
Ephesians 6:10-16. NLT
The Whole Armor of God
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put 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 Stand 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.
Hebrews 11:1 Amplified
Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
Faith is knowing who God is, what His character is, and the confidence of how He will respond to you and I. The confidence that what God has promised is already yours.
HOLD UP the shield of faith:
We have to put the shield into position deliberately.
Faith isn’t blind faith. Faith is having heard the truth, researched & learned who God is, and knowing who God is and what He’s promised
Romans 10:17 New King James Version
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
You can’t have faith about something, if you don’t know what God said about that thing.
SHIELD of Faith - BOTH offensive and the defensive
DEFENSIVE:
Ephesians 6:16 The Passion
In every battle, take faith as your wrap-around shield, for it is able to extinguish the blazing arrows coming at you from the evil one!
What are Fiery or blazing arrows?
Biblically, this is what they represent.
- Doubt
- Fear
- Lies of the enemy
- Discontentment
- Any hindrance to our spiritual growth
The enemy will try to take from you, what God has spoken over you!
Mark 4:14-15 NLT
The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.
Faith is believing that what God said He would do for you, He will actually do. Satan’s strategy is to challenge that belief so you waver.
Kenneth Copeland “Satan can’t steal your stuff, he can only steal the Word from you. He can’t steal your health, till he’s stolen your belief that God is your healer.”
FAITH is what shuts down the thief. It’s enforcing our rights and privileges as God’s kids. It’s standing our ground and not allowing Him to take what’s ours.
OFFENSIVE:
There’s a great story about Abraham. At 100 years old, he had no children, but God declared over him that he would be the father of many nations.
How did that come to pass? By using Faith as an OFFENSIVE weapon.
Romans 4:17-21 The Passion
17 That’s what the Scripture means when it says:“I have made you the father of many nations.” He is our example and father, for in God’s presence he believed that God can raise the dead and call into being things that don’t even exist yet. 18 Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it. He took God at his word, and as a result he became the father of many nations. God’s declaration over him came to pass: “Your descendants will be so many that they will be impossible to count!”
19 In spite of being nearly one hundred years old when the promise of having a son was made, his faith was so strong that it could not be undermined by the fact that he and Sarah were incapable of conceiving a child. 20–21 He never stopped believing God’s promise, for he was made strong in his faith to father a child. And because he was mighty in faith and convinced that God had all the power needed to fulfill his promises, Abraham glorified God!
Offensive Faith allows you to see what’s impossible in the natural, become possible.
How did Abraham do that?
1) He knew God is a creative God that can make things out of nothing.
- He wasn’t limited by what we can calculate, figure out, or even imagine. He knew God could do ANYTHING.
2) When it looked hopeless, he believed God’s promise over his current circumstances.
3) He took God at His Word.
Sometimes all you’ll have is a Word from God. But a Word from God is enough.
4) He expected it to happen.
- he was pregnant with his promise. Not passive, but expectant!
5) He never gave up believing.
The only place to build your shield of faith is in God’s Word, the Bible. Hearing it, studying it and believing it.
When we band with other Christians, in side by side formation, it strengthens our faith. STAY in faith environments!