Daily Devotionals
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 (Paula)
We are going to talk about the shield of faith today.
In the New Testament, Paul uses the imagery of something that would have been familiar to the people in Ephesus. The armor of a Roman soldier!
The city of Ephesus was part of the Roman Empire. When encouraging the believers in this area, Paul illustrated the importance of putting on “divine armor” to take a stand in this world.
I’m here this morning to reacquaint you with one particular item mentioned in the “Full Armor of God” of Ephesians 6.
Verse 16 says,
“Above all, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
You’re going to need your shield of faith today, Sister!
Wouldn’t you like to not only defend yourself against enemy attacks, but actually EXTINGUISH every flaming arrow the enemy tries to shoot your direction?
Think about it, fiery arrows may not seem like much, but can become the cause of complete disaster. Fire is destructive and consuming. It devastates both things and people, as it brings about chaos and injury.
Paul explains the supernatural empowerment that occurs when a believer uses their shield of faith.
Those little arrows and darts from the enemy come to attack us in the form of:
Insults
Temptations
Set backs
Disappointments
Loss
Frustrations
Doubts
Hurt
Without protection, arrows can strike into the heart or emotions and set human passions and sufferings ablaze!
If you’ve studied the armor of God, you have learned that to prepare for battle, soldiers would actually soak their shields in water ahead of time. The shields were constructed of layers of wood and covered with a layer of leather (hide). Before battle, soldiers soaked their shields in water because they knew the enemy would be shooting fire bearing arrows in their direction. If a shield was dry, it was possible for it to be set on fire when struck. This would cause them to let go of the shield and be further exposes to enemy attack. But if this vital piece of armor was water soaked, the flames would be extinguished, even if an arrow penetrated its surface.
How does this relate to us?
In Ephesians 5:26, the Word of God is likened to water. So as we regularly submit ourselves to reading and studying our Bibles, we soak our faith with the Word, just as a soldier soaked their shields with water. This is what extinguishes the flames…FAITH soaked in the Word of God.
This is not a time to drop any parts of our armor. It’s a time to hold our shield of faith high so we can continue to stand and move forward!
Take time to soak your faith in the Word of God today. Don’t wait. Allow the water of the Word to saturate your faith. If the enemy tries to launch a surprise attack on you —your health, your finances, your marriage, your children, your family, your church, your business, or your job— may he find that his fiery darts have no impact on your Word soaked faith shield.
Better Together,
Paula
In the New Testament, Paul uses the imagery of something that would have been familiar to the people in Ephesus. The armor of a Roman soldier!
The city of Ephesus was part of the Roman Empire. When encouraging the believers in this area, Paul illustrated the importance of putting on “divine armor” to take a stand in this world.
I’m here this morning to reacquaint you with one particular item mentioned in the “Full Armor of God” of Ephesians 6.
Verse 16 says,
“Above all, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
You’re going to need your shield of faith today, Sister!
Wouldn’t you like to not only defend yourself against enemy attacks, but actually EXTINGUISH every flaming arrow the enemy tries to shoot your direction?
Think about it, fiery arrows may not seem like much, but can become the cause of complete disaster. Fire is destructive and consuming. It devastates both things and people, as it brings about chaos and injury.
Paul explains the supernatural empowerment that occurs when a believer uses their shield of faith.
Those little arrows and darts from the enemy come to attack us in the form of:
Insults
Temptations
Set backs
Disappointments
Loss
Frustrations
Doubts
Hurt
Without protection, arrows can strike into the heart or emotions and set human passions and sufferings ablaze!
If you’ve studied the armor of God, you have learned that to prepare for battle, soldiers would actually soak their shields in water ahead of time. The shields were constructed of layers of wood and covered with a layer of leather (hide). Before battle, soldiers soaked their shields in water because they knew the enemy would be shooting fire bearing arrows in their direction. If a shield was dry, it was possible for it to be set on fire when struck. This would cause them to let go of the shield and be further exposes to enemy attack. But if this vital piece of armor was water soaked, the flames would be extinguished, even if an arrow penetrated its surface.
How does this relate to us?
In Ephesians 5:26, the Word of God is likened to water. So as we regularly submit ourselves to reading and studying our Bibles, we soak our faith with the Word, just as a soldier soaked their shields with water. This is what extinguishes the flames…FAITH soaked in the Word of God.
This is not a time to drop any parts of our armor. It’s a time to hold our shield of faith high so we can continue to stand and move forward!
Take time to soak your faith in the Word of God today. Don’t wait. Allow the water of the Word to saturate your faith. If the enemy tries to launch a surprise attack on you —your health, your finances, your marriage, your children, your family, your church, your business, or your job— may he find that his fiery darts have no impact on your Word soaked faith shield.
Better Together,
Paula
