Shield and Sword!
Verse for Today: Saturday, September 14, 2013
Ephesians 6:11 – Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
It is imperative that all soldiers wear the armor in order to fight the enemy. The armor is part of the preparedness for war. If there is any laxity in it, the war will end up in defeat. If this is so important in the wars of the world, how much more is it true of spiritual warfare! The enemy of our soul is far more powerful than any of the ammunition of this world and so requires thorough preparation and proper uniform which is part of the whole armor of God. It is also important that the whole armor is used by the Christian soldiers and that no part is ignored or given less importance. Wearing the whole armor is an indication of total dependence on the Commander-in-chief. It is important to remember that our enemy will not appear directly, but will only send his secret arrows to defeat us. His secret, but discreet arrows include anxiety, fear, doubt, confusion and unbelief. To combat these subtle weapons, we desperately need to use the Word of God (Sword) and faith (shield) among other weapons. Faith is the strong shield which can withstand the piercing of the darts of the enemy to discourage us. The Word is the foundation for faith and it emerges from the promises of God. Faith helps us to put our trust in the power of gospel of peace and God’s righteousness which keeps our spiritual mind at ease and rest. The enemy tries to weaken us through unbelief and mistrust in the Word and its promises and his success depends on how much he can keep the Word away from us. But the solider of Jesus Christ must hold fast the Word abreast and keep meditating on it day and night. God expects us to depend on His energy to fight for Him so that we would become victorious.
Dear friend, are you feeling intimidated by the darts of doubt, confusion, anxiety and fear that the enemy sends your way? Are you afraid of these annihilating arrows? But there is no need to be afraid of these fiery arrows of the enemy because you have a bulwark of a shield to destroy all the arrows of the enemy. All you have to do is to put on the shield of faith all the time. If you hold on to the Word which is the Sword, it will give you greater trust in God’s shield of faith. It thus gives you necessary courage and confidence to face the arrows of the enemy because all the fiery darts will get itself destroyed when they hit the shield and the breastplate. When you are covered by the breastplate of righteousness, the dart of accusations and false allegations of the enemy will not penetrate you. The enemy knows well that he cannot distract and defeat a child of God who gives preeminence to the Word. That’s why the enemy gets uncomfortable when God’s children read and meditate on the Word. It is the Word that reminds us about the need to put on the whole armor of God and declare our readiness to the battle we are called for. The enemy attacked Abraham with unbelief, David with discouragement, Nehemiah with false accusations, Jeremiah with persecution and Peter with threats. But they all got victory through the promises of God given in His Word. Let us today meet the challenge of the enemy with ardent faith in the Word and the Lord to fight the good fight and finish our course.
Nehemiah 4:17 – Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon with the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked.
Thought for Today
God’s soldiers with God’s armor fighting God’s battle will celebrate victory with God.
Prayer for Today
Dear Lord Jesus: Teach me to be a committed and faithful soldier to wear and make use of Your whole armor in the battle against the forces of evil. Amen!
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