The Shield of Faith

There are times in our lives where we feel we are most alone, most vulnerable, and most fragile. It is in these times when we feel everything, think over everything, assess everything, critique everything, and summing everything we did, judge ourselves worthless. Then the question of faith comes into the picture. What is the difference between faith and delusion? This is the question asked in our generation, consciously or not. Amidst the changes of science and of philosophy, the 21st century mindset has shunned God and sought personal glorification.

Psychology drives a person into thinking that he should seek higher goals, attain greater things, and live his life to the fullest he can, by his own hands, with the help of people he loves, and live for the improvement of society as a whole. The Bible on the other hand, teaches that we should first be weak, to be strong; be poor in order to gain riches; to die, in order to live.These things are eternal truths that have been hidden in the back-shelves of our minds, hearts, and spirit.

My heart grieves for the world, and me being in it. Why is it so hard to lay everything down and just accept God, Jesus! as Lord and Savior? Why do we often think and use our own foolish intellect to fathom God's? Why do we have to guard our hearts against Jesus instead of offering it to the One Who gave it to us? Are we that full of ourselves?

In Ephisians, Paul talks of God's Armor:

¹⁰ A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴ Sta

nd your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

~Ephesians 6:10-18, NLT

Here we can see the shield of faith that God wants us to arm ourselves with, to cover and protect us so as to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Satan's arrows shoot at us daily, confusing us, causing pain, suffering, and discord among us. The enemy lurks at our weakest and lowest point and the starts aiming and shooting at us with great accuracy. We should therefore remember that the only thing that can save us from the missile of the serpent is faith and at all cost, this faith should never be shaken.

We may think that we should put on the saving faith we have in Christ, never relinquishing it and sustaining it daily with His Word (What good is a shield without a sword right?:D ). Yes that can be one understanding of it.

I recently read a commentary about Psalm 91 that gave me an insight, by the grace of God, to another viewpoint regarding this. Let me quote the verse in mind:

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

~Psalm 91:4, NLT

Here the psalmist delivers God's promise of protection. Whose faithfulness is our shield? It is God's. I would like to think that in our struggles and trials, as we carry alongside us the shield of faith, it is God's blessed assurance of His faithfulness that we arm ourselves with. I would like to think that instead of our own growing faith, it is God Himself in His faithfulness that protects us from the arrows of the devil and keeps us safe in His Divine care.

Our lives are indeed full of difficult situations where we can easily put God second-place in our life. Our faith wavers during adversity. But God's faithfulness is firm and unshakable. He is always there for us, on time and not a second too late. Of course our faith in Him is of great value. And I also think that it should always be all about God, and how He cares for those He has set apart for His own purpose and glory.

Today is Good Friday. Praise be to God for the Cross at Calvary and the forgiveness of our sins when He said, "It is finished!"