Via TJC
“no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.” Isaiah 54:17 (ESV)
“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;” Ephesians 6:16
We are looking at the Armor of God this week. The first 3 pieces of armor (Belt, Breastplate, Shoes), these we are to put on daily. The next 3 pieces (Shield, Helmet, Sword), we are to take up as needed.
The physical shield from Ephesians 6 is a large shield, not a small one. Like the picture above, the physical shield is large enough to also protect those close to you.
For this author, this past week has been hard, working very well over quite long hours to meet tight deadlines for multiple folks needing vital support, all at the same time. And then came (spiritually) an accusation. Ouch, that felt just like a fiery dart. Then another, ouch. And another, ouch. These “fiery darts” initially came a few at a time. I asked the Lord, is there anything I missed? The answer was, “No, these are from the accuser of the brethren.”
It was clearly time to take up my own Shield of Faith.
The ouch … ouch .. ouch then turned into tink … tink … tink (as most of the accusations were extinguished on the shield), which quickly became tink-tink-tink-tink tink-tink, as the onslaught became a flurry. I had to hunker down behind the shield, quoting scripture and hanging on to faith. This flurry went on for ~20-30 minutes. I didn’t come out unscathed, afterward needing healing for my body & soul, but would have been devastated if not quickly getting behind the Shield of Faith.
Fortunately, from prior practice, I was able to raise up this armor when needed.
Standing Battle Order: Daily choose to put on your belt, breastplate, and shoes.
Daily Battle Order: First, consider how you would take up your own Shield of Faith.
Second, how do you take up your Shield of Faith to protect those close to you. Discuss with someone close to you how you can lead and protect your own family.
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