God Is Our Shield
By Cobblestone Road Ministries
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Proverbs 30:5 - Every word of God is pure: he is a
shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Ephesians 6:12 - For
we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.
As Christians, we are in a spiritual
battle with an enemy known as the devil!
Ephesians chapter 6:10-17, speaks
of the armor that is given to the Believer. In this article, we are going to
examine how the Lord is our Shield and how our faith in Him is our shield.
Ephesians 6:16 - Above
all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all
the fiery darts of the wicked.
The Christian life is not a walk through
the daisies. Just as soldiers must walk through territories
where the enemy is hiding, so must the Christian walk. Our enemy, the
devil, lies in wait for us. He is hiding behind every side, throwing fiery
arrows at us. We are given a spiritual armor in which to fight this battle. We
are to stand in our spiritual armor, which is Christ Jesus. THE LORD is our
shield. The Lord is our Deliverer. The Lord is our protection for we have put
our trust in Him.
The Bible tells us to take up the shield
of faith. Faith in the Lord is what we need in this battle-- Not faith in a
pastor, not faith in your local church but faith in Jesus. Your pastor might
let you down, your church may let you down, but Jesus will never let you down.
Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, "...lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
Who is Jesus to you? Faith in the Lord will
get us through the troubles of this life. Faith in the Lord is what we need for
He will protect us from ALL the fiery darts of the devil. We must not put our
confidence in man, for man will make mistakes. But our faith must be in the
Lord, who will shield us from the enemy and will deliver us from the enemy.
"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we
forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
WHEN TROUBLES COME OUR WAY
Many times, Christians tend to go to
everyone but the Lord when troubles come.
Psalm 28:7 - The LORD is my strength and my
shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
Our faith must be in Christ Jesus. He is
our Intercessor and Mediator between God and man. 1 Timothy 2:5 - For there is one God, and one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Ephesians
Romans 5:1,2 – Therefore being justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have
access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God.
Psalm 115:9 - O
The Lord truly is our shield and He
shelters us in the dangers of this life. It doesn't mean that we shall not have
danger but He protects us from the enemy's snare in the midst of the battles of
our life. Jesus never promised us a life without trouble. He said in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto
you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation:
but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD
The Lord works all things out for our
good, and if we believe this, we will not get discouraged when troubles come
our way, for our faith is planted firmly in Him. Romans
Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us,
and if we would only trust in Him-- put our faith in Him in all matters, we
would see that He has our best interests at heart.
Galatians
Sometimes, we do not know what is best for
us, but God knows and when we pray for the Heavenly Father's will in our lives,
we see that His will is best for us in the long run. He alone knows the future
and He will see us through whatever hard times come our way.
1 John
Colosians 3:17 - And
whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God and the Father by him.
As Christians, we have seen the Lord's
hand in our own lives so many times. When we pray for the Father's will, He
hears us. "Thy will be done..."
John 15:16 - Ye have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that
your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my
name, he may give it you.
Luke 12:27-28 - [Jesus said] Consider
the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you,
that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so
clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the
oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong and of a good courage,
fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go
with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Psalm 115:11 - Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the
LORD: he is their help and their shield.
When we pray according to the Father's
will, he hears us. The Lord will help us through every battle that we face.
Remember we have the shield of faith for protection because WE ARE IN A
BE SOBER, BE VIGILANT
1 Peter 5:8-9 - Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh
about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions
are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
A soldier who lets his shield down in the
midst of the battle was a soldier unprotected from enemy arrows and unprotected
from the enemy's sword. A soldier without a shield was a vulnerable soldier.
And so is the Christian who has lost hope and lost faith in their God. Remember
that whatever rough battle you are going through at the moment, God is your
shield. Put your faith in Him to see you through and do not lose heart.
Mark
Ephesians 5:19-20 - Speaking to yourselves in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ;
God uses circumstances in our lives to
bring us closer to Him and to a better place spiritually. He also uses
situations that can bring us earthly blessings too. When you pray, believe God.
Put your hope in Him.
The late Pastor John R. Rice wrote:
"Having faith about a particular matter means confidence that there is
a God and believes that He hears and answers prayer...One cannot know God
except as he comes to know this blessed attribute of His -- He is a God who
hears prayers."
WE SHOULD NEVER DOUBT THE LORD
Deuteronomy 31:8 - And
the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not
fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
One may lose his current job and question,
"Why Lord?" but what this Christian does not know is that his
particular place of employment will be closing shop next year. By him losing
his job, God is able to provide him with a more secure place of employment
where there is job security. So what may look hopeless in the beginning turns
out to be a blessing in the end, but the devil would have you to think that God
has abandoned you. The devil is always trying to discourage the Christian by
causing doubt. 2
Corinthians
We should never doubt the Lord. Where He
leads us, we will follow for we have put our trust in Him. We read God's Word
and by reading His Word, we have faith in Him.
Romans
Romans
1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for
he careth for you.
Psalm
Sometimes, we get in our comfort zone and
do not want to venture out into the path that the Lord wants to lead us on. We
settle down in a routine or a job and think, "This is the life." But
God has even a better plan. If only we would follow His leading and be in tune
with what He wants for us. The Lord knows what is best for His children and we,
as His children, need to trust Him more. He knows what is best. He has a plan
and no matter what comes our way, Jesus is our loving Good Shepherd who leads
us and guides us. Our faith must be in Him. He is our shield in times of
trouble and confusion.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Jude 1:20 - But
ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the
Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
We are all traveling this cobblestone road
of life together and God is going before us each and every step of the way. The
most wonderful thing about fellowship and prayer with other Christian Believers
is that all can put their shields of faith together, creating a wall and a roof
of protection during the devil's attack.
Ephesians 4:32 - And
be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God
for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Galatians 6:2 - Bear ye one
another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
As with any army, there is strength in numbers but the army is only as good as
the weapons they possess. The Christian must have the shield of faith-- faith
in Christ.
Psalm
KEEPING OUR EYES UPON JESUS
The LORD truly is our shield and our faith
in Him is also our shield in times of trouble. Keeping our eyes on Jesus
will help us to see more clearly the path before us-- for He alone lights our
path. Jesus is the Light of the world. Our faith in Him shields us from the
enemy's snare. Don't let doubt creep into your life-- trust in the Lord -- for
only He can do the impossible!
Hebrews 11:6 - But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him.
Psalm 84:11 - For the LORD God is a sun and
shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from
them that walk uprightly.
FURTHER
What does this exactly mean? In times
past, a shield was used by soldiers in times of battle. One did not walk around
with a shield in peace times. It was in battle that the shield was used as a
DEFENSIVE piece of armor, crucial for the soldier's survival. The shield was
held up against the body to protect oneself from the enemy's offensive weapons.
GOD IS OUR SHIELD
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