THE WEAPON OF OUR WARFARE: THE SHIELD OF FAITH
Ephesians 6:10-18
Many Christians have reduced faith to some empty confessions. They just verbalise phrases like “I am strong” when they are sick or “I am rich” when their account balance is zero without trusting in God’s ability to do what He promised them. Faith is much more than this, and we must not trivialize it. Faith involves knowing your identity in Christ, and holding on to everything that Christ’s life, death and resurrection has done in you irrespective of what is happening around you. Faith is believing that with trust in the Word of God, we can move mountains (Mark 11: 23), faith is believing that with God in the journey, our boat cannot capsize. Faith is holding on to God’s word irrespective of the circumstances. Faith is not just mindless confession; it is a weapon of warfare.
A Christian who does not operate his faith is like a soldier at the war front who refuses to use his bullet proof vest; such a person will be exposing himself to danger. That’s what happens when we lose faith. We expose ourselves to the enemy’s bullets. Faith is strong enough to withstand every bullet of the enemy. The enemy constantly shoots bullets of doubts, weaknesses, discouragements, lack, etc. But with faith, we stand in God despite all this with full assurance and confidence that if God be for us, nothing can be against us.
The shield is not just a weapon of defence, it is also a weapon of offence when the enemy comes too close, we hit the shield of faith on its head, and we take him down permanently by faith. When we stand in unity with other Christians, we build a line of defence that the enemy cannot withstand, we build a wall of defence that the enemy cannot run through.
So how do we acquire faith? Faith comes by hearing God’s word: by reading the Bible and fellowshipping with other believers (Romans 10:17). There are levels of faith and we move from a lower level of faith to a higher level by praying in the Spirit (Jude1: 20). People who want to walk in great faith take prayers seriously. Today, purpose to make prayer part and parcel of your lifestyle, and that way, you will ward off arrows of the enemy from reaching you and your loved ones.
PRAYER: LORD, increase my faith in your Word.
