Tuesday, April 27, 2004
The Armour of God - the shield of faith
Ephesians 6:16 says ‘In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one’ (NIV)
In battle the shield is essential for defence against the enemy, it protects against all types of incoming fire. It is the same for us as Christians, in our battle against evil, except we use our faith to shield us from the arrows of the devil.
I know that the closer I get to God, the more the devil attacks, he can’t stand it! He will try everything he knows to get me to succumb to him. Many times when I have felt especially close to God, the devil has found ways to distract me and shift my focus from God, and my shield has been lowered, giving way to the devil.
Often when circumstances change, instead of keeping my eyes focused on God – who never changes, I allow myself to be lead astray by what is going on around me, I so easily get wrapped up in what is going on that I forget that God is with me, helping me, as I live out His plans. There are times when I fail God, thinking that my way is better. The devil delights in these mistakes and builds upon them to make me weaker, but when I turn to God and seek his forgiveness, He wipes the slate clean, forgives my failings, and lets me start again.
One thing I have learnt over these last couple of years is that I should never assume that I am beyond reach of the enemy; this over-confidence is an easy target for the devil. I know that I should use my shield of faith at all times and always be on guard, because the devil will attempt to trip me up time and time again. However, by living a life of faith, making faith decisions, and trusting God with each step I take, I am shielding myself from the devils arrows of doubt, temptation and all things, which cause me to lose faith.
Living by faith is being sure of God’s promises and trusting in His plans. What can the devil do about those plans? Nothing! But what he can do, is try to tempt us with earthly things, try to confuse us between what is right and wrong, and try to lead us into a false understanding of God - the only way to deflect these things and ensure that we don’t fall for the devils tricks, is to use our faith in God, and He will protect us.
It’s God we are living for, its God’s plans we’re living out, and so we must trust Him completely. Things are meant to happen in His way, and His time. Something somebody once said to me has always stuck with me – ‘I don’t believe in co-incidences but God-incidences!’ Everything happens for a reason, nothing in God’s plans happens by chance. You may not see the outcome of God’s plans for your life, in your time, but we must not let this diminish our faith, it will all become clear soon! Live a life of faith and you will not be disappointed!
The devil’s work is not always obvious to me and sometimes he can be so subtle that I don’t even notice him. Those little white lies, those momentary lapses that disappoint God, are all ways in which the devil makes me weaker. All these things gradually cause me to lower my shield, which is there to protect me, and this lets the devil in. The devil knows my weaknesses and will attack me when I am weak, but I must remember that in my weakness, God’s strength is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9). When I put my faith in God, I can use His strength to help me fight my battles, and so I need not worry. It’s when I don’t keep my eyes fixed on Jesus that my weaknesses shine through for the devil to see.
We must not let this happen! We are on the winning side! Evil has already been defeated – Jesus did that on the cross! It’s just a matter of time now until the battle is over; we must not let the devil drag us down to his level! Jesus is coming again, stay strong!!
In battle the shield is essential for defence against the enemy, it protects against all types of incoming fire. It is the same for us as Christians, in our battle against evil, except we use our faith to shield us from the arrows of the devil.
I know that the closer I get to God, the more the devil attacks, he can’t stand it! He will try everything he knows to get me to succumb to him. Many times when I have felt especially close to God, the devil has found ways to distract me and shift my focus from God, and my shield has been lowered, giving way to the devil.
Often when circumstances change, instead of keeping my eyes focused on God – who never changes, I allow myself to be lead astray by what is going on around me, I so easily get wrapped up in what is going on that I forget that God is with me, helping me, as I live out His plans. There are times when I fail God, thinking that my way is better. The devil delights in these mistakes and builds upon them to make me weaker, but when I turn to God and seek his forgiveness, He wipes the slate clean, forgives my failings, and lets me start again.
One thing I have learnt over these last couple of years is that I should never assume that I am beyond reach of the enemy; this over-confidence is an easy target for the devil. I know that I should use my shield of faith at all times and always be on guard, because the devil will attempt to trip me up time and time again. However, by living a life of faith, making faith decisions, and trusting God with each step I take, I am shielding myself from the devils arrows of doubt, temptation and all things, which cause me to lose faith.
Living by faith is being sure of God’s promises and trusting in His plans. What can the devil do about those plans? Nothing! But what he can do, is try to tempt us with earthly things, try to confuse us between what is right and wrong, and try to lead us into a false understanding of God - the only way to deflect these things and ensure that we don’t fall for the devils tricks, is to use our faith in God, and He will protect us.
It’s God we are living for, its God’s plans we’re living out, and so we must trust Him completely. Things are meant to happen in His way, and His time. Something somebody once said to me has always stuck with me – ‘I don’t believe in co-incidences but God-incidences!’ Everything happens for a reason, nothing in God’s plans happens by chance. You may not see the outcome of God’s plans for your life, in your time, but we must not let this diminish our faith, it will all become clear soon! Live a life of faith and you will not be disappointed!
The devil’s work is not always obvious to me and sometimes he can be so subtle that I don’t even notice him. Those little white lies, those momentary lapses that disappoint God, are all ways in which the devil makes me weaker. All these things gradually cause me to lower my shield, which is there to protect me, and this lets the devil in. The devil knows my weaknesses and will attack me when I am weak, but I must remember that in my weakness, God’s strength is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9). When I put my faith in God, I can use His strength to help me fight my battles, and so I need not worry. It’s when I don’t keep my eyes fixed on Jesus that my weaknesses shine through for the devil to see.
We must not let this happen! We are on the winning side! Evil has already been defeated – Jesus did that on the cross! It’s just a matter of time now until the battle is over; we must not let the devil drag us down to his level! Jesus is coming again, stay strong!!
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