Protecting Faith

The Shield of Faith

Withal taking up the shield of faith— Eph_6:16 (R.V.)

The Power That Protects Us

The armor of the ancients was of two different kinds, and both kinds were absolutely necessary. It was partly armor for attack and partly armor for protection. Now very generally, in the New Testament, faith is one of the weapons of attack (1Jo_5:4). We see that magnificently illustrated in the pageant of the eleventh of Hebrews. But here, and it may be only here, Paul looks on faith in quite another light, for he sets it among the armor of protection. Faith is not here the power that leads to victory; it is the power that protects us in the battle. It keeps us unembittered and serene amid the mysteries and buffetings of life. To believe that love is on the throne and that through everything there runs a loving purpose is in the deepest of all senses to be shielded.

How effectual that shielding is, is shown by the apostle's choice of words. An exquisite and unfailing niceness of selection is the real meaning of verbal inspiration. There are two words in the Greek tongue for shield the one is common and the other rare. The one connotes a little shield or target; the other a frame that covered the whole man. And it is notable that only here nowhere else, I mean, in the New Testament is the latter word employed. Faith is not a partial protection; it casts its defense over the whole of life. It is a means of safety for the intellect, as surely as for the passions of the heart. It guards the feet when they are prone to wander, and the hands when they are growing weary, and the eyes when they are drawn to what is wrong. The shield of faith is an all-embracing shelter. It is coextensive with our being. Faith in God through our Lord Jesus Christ is nothing less than a universal safeguard. All was choicely shown to the Ephesians by the word which the apostle used when he bade them take up the shield of faith.

Faith Is Given to Guard Life in Everything; Not from Everything.

But if faith be a protecting shield, what then of the apostle's own experience? So far from being defended from life's ills, he knew them all in an abounding measure. He was not protected from cold or heat or hunger, nor from shipwreck, nor from the hand of robbers (2Co_11:1-33). He was not protected from bodily infirmity, for he suffered from his lacerating thorn (2Co_12:1-21). Everything that makes life bitter was mingled in the cup of the apostle, and yet he dares to speak of faith's protection. I think there are many who have still to learn that faith was never intended for exemption. Faith is not given to guard the life from anything; it is given to guard the life in everything. It empowers one to bear, and to bear cheerfully, what otherwise would break the heart and darken the loving ordering of God. To pass through the very worst that life can bring, undismayed in soul, and unembittered; to tread the darkest mile and sing in it; never to lose heart, or hope, or love; that is what faith achieved for the apostle and can achieve for every one of us, and that is the shielding power of faith. So was it with our blessed Lord. When He came here, He was offered no exemption. He was a man of sorrows, and He suffered, and He was tempted in all points like as we are. Yet to the end, in a faith that never faltered, He was loving, tranquil, and forgiving and under the cross spoke about His peace.

This Protecting Faith Has to Be Taken Up

One should notice, too, that this protecting faith is one that we require to make our own. In the apostle's words, we have to take it up, in the same way as we take up our cross. There is a faith that is part and parcel of our being. It is ours without any conscious effort. We believe quite naturally when the sower sows his seed that there will be a harvest in the autumn. But to believe, when life is stem, and sorrowful, that God is with us and loves us as a Father, that is not natural to sinful man. We have to take it up, in the apostle's words. We have to summon up the resources of the soul. We have to use our will in a deliberate effort, if such a faith is to be part of life. And it is just there that the Lord Jesus makes all the difference to us in our weakness, for God commendeth His love to us in this, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

Fear and Faith

   

"God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 

How many have watched the TV show fear factor?

The program did remind me that fear is an emotion that we are all very familiar with it. 

One of my fears is of spiders and ticks. 

One time when my Mother was 16, She was resting on a screened in porch. When she opened her eyes, there was a wolf spider spinning a web right to her face. Needless to say, she screamed!  She transferred her fear to me and now I’ve transferred it to Alexus. 

You can transfer fear as well as doubt. 

Would you be willing to conquer your fears to do what Jesus asks you to do?

There is no doubt that fear is no friend of our effectiveness for Christ. We are often fearful about witnessing, giving our money away, saying no to our friends, forgiving a cruel offense, or risking being misunderstood if we speak up for biblical values. If Satan can get us focused on fear, he doesn't have to do much else to shut down our spiritual progress and usefulness.

So, let’s talk about what it takes to succeed for Jesus in the face of fear.

Let’s remind ourselves that fear primarily focuses on protecting and preserving “me.” Once you and I realize that a self-surpassing passion for others and that Jesus trumps FEAR, we can understand why the apostle John wrote that love casts out all fear.

