Talk Tuesday: Putting on the Armor of God Pt 4

In the book of Ephesians the apostle Paul uses the illustration of armor to teach us how to live Jesus lives and bring peace, love, and joy to a broken world.

Every Tuesday for 7 weeks we are examining what it means to put on each piece of the armor of God. Did you know God has given you armor to wear and YOU are a warrior woman! Jump in and join the conversation. You are valuable and loved.

Paul wrote, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:11-17 NLT).

When you consider the shield of faith, what images come to mind? The shield I like to visualize in my armor is from my one of my boys video games. In the game your shield actually makes a complete circumference to cover you.

My boys while playing will call out to each other “I have shield” and then the one with a “shield” protects the other.

We are all called to take up the shield of faith, however there are times when I am totally vulnerable and extremely battle-worn. It is in those moments when my shield is smoke black, that I look to those near me. Like my boys I take shelter in the faith of a fellow team player. I have good friends who I look to for added shielding in times of need.

Shoulder to shoulder we withstand more than one can alone. You can see it in her eyes, she’s folded laundry, washed dishes, prayed for her sick one and counseled a friend through a tough day. Your strength, yes your shield of faith is needed here.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16 NIV)

So I encourage you take up the shield of faith, not only for yourself but also for the one in front of you!

The just shall live by faith. Habakkuk 2:4

Faith is not only your shield, it is also your life. And dare I say it’s “her” life too.