Ephesians 6:16
Above all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith you shall be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Above all, meaning remember this first and foremost, prioritize your armor with this piece of equipment. Never leave the armory without it.
Faith in God is priority number one. And since we have faith in God, since we trust in Him for everything, we can also believe (have faith) in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, Who died on the cross for our sins, saving us from the punishments of death, hell, the grave and eternal damnation in the lake of fire. We who have believed on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation have a better reward waiting for us in heaven.
This Faith is paramount to our success in the spiritual realm of warfare. It is believing that God not only hears our prayers, but is right here beside us. As He tells us in His Word, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."
~Moses speaking to the Israelites: Deuteronomy 31:6
~The Lord speaking to Joshua: Joshua 1:5
~God's promise of deliverance and salvation spoken through Isaiah to the Israelites: Isaiah 41:10
~Paul writing to the Hebrews, the Jewish nation who were exiled to Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (cf. 2 Peter 3:15 and 1 Peter 1:1-2)
Because The Word of God is Alive, Living, we know that It is also thriving and spreading throughout the world even now, accomplishing It's goal of being brought to every nation, culture, and, specifically language: 'Til The Whole World Hears.
We take up our shield of faith with our hands in prayer and feet on the ground, and we spread the gospel message in every land. First within our own homes, then our neighborhoods, then our communities, then our towns, our cities, our counties, our states, our countries, our nations.
We take our shield of faith into our churches, our schools, our governments, our workplaces. Onward with the goal of upward, we mobilize our forces with the confidence that the perfect will of God will be accomplished by God through us.
We do not take up weapons of warfare in the physical sense, which would maim and kill the body, condemning the lost souls to hell. For we are learning to use our spiritual weapons, weapons not made by hands, but by The Word of God. Weapons that overcome the enemies of the souls we are praying for. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31. That's faith.
Our shield of faith is The Lord Jesus Christ ~ Psalm 28:7 "The LORD is My Strength and My Shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song." Proverbs 30:5 "Every Word of God is flawless; He is a Shield to those who take refuge in Him." Psalm 18:2 "The LORD is My Rock, My Fortress, and My Deliverer. My God is My Rock, in Whom I take refuge, My Shield, and The Horn of My Salvation, My Stronghold."
How can we fail when we take The Lord Jesus Christ with us into every spiritual battle?! We can't. We can't fail. When He is with us, we know that we have already defeated the enemy in battle, and we rejoice in the victory that is ours.
Come, join me in taking up our shields of faith. Let us enter the fields of spiritual warfare in which our God has placed us, that we may reap a harvest of souls for His glory, His honor, His praise!
