Greetings,
A
shield is an indispensible asset to have, particularly when engaging in
extremely dangerous combat situations. In the past, soldiers went out to war
with a sword and a shield. The shield was to ensure that they wouldn't have to
block swords, arrows, and spears with the face and chest. Today police forces
will have SWAT teams that use shields to block bullets. No one wants to block
bullets with their face and chest, even if they do have a helmet or body armor.
Have you ever blocked something with your face? It's not pleasant. Just like
there are shields in the natural, there is also a shield in the spirit. It is
called the shield of faith.
"Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins
girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above
all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the
fiery darts of the wicked. 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, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Ephesians 6:13-18)
A
friend of mine has an interesting story. Due to the fact that it ties in so
perfectly with our study, I am going to provide you with the cliff notes. This
particular testimony helps us to understand the nature of just how the armor of
God works. Understand that by providing this testimony certain assumptions are
being made. The first is that demons are just as real today as they were when
Jesus walked the earth. The second is that the Bible is very clear about what
we as believers are expected to do with our salvation.
"And these signs shall
follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast
out devils; they shall speak with new tongues" (Mark 16:17)
This
friend was conducting a deliverance session with a man that was demonized. A
deliverance session is when an individual receives personal ministry for the
express purpose of breaking demonic strongholds and casting out demons. At one
point the head demon manifested and began speaking through the man's mouth. A
head demon is a spirit that holds authority and control over weaker spirits
that are also at work in a person or situation. My friend (who happens to be an
expert in this area of ministry) was questioning the spirit as to how he
entered the man. During the explanation, the spirit mentioned that the man's
shield (of faith) was extremely small and so it was very easy to get around. The
spirit also mentioned that my friend's shield (of faith) extended from the
floor to the ceiling.
My
friend was successfully able to get this man delivered in the name of Jesus,
but I use this story here to bring out two important points. The first point is
that the demon could only see the armor because in the spirit realm the armor was literal. Both my friend's spirit and the man's
spirit literally had on spiritual armor. As I have shared in previous letters,
while we can glean great lessons by studying out the meaning of the armor, the
fact of the matter is that it literally exists in the spirit realm. The second
point is very interesting. It seems that the effectiveness of the armor we have
is directly related to the type of relationship we share with Jesus. Could it
be that my friend's shield was much larger than the shield of the man he was
delivering? Keeping in mind the source of the information, the only thing I can
say is that it is certainly possible.
In
any case, the Bible distinguishes between different types of faith. Some people
have strong faith and some people have weak faith. The closer we walk with
Jesus, the more real He becomes to us, and the more faith we will have. It's
pretty simple. Due to the fact that my friend had a very close walk with Jesus,
his shield of faith was very effective. The man he was ministering to, on the
other hand, had weak faith.
"Him that is weak in the faith
receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations" (Romans 14:1)
You
may be reading this letter and realizing that your faith tends towards he weak
end of the spectrum. If so there is a solution to the problem! The Bible says
that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). When
we begin to hear (and read) what the Bible says about what God can do, we are
hearing by the Word of God. When we enter into prayer and begin to hear the
Word of God ministering to our spirit, we are also hearing by the Word of God.
This activity will grow our faith.
As
our faith grows it becomes a shield against the attacks of the enemy. Instead
of fighting like Rocky (who blocked punches with his face) we will begin
fighting like a professional SWAT team in the spirit. After our battles, we
won't be a bloody mess. Doesn't that sound nice!
The
Bible says that the shield of faith quenches the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Other translations render this as fiery arrows. These spiritual weapons can
take many forms in the natural. They can come as groundless accusations,
unexpected job loss, betrayal, rejection, discouragement, and a broken marriage.
However these fiery darts manifest, their purpose is to be an offensive
maneuver. They either wound us and keep us out of the spiritual fight, or force
us to fight at a severe disadvantage. For this reason, the Bible says
"above all else" take up the shield of faith.
When
we maintain our faith we rise above the circumstances that we are faced with.
We have the ability to replace rejection in the natural with the spiritual fact
that we are accepted in the beloved (Ephesians 1:6). We have the ability to
overcome unexpected job loss because we have confidence that God will provide
our every need (Philippians 4:19). We easily overcome groundless accusations
because we have faith that we have been justified by the grace of God (Romans
3:24). Faith allows our supernatural inheritance in Christ to overpower our
natural circumstances. This is why we need to take up the shield of faith.
A
final point regarding the shield of faith the word translated as shield. It is
the Greek word is thureos and it denotes a very large shield. It was large enough to completely shield
an entire body ducked behind it (something like 4 feet by 2 feet). It contained
an outer layer of leather that was treated with oil and water so that if fiery
arrows struck the shield the fire would be quickly extinguished. Furthermore,
when a group of soldiers were trapped under enemy fire they would create a
circle, protecting themselves with the shields. Those that were in the middle
of the circle would hold their shields above their heads creating an
impenetrable fortress of defense. The lesson: our faith isn't only for us, it's
for our brothers and sisters in Christ with whom we are fighting side-by-side.
Your words of faith spoken into the life of a struggling brother or sister in
Christ can make all the difference.
