The Shield of Faith/Ephesians 6:16

[DuckieLady]

After some prayer, I'm trying to look deeper into this verse:

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

I am trying to absorb it and take it all in. Any thoughts or perspective about it?

 

[Lambano]

I like answering a question with more questions sometimes. When you get attacked, what weapons does the Evil One use against you? How might trust in God and Jesus protect you?

Why am I not surprised you got led to that scripture?

 

[Truman]

I believe that by faith, there is an invisible force-field around me that protects me from the enemy.

 

[Ruminator]

This letter was written shortly before the Jews' civil war with Rome c. 70 AD/CE. The zealots were anxious for the fight, expecting a divine victory. Paul was saying, in effect, "That is not our fight. Jesus taught us to run for the hills when the Roman armies began to surround Jerusalem. Their fight and their weapons revolved around the concerns of the Kingdom of God.

 

[DuckieLady]

I like answering a question with more questions sometimes. When you get attacked, what weapons does the Evil One use against you? How might trust in God and Jesus protect you?

Why am I not surprised you got led to that scripture?

Confusion, slander, fear, and attacks through anger from other people... So I pray for their anger and grief to be healed.

Last time though, I thought I had poisoned myself somehow and felt surrounded, disoriented, and confused, in a different world. I just called out to Jesus and listened to worship until it stopped and all sorts of accusations in my mind for days.

So last night I listened to David Wilkerson sermons for hours and fell asleep to Psalms playing in the background.

Then I woke up remembering Paul's thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, and to be "joyful in affliction." I'm in good company there in some abstract way.

I asked in prayer and knew the answer was faith so it got me to thinking about the shield of faith.

 

[amigo de christo]

Confusion, slander, fear, and attacks through anger from other people... So I pray for their anger and grief to be healed.

Last time though, I thought I had poisoned myself somehow and felt surrounded, disoriented, and confused, in a different world. I just called out to Jesus and listened to worship until it stopped and all sorts of accusations in my mind for days.

So last night I listened to David Wilkerson sermons for hours and fell asleep to Psalms playing in the background.

Then I woke up remembering Paul's thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, and to be "joyful in affliction." I'm in good company there in some abstract way.

I asked in prayer and knew the answer was faith so it got me to thinking about the shield of faith.

Sister FLUFFY has come back . You were missed dear sister . But i am happy you have returned .
NOW , its HIGH TIME to LEAP UP and PRAISE THE GLORIOUS LORD .

 

[amigo de christo]

After some prayer, I'm trying to look deeper into this verse:

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

I am trying to absorb it and take it all in. Any thoughts or perspective about it?

Faith in JESUS and HIS EVERY WORD , HIS EVERY PROMISE . HOPE IN THE LORD . THE JOY OF THE LORD TRULY IS OUR STRENGTH .
You are loved dear sister .

 

[marks]

After some prayer, I'm trying to look deeper into this verse:

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

I am trying to absorb it and take it all in. Any thoughts or perspective about it?

You ask as I'm in the beginning stages of an anxiety attack! I'm struggling to get on top of it. You love me, and You are right here with me! That's my first line of defense. And repeat. And repeat! Oh, and, Hold me!

God's sense of irony I suppose! I do love His humor! Very very dry sometimes!

Believing that God loves me, is here with me, is powerful over everything, and is always acting in my favor, this is the faith which prevents any of those fiery darts - circumstances or whatever in life that come at us with the potential to knock us down from our "And having done all, to stand."

This is the standing in grace of Romans 5:1, we are justified by faith in Jesus, and by that same faith we have access into the grace in which we stand.

We stand in our faith because nothing can be against us. God works all things for our good. The feeling in my chest is screaming that this isn't true! But the inner man challenges that! This feeling, this fear, this is the physiological/psychological feelings of flesh, not spirit.

Giving in to fear isn't taking hold of these truths, that I am His, that He wants me, loves me, and now He has me. That He is managing all these things, knowing what I really need, and I truly do not.

For instance, 4 years ago or so, my life fell apart in oh so many ways, and it was as if some terrible thing were happening, but what really ended up happening what that God made some serious corrections in my life. And while it wasn't easy, not at all, it's an outcome I'd choose in a heartbeat were I able to understand.

We don't understand. We are complex creatures, but God knows how we function.

Attacks against our faith are meant to be wedges to drive us away from God, thinking that He doesn't care, won't help, isn't real. The shield of faith prevents those feelings (I want to scream!) of fear and distress and dread, because I KNOW - You are here with me, You love me! You will care for me, and if it's difficult, You will carry me through! Please give me Your wisdom to make the right choices, and Your peace to endure all things!

This is helping!

That feeling of fear, if allowed to grow unchecked, will soon overwhelm everything, and will consume my attention. And then I'm just living as though I'm that flesh man, and there is no fruit to my account.

Actively focusing my mind on these truths about God - regardless of how things look or feel - this is the shield of faith. No matter what my circumstances look like, no matter what "feelings" are in me at the moment, I choose to believe God. Who loves me, is here with me, and is managing everything in my life in my favor, in His loving kindness, His grace.

I'm feeling a lot better now, thank you for asking!

