Faith - Our Shield Of Protection
"In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." -Ephesians 6:16 NASB
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world." -1 Peter 5:8-9 NASB
In these verses, we find the key to defeating the devil in our lives. It should not be a surprise to Christians that the devil is going to try to attack. First Peter 5:8 tells us that the enemy is actually on the prowl at all times. Like a lion on the hunt, he is constantly seeking and searching for spiritually weak ones to prey upon. Those who are walking about without the armor of God, do not have on their protection and are subject to the devil's attacks. If we put on the armor of God and fight the devil off with faith, we can resist his evil wiles.
With faith, we can put a stop to EVERY lie of the devil. With faith, we can deter EVERY attack. With faith, we can win EVERY battle. Faith is our shield of protection. It is a buffer against any dart that the wicked one has. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he told them to "take up" the shield of faith - that means we have a part to play. We must utilize our faith against the devil. When we do that, we will be able to extinguish or put out every trick and lie of the enemy.
We don't have to lie down and let the devil walk all over us. We can do what the Bible says to do and RESIST Satan's attacks. If the enemy tries to attack you with sickness, you can respond with faith - "Isaiah 53:5 says, 'By His stripes we are healed.'" If he comes at you with depression, flash Nehemiah 8:10 before him - "The joy of the Lord is my strength." Everything that we need to fight the enemy has been given to us by God. He has provided us with all that we need to defeat every attack.
The key to victory is in keeping the faith. It is found in holding the shield up continuously and resisting at all times. There is no such thing as ceasefire in warfare with the devil. He is not going to stop attacking, but that is ok. He can fight all he wants, but he cannot win! When we obey the Word, hold up our faith shields, and resist the enemy we will win every battle!
Love,
Brittany