(Part 2 – continued from same day; part 1 here)
This weekend, as we asked the Lord whether this message was to be shared publicly here, He gave Jesse this confirming word from Rick Renner’s Sparkling Gems. Again, this word speaks not only to the powerful protection He has given us through our shield of faith, but also to the essential role we have to lift it up and keep it in place. This is a message He wants to remind His people of at this time:
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Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. — Ephesians 6:16
Many people wrongly assume that the shield of faith is the most important part of their spiritual weaponry because Paul said, “Above all, taking the shield of faith…” (Ephesians 6:16). But if you think about it for a moment, you see that the shield of faith can’t be more important than the “loinbelt of truth” — the Word of God — because faith comes from God’s Word (Romans 10:17).
So just what did Paul mean when he said, “Above all….”? The phrase “above all” is taken from the Greek phrase epi pasin. The word epi means over. The word pasin means all or everything. So rather than stating that the shield of faith is more important than the other pieces of armor, the phrase epi pasin describes the position faith should have over the other pieces of armor. It could be better translated, “Out in front of all….” or “Covering all….”
Therefore, the phrase “above all” emphatically tells you that your “shield of faith” is never meant to be held next to your side or timidly held behind your back. Faith is supposed to be out front where it can completely cover you and protect you from harm — especially when you are marching forward to take new ground for the Kingdom of God!
Just as Roman soldiers kept their shields out in front of them to defend them from deadly attacks and blows from their enemies, God wants you to tightly grip your shield of faith while keeping it out in front where it can protect and defend you. When your shield of faith is kept in this out-front and covering position, it can do what God intended for it to do! This is why Paul continues to say, “…ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” ...
But it is also very important for you to notice that Paul says, “…Taking the shield of faith….” The word “taking” is from the word analambano, which is a compound of the Greek words ana and lambano. … When compounded together, it means to take something up in hand or to pick something back up again. This plainly means your shield of faith can be either picked up or laid down. It places the responsibility on you as to whether you will use your shield of faith or allow yourself to go through life unprotected.
If you want to employ the use of your faith, you must make the choice to take it in hand and to place it in front of you. It will not assume its defensive position over your life by accident. Your faith will only operate in your life the way it was meant to do when you choose to pick it up and put it where it belongs — out in front.
If you ever go into battle without your shield of faith, you are making a mistake you will seriously regret. Keeping your shield of faith in position is not an option if you intend to overcome the enemy and win the battles that are before you. Therefore, I urge you not to go into battle without this all-important piece of your spiritual armor. If you fail to keep that protective shield in front of you, you leave yourself exposed to the deadly strikes of your adversary, the devil.
On the other hand, as you choose to daily take up your shield of faith, holding it out in front of you so that it completely covers every part of your life, you put yourself in position to thwart every single attack that the enemy throws your way!
Prayer
Lord, I thank You for giving me a shield of faith that completely covers me from HEAD TO TOE (confirmation from words about Buckler from part 1). I don’t have to constantly succumb to the devil’s attacks. By holding my shield of faith above all and out in front so that it covers me completely as You intended it to do, I can be protected from the attacks that the enemy would like to wage against me. Forgive me for the times I’ve let my shield lay at my side while I stayed busy complaining about the devil giving me fits. I realize now that it’s up to me to pick up my shield of faith and put it where it belongs. So with Your help, Lord, I am reaching out right now to pick it up, to hold it out front, and to do my part to make sure the enemy has no access to me! I pray this in Jesus’ name!
Confession
I confess that God has given me a shield of faith that protects me against the works of the enemy. If I will hold my faith out front — and today I commit myself to doing just that — God’s Word guarantees that this mighty shield will thwart the fiery darts that the enemy wants so desperately to throw at me. My shield will cause those darts to bounce off, thereby protecting me from being struck. I will walk with my shield of faith out in front so that it covers me as God intended for it to do. As long as I do that, I can be confident that I will move forward in life without the enemy winning any full-scale attack against me! I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!
Questions
1. Can you say that your faith is alive and active and out in front of you as God intended for it to be, or have you allowed your faith to become inactive so that it lags behind?
2. Please answer these questions honestly, for a truthful answer may prevent future disaster in your life: Did you once walk in faith more consistently than you do today? Have you allowed your shield of faith to drop to your side instead of maintaining it in the forward position that allows it to defend you from the enemy’s attacks?
3. What steps are you going to take to reignite your faith and return it to its position as the mighty shield of protection that God intended for it to be? What kind of plan are you going to follow to see your faith recharged, reenergized, and repositioned out in front of your life?
© Copyright Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems from the Greek (full devo here)
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This devo referenced an earlier devo on the same subject (Sep 6). In the other devo, Rick highlighted the importance of keeping our shield of faith soaked and saturated with the Ephesians 5:26 “water of the WORD” (as soldiers did with literal water) so that it will effectively extinguish every flaming arrow of the enemy.
“…When a believer lifts his shield high and holds it out in front of him where it belongs, that shield divinely energizes the believer to stand bravely against every assault of the devil. (It) becomes dynamically and supernaturally empowered to act as an IMPENETRABLE wall of defense against the enemy’s tactics. …The shield of faith is so powerful that it makes you fortified, invulnerable, and armed to the teeth! It equips you to hold an ironclad position. It turns you into a spiritual tank so you have the ability to move your position forward without taking any losses yourself. This doesn’t mean the devil won’t try to stop you, but when the shield of faith is held out in front of you as it ought to be, you become divinely empowered ‘to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.’
… Romans 10:17 says that our faith is increased by hearing the Word of God. In Ephesians 5:26, the Word of God is likened to water. So as we regularly submit ourselves to the Word of God, we soak our faith with the Word…. And when our faith becomes Word-saturated or Word-soaked, it becomes just like the soldier’s water-saturated shield. In other words, it will be so heavily inundated with the water of God’s Word that even if a fiery dart pierces our shield, the huge amount of Word in us will extinguish the flames....
So I urge you today to take the time to soak your faith in the Word of God. Let the water of the word so saturate your faith that 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 – he will find that his fiery darts have no impact …! Refuse to let yourself become the devil’s victim! Hold your Word-doused shield of faith high in front of you so it completely covers your life. … That faith shield will protect you from anything the enemy throws at you through the dynamic, explosive power of God!”
© Copyright Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems from the Greek
Praying we will all receive and walk in the fullness of the revelations of the Lord as our SHIELD and SHEPHERD so that
~ through faith we are shielded by His power – that through faith He becomes the Ephesians 6 IMPENETRABLE Shield around us, extinguishing EVERY flaming arrow of the enemy so that NO WEAPON formed against us will prosper
~ and that we will know, hear, and follow ONLY the voice of our Shepherd and receive His provision for all our needs.
We pray that by experientially knowing Him as SHIELD and SHEPHERD in these ways, we will successfully navigate around and overcome every obstacle and attack of the enemy in order to fulfill our Kingdom assignments.
Again, I believe these revelations can make the difference between life and death in any generation, but that it’s especially important for us ALL to be established in them in these last days.
Love and Prayers, (follow up – Shield and Shepherd Confirmations – here)
© Laura Jewell Tyree
