God has given us a winning strategy for this War of Life.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-- and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:10-20, NKJ)
The Shield’s purpose was about defending yourself – protecting yourself. The Shield of Faith is about Spiritual Security
FAITH IS YOUR SHIELD: NOT THE SMALL HAND HELD SHIELD – THE BIG, OBLONG SHIELD THAT YOU COULD COMPLETELY HIDE BEHIND
Where the Shield of Faith goes to work for us, where it is effective for us is when Satan’s arrows come, when the bullets come, when the MISSILES come, when the storms come. Now, with the Shield of Faith, we have a way of defending them.
We live in an atmosphere of warfare! Many of our thoughts and feelings are responses to the events or chaos going on around us! - -
Here’s how this stuff shows up in our lives:
UNFORTUNATE CIRMCUMSTANCES:
Hurricane Harvey was an unfortunate circumstance. If I wreck my car, have a flat tire and I’m late to work. If I get a cold, get sick or have relational tension, I may find myself asking, “WHY IS GOD DOING THIS TO ME; WHY, WHY, WHY???”
Well, the enemy works in the midst of our circumstances to blame, to accuse, to shame, to send you into crisis mode. People are in crisis, in panic, down, depressed, defeated, much of it is a reaction to something that’s not a reality.
A Psychological Crisis is “a person’s reaction to an event that interrupts/disrupts everyday life – or everyday faith!” With the shield of faith, you move forward with it, to defend the faith, defend your faith! The shield is about a bold stand against accusation, against shame, against slander, against lies, against confusion and against chaos and against anything that puffs itself up against the knowledge of God.
The Question we should be asking is: Is this an unfortunate circumstance or an unfortunate consequence – of my sin or someone else’s
The point is this: One person’s consequence is another person’s cirmcumstance. One person’s circumstance is another person’s consequence
There is a ripple effect here. We live in a fallen, sinful world, and when there is sin all around us, we are going to be impacted by it, influenced by it – it will affect your life!
Everybody experiences Circumstances, consequences, and sometimes, crisis. But don’t let these shake your faith. Take up the shield and have an immoveable, unshakeable, unstoppable faith.