(1 John 4:18). 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

But loving can often feel too risky. That’s why we need another ingredient to release the power of the love that conquers fear. That ingredient is TRUST. Trusting that God will protect you when you are fearful, that God will reward you when you feel at risk, that God will give you guidance and courage when you feel lost and intimidated is what it takes to defeat the fear that holds you back. 

Are you afraid that when you love you will become vulnerable, misunderstood, taken advantage of, or misused?                                                                                                   

Trust God to watch over you, and meet your needs, and give you His best, and those fears will become increasingly nonexistent. When our lives are characterized by a  trust-filled love, fear ultimately will not be a fear-factor.

You wouldn't think so, but

Fear and faith have something in common, they both ask you to believe that something is going to happen.

Fear says:  The pain in your chest is the same thing that killed your Mom or Dad, and your going to die from the same thing. TD. Jakes, at age 48 had a heart attack while driving his car, and he said these words “I guess I’m going to die like my Father died”. 

Faith says: The Holy Ghost came upon him and he stopped his car and got out and started coming against the devil and says “I WILL NOT DIE” he stopped the generational cruse that had followed his life. He faced his Fathers Devil and conquered him that day, and he did not die!!!!!

Fear says: The economy is so bad, and I feel like I will never get ahead in life.

Faith says: The Lord supplies all my needs!! Phil 4:19 My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!!

Walt Disney is an example of someone that didn't let economy or money come in the way of his dream. He filed bankruptcy three times before he created Disney World. Look what it is today! 

Fear says: You've done to many bad things, you will never be accepted by anyone.

Faith says: God is my best friend and He will never leave me. He accepts me, and he wants me to use my past to help others so they don’t have to go down the same path.

See, fear activates the (devil) and Faith activates (God).  they do the same thing but just the opposite. 

Whatever you meditate on is what is going to take root in your spirit. If you dwell on negative things all the time, you give fear the right to be in you.  The enemy will have a legal right to make what you say, come to past. Prov 18:21  Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Story:   When I was sixteen and my parents were in another state at General Assembly, I was staying with family. We received word that my parents had gotten in an accident and were killed. Talking about fear, it gripped me so strong, and I went kinda crazy for a little while, until we heard from my parents and they were ok. That moment was temporary, but it did something to my soul. I had a hard time when my parents left me with family from that point on. Situations like that mark us, and only God can heal those wounds in our souls.  

Story: Living in fear for six years, afraid all the time that I was going to be beat again or worse. Every day was a new battle and a new demon I had to fight. Alcoholism, Bi-Polar (undiagnosed) was just a few things I faced that only my Son and I saw and had to live in. God was there the whole time, and he always lead me to people that were Christians to help me cope with the abuse. Fear kept me there, but my faith lead me out!

Hebrews 13:5-6

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."  So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

YOUR JOURNEY…

• What does God want you to do, but you are afraid of doing?

• What did David say he would do in the face of fear? Are you ready to do the same?

• In Psalm 56:3, 3  When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Words from the Lord:

Behold I stand, waiting.

Lay heed I say to you, the days are shortened.

Many will not be ready.

Do not wait, do not wait.

Take heed that you are ready.

Take heed I say, seek me now!! Souls!

There are souls waiting to learn of Me. Souls, Souls.

Lean on me I say, Believe.

Seek me with your whole heart. 

I know the plans I have for you. Be still and know that I am the Great I AM. See that you are ready.

Soon I will come. Fresh wind. Those chains that bind you, I shall break. Soon I will come in like a fire.

Keep my word. You will know I am He!

I will show myself to you. Great power! Soon!

Verbal Pollution

What a frustrating problem pollution is! Everybody suffers with it, yet everybody contributes to it.

Pollution takes many forms, but one type is often overlooked. Charles Swindoll calls it “verbal pollution,” passed around by grumblers, complainers, and criticizers. “The poison of pessimism,” Swindoll writes, “creates an atmosphere of wholesale negativism where nothing but the bad side of everything is emphasized.”

A group of Christian friends became concerned about this form of pollution and their personal part in it. So they made a pact to avoid critical words for a whole week. They were surprised to find how little they spoke! As they continued the experiment, they actually had to relearn conversation skills.

In Ephesians 4, Paul called believers to that sort of decisive action. He said we are to “put off” the old self and its conduct that grieves the Holy Spirit (v.22,30) and “put on” the new self that builds up others (v.24). As we rely on the help of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), we can make those changes in our conduct, our thinking, and our speaking.

If we want to be rid of verbal pollution, we must choose to change and ask for God’s help. It’s a great way to start cleaning up our spiritual environment.

uninhibited worship