The Shield of Faith

Of all the things we can carry, a shield is of utmost importance. We have already seen that we are under attack, even if we don’t know it or recognize it. And although a shield is static unless we wield it, just carrying it helps because it reminds us of the NEED to be ready to use it!

So how does this shield of faith work, and how do we get it?

Trust is how it works. We trust the Lord to protect us, even when we aren’t sure of our own faith. We see this in the story Mark records, of the father who goes to Jesus for his son to be healed. Healed of what we can speculate if we must, but Scripture says it was a demonic possession, so we trust the Scriptures that it was indeed that. He was scared and very probably had nagging doubts, doubts that were being whispered in his ear. Jesus knew and understood, so in what I think is one of the greatest requests ever made, he asked Jesus  ‘…I do believe; help my unbelief!’ And Jesus did. Because he admitted his fears and doubts but also that he knew and trusted in the Lord.

So how do we GET this shield? In the book of Romans, Paul tells us the simplest way. It comes from hearing the word of God. But ‘hearing’ doesn’t necessarily mean listening to someone. It helps, sure. But the best, most assured way is to listen to God. Not sitting around waiting for God to knock on your door and ask if you have time for a ‘chat’. He has already done that. He gave us His Word. We open our Bibles and read-‘hearing’ the word of God. And to keep that shield in good order we need to be doing this on a daily basis. We open our Bibles and read. Study. Talk about it with other Christians so that our faith is strengthened. But it means we actually DO read for ourselves, lest we be drawn away and our faith corrupted as Jude warns us about. We need to KNOW what the scripture says, for that is where our faith rests. In the Word of the Most High God.

Scripture:

Ephesians 6:1

Mark 9:17-2

Romans 10:17

Jude 2-4

Prayer: Father, please help strengthen my faith. Let me be strong enough to admit that sometimes I don’t have the faith I need, but rest in the assurance that if I ask, read and immerse myself in Your word, it will come!