Passage of the Day:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, Ephesians 6:10-16.
Reflection:
A keynote speaker from a college retreat said something profound that I have never forgotten. Speaking about his own faith journey, he mentioned that the closer he got to God, the more the Holy Spirit revealed his own imperfections and sins. Meanwhile, during times of disobedience and rebellion, the further he drifted away from the Lord, the better he felt about himself. Perhaps, this is one of the schemes the apostle Paul is referring to in his letter to the Church at Ephesus. By removing and Bible and prayer from public education in the early 1960’s, children in the United States no longer have a spiritual measuring stick to keep egos in check. Like a shield on a spaceship in a science fiction film, once this loses power it can no longer protect this craft. When faith is not built upon the Word of God, Romans 10:17, the shield of faith becomes ineffective.
Prayerful Action:
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people, Ephesians 6:17-18.
Fueling Your Faith this Spiritual Season:
During my final 5 years as a high school Bible teacher, I displayed a large poster featuring each piece of the armor of God in my classroom. This Roman military uniform was not optional. Rather, this mandatory outfit served a specific purpose. The belt of truth secured the breastplate of righteousness in place and kept it from falling off. The shoes contained spikes underneath to provide a firm base of support, digging in to prepare for oncoming attackers. When the enemy began their aerial barrage, soldiers hid behind the shield of faith which was coated in fireproof liquid to extinguish flaming arrows. Many of today’s battles are invisible, occurring in the spiritual dimension. When Christians don’t put on this spiritual attire before leaving home, faith can and will fail. Today serves as a wakeup call to find and take up the shield of faith.
Song of the Day:
Final Thoughts:
Cain was one of the many individuals from the Old Testament who did not know about the shield of faith. May we all learn from Cain’s mistake in Genesis 4:7-8 so that thoughts of evil aren’t acted upon. Then, the shield of faith can become an important part of your daily wardrobe.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 