – by daily taking “up the shield of faith, with which I can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Ephesians 6:16)
In Jesus Name, I reject hopelessness, fear, condemnation, helplessness, faithlessness, lies, disinformation, doubts, and despair.
Lord Jesus, forgive my disobedience in being willfully wounded; having neglected to take up my faith shield.
Grant me the courage, strength and resolve to take it up and hold it steadily in the face of darkness.
May the world clearly see my faith in You, Lord Jesus; and may my faith shield daily grant me the divine means to advance and attack the enemy at his gates.
May my faith shield be soaked and saturated in the Power of the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God; and grant me peace in the revelation that Christ keeps me safe because I am “born of God” (1 John 5:18)
Holy Spirit, empower me; and embolden me – through Your gift of supernatural faith -to hold my position in Christ in the face of every evil and depravity.
Surround me with like-minded warriors; that we may together – as a church – stand against the gates of hell; for we know that in You and Your Mighty Power, we are unstoppable – drawing near to God together “with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)
Grant us Power to simply “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles”; and Power to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Lord, increase my faith in You!
Help me live by faith; and never by sight – that I may be found utterly faithful and obedient to You.
Surround me with a great cloud of witnesses; that as a church, we may truly be unstoppable in our faith in You!
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.