The Shield of Faith

I learn something this week, or should I say that I was reminded of something this week. What ever it was, learning something new, or just deepening of old knowledge, I needed the thing.

This week was not the easiest one that I can remember. Funny thing is that the work load was not to heavy. I even was able to get back to all my excising and other thing more ministry and spiritually related that had stop for the crazy week of pre-Easter! But, despite this, it was tough!

Friday night after a long swimming, and a even longer time talking to my wife I figured it out. Saturday evening turned out great after I had the chance to study my thoughts out from the Bible. Here is what I learned.

Somewhere during the beginning of the week I stopped using my Shield of Faith.
Ephesians 6:16 "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked".

It seems amazing to me the times Satan seems to attack. There are the normal day to day attacks, but it seems as if he likes to attack most during two different times. First, when a person is weak and sickly. Second when a person has just had a victory or miracle.

Sunday was one of those great victory days. Five people baptized, great services, good activities on Monday. It was like a Goliath had fallen and everyone was standing around jumping for joy. Sometimes these time of rejoicing can be dangerous.

Here I was jumping up and down, shouting about the victory, not thinking that I had raised my shield and sword up over my head. Here I was cheering over the victory, paying not attention to the enemy soldiers that were left. At this moment the enemy show it. Bulls eye! I am sure he thought, "Lets try and shoot a couple of arrows in there and see if they might hit something"!

Tuesday came around and with it came arrows of doubt, fear, anger, frustration. It was like a endless on slot of little thoughts that where meant to smolder and burn. See, Satan knows that if he can get your faith, he will dampen your hope, and if he dampen your hope, he can stop your love.

In-attention is a great way for a soldier to get killed. Well, that is what happened to me this week. It took me a couple of hard experiences and times of quite to figure out what was going on, but finally I figured it out.

I thought, I have been doing everything right. Reading, praying, obeying, but why did I feel so weak and fearful! I had forgot faith, above everything else I had forgot to hold hold it. Little by little I let the devil knock it out of my hand.

See, faith and fear can never live together. They are incompatible. I am not saying that a person that has faith, never fears, NO! But faith pushes out fear and as it grows fear reduces. One most always be in control. Either I am ruled by fear, or I am ruled by faith.

Well, finally on Saturday night I figured it out. I had not been fighting the battle the right way. I forgot to quench those darts of discouragement, fear, and doubt with faith.

Where did that faith come from? Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God". I did not have faith to quince the fire, because I was not really listening to the word. I was reading it, praying it, but not really hearing it!

A person is always listening to something, if it is not God's faith building words, it will be Satan's doubt giving accusations. Once I saw this, God let me fix the problem. I got out the word and listened to it!

After just about an hour of reading and study about faith, the shield was back and ready. The fires were quenched. I learned that weather in victory or failure, keep the shield in place. Weather a person is tired from long times of fighting or elated over victory, they need to see the important of keeping a firm grip on the faith God gives them through the promises of God. They need to read them, claim them, and believe them!