(Armor of God #9)
SCRIPTURE: Ephesians (NIV) 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
OBSERVATION: The shield of faith is not in place of all the aforementioned items of our armor; it is in addition. There is no part of the armor that is unimportant. We need to keep it all in place.
And as all the others are important, so is the shield of faith! It must not be left behind. It is our faith that extinguishes all the “flaming arrows” or “fiery darts” sent our way at the impetus of the devil. He is wicked and desires to destroy us. But our faith is stronger than anything he can throw our way. After all, the Bible says we can extinguish ALL the flaming arrows/darts! Praise God!
Faith is the mental confidence that what we know or have been told is real and true. We are so confident that we base our decisions and actions on its reality. Others may disagree, but we are convinced!
APPLICATION: God has given to all men “the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). Faith does not have a steady level in our lives. Our faith can dwindle (1Timothy 4:1); Our faith can grow (2Corinthians 10:15; 2Thessalonians 1:3). A Smith Wigglesworth book is entitled “Ever Increasing Faith.” That is what we should want to have said about our faith.
We must recognize when God is speaking to us and to act accordingly.
PRAYER: Holy Spirit, work in my life to increase my faith. Help me to understand what God is saying to me. Help me to apply God’s Words to my life. May each “flaming arrow” that the enemy shoots into my thoughts be quickly extinguished. Guide me in putting my faith into action. Anoint me to better serve as you work to continue the ministry of Jesus in the world today. Amen
Pastor Leon
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