Armor of God Session 5 "The Shield of Faith"

Wow!  We're almost finished with this study.  It's gone by so quickly, but we've gained a lot of strength in hearing Priscilla Shirer instruct us on the Armor of God.

Notes from this session:

Ephesians 6:16 was our main scripture:

"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."

Priscilla told the story of her propane tank being empty so there was no gas to provide heat to her house, water or stove.  It was empty.  Electricity was on but needed the gas to heat the water, the house and the stove.  Much like faith (having the electricity) without works (but being out of propane) is dead.  James 2:20.

Active faith is a shield.  It causes us to be protected against the fiery darts (the Javelins of fire) the enemy sends to disable us and keep us from being who God has called us to be.

The language has now changed in this verse and the verses to come.  Now, it is more action-oriented. Paul now says you "take up" the shield of faith. Priscilla says this: "If you want to be protected from the fiery darts of the enemy and to keep advancing successfully, you're going to have to do something with this faith that you say you have."

Faith is when you act like God is telling you the truth.  She says it's "our willingness to act in conjunction with God's Word." We need to "marry faith with our actions."

Most of the time, the promises we have been given God did not place in our hand but within our reach.  What does that mean?  We must be willing to do our active part in order to reach out and grab that promise and experience it in our everyday living.

Priscilla said there are more than 8000 promises for believers in Christ.  So we have 8000 opportunities to see God move in our life.

God will equip us.  Do you want a shield that is going to block you from the schemes of the enemy? Then you must put on an active faith to be protected.

The Roman army was the most advanced army in the Roman world.  They had intricately designed armor.  They had a practiced formation of an impenetrable line much like a fortress that the enemy could not penetrate.  Their shield was 2 feet wide and 4 feet long.  It had planks of wood sealed together much like a door.  The planks were covered by a canvas and the canvas was covered by leather.  In the center of the shield was an iron boss or centerpiece to fortify the shield.  Iron was also along the edges of the shield so that it could withstand any swing swords.  The soldier could crouch behind this shield and be hidden.

"When soldiers in the Roman army advanced toward their enemy, they would hold their shield out in front of them.  When an enemy was sending fiery arrows or javelins, they would group together in small huddles back-to-back, crouch down and link all their shields together over their head creating a shell - called a "turtle" formation.  When the fiery arrows/javelins would come they would all be protected together underneath these shields.  Often times, before this formation, they would wet their shields to quench these fiery arrows and javelins."

Why would the enemy send over fiery arrows and javelins?

"If they could get enough of those fiery javelins sent over at the same time, then they could set something ablaze and distract their enemy who would then try to put out these fires.  Their line would be weakened and vulnerable so that the enemy could now penetrate.  They were sending the fiery javelins not to kill them but to distract them, to cause them to turn their attention from the main priority."

This is what our enemy does as well.  He's good at distracting us so we cannot advance.  He wants us to be afraid, but according to 2 Timothy 1:7, we don't have to be paralyzed by fear.  The main antagonist of faith is fear.

We need to come to the faith place.  This place is what erects the shield over our life and sends the enemy to flight.

This is what Pastor Evans says:

"Faith is acting like it is so even when it's not so, so that it might be so, just because God said so."

Priscilla ended this teaching with these questions:

• What is it that your God has asked you to do?
• How has He called you to act?
• What conviction have you had even over the course of these weeks of study?
• Has God been beckoning you forward in a particular area of your life?
• What has He been convicting and challenging you to do?

He is setting us up for more than we can contain.  She used the story in Luke 5 telling us to "cast out your net" and "be willing to go to the faith place."

Last two sessions are this Wednesday "The Helmet of Salvation" and "The Sword of the Spirit".