Much love!

 

[DuckieLady]

This letter was written shortly before the Jews' civil war with Rome c. 70 AD/CE. The zealots were anxious for the fight, expecting a divine victory. Paul was saying, in effect, "That is not our fight. Jesus taught us to run for the hills when the Roman armies began to surround Jerusalem. Their fight and their weapons revolved around the concerns of the Kingdom of God.

"This is not our fight." Sort of a Jehoshaphat mindset. Love it!

 

[Truman]

Ducks GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

 

[DuckieLady]

You ask as I'm in the beginning stages of an anxiety attack! I'm struggling to get on top of it. You love me, and You are right here with me! That's my first line of defense. And repeat. And repeat! Oh, and, Hold me!

God's sense of irony I suppose! I do love His humor! Very very dry sometimes!

Believing that God loves me, is here with me, is powerful over everything, and is always acting in my favor, this is the faith which prevents any of those fiery darts - circumstances or whatever in life that come at us with the potential to knock us down from our "And having done all, to stand."

This is the standing in grace of Romans 5:1, we are justified by faith in Jesus, and by that same faith we have access into the grace in which we stand.

We stand in our faith because nothing can be against us. God works all things for our good. The feeling in my chest is screaming that this isn't true! But the inner man challenges that! This feeling, this fear, this is the physiological/psychological feelings of flesh, not spirit.

Giving in to fear isn't taking hold of these truths, that I am His, that He wants me, loves me, and now He has me. That He is managing all these things, knowing what I really need, and I truly do not.

For instance, 4 years ago or so, my life fell apart in oh so many ways, and it was as if some terrible thing were happening, but what really ended up happening what that God made some serious corrections in my life. And while it wasn't easy, not at all, it's an outcome I'd choose in a heartbeat were I able to understand.

We don't understand. We are complex creatures, but God knows how we function.

Attacks against our faith are meant to be wedges to drive us away from God, thinking that He don't care, won't help, isn't real. The shield of faith prevents those feelings (I want to scream!) of fear and distress and dread, because I KNOW - You are here with me, You love me! You will care for me, and if it's difficult, You will carry me through! Please give me Your wisdom to make the right choices, and Your peace to endure all things!

This is helping!

That feeling of fear, if allowed to grow unchecked, will soon overwhelm everything, and will consume my attention. And then I'm just living as though I'm that flesh man, and there is no fruit to my account.

Actively focusing my mind on these truths about God - regardless of how things look or feel - this is the shield of faith. No matter what my circumstances look like, no matter what "feelings" are in me at the moment, I choose to believe God. Who loves me, is here with me, and is managing everything in my life in my favor, in His loving kindness, He grace.

I'm feeling a lot better now, thank you for asking!

Much love!

Praise the Lord!

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

May God take this thing from you. <3 David Wilkersons sermon reminded me that I don't have to wait for Jesus to come, because he said "I am in you and you are in Me." He is already there. What is there to fear?

Same power that put Jesus in Mary's womb and raised Jesus from the dead is living in us. How cool.

 

[DuckieLady]

Ducks GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Haha!!

 

[farouk]

After some prayer, I'm trying to look deeper into this verse:

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

I am trying to absorb it and take it all in. Any thoughts or perspective about it?

@FluffyYellowDuck Try Hebrews 11: all that the Old Testament saints had to contend with - and some of them had to contend with tumultuous circumstances - is recorded as having been met "by faith", "by faith", "by faith".......(which I guess ties in with 'the shield of faith" in Ephesians 6)...

 

[farouk]

Praise the Lord!

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

May God take this thing from you. <3 David Wilkersons sermon reminded me that I don't have to wait for Jesus to come, because he said "I am in you and you are in Me." He is already there. What is there to fear?

Same power that put Jesus in Mary's womb and raised Jesus from the dead is living in us. How cool.

@FluffyYellowDuck A precious verse indeed from Philippians 4....

 

[amigo de christo]

Haha!!

That one little duck in the sink looked happier than a bull dog on a pork chop .
It was jus swimming round and round under the water .

 

[DuckieLady]

That one little duck in the sink looked happier than a bull dog on a pork chop .
It was jus swimming round and round under the water .

I had to scroll down to see it. Lol way too cute!

 

[farouk]

I had to scroll down to see it. Lol way too cute!

@FluffyYellowDuck Of course, you're into ducks, what with your screen name...

 

[DuckieLady]

Sister FLUFFY has come back . You were missed dear sister . But i am happy you have returned .
NOW , its HIGH TIME to LEAP UP and PRAISE THE GLORIOUS LORD .

Only taken away for a little while <3

But glad to be back! Thank you, @amigo de christo

 

[APAK]

@FluffyYellowDuck
Ephesians 6:16
Overall purpose: To stay strong in the Lord...6:10

This invisible shield is provided by our 'newly' acquired Spirit to protect and maintain our faith from evil poisoned darts that attempt to cast doubt, weaken and even attempt to destroy this faith we have for our Christ and our Father. First to poison our mind with doubt as its poison then seeps into our heart, the seat of our faith.

Now this weakening in faith can easily occur if we attempt to deny the work of the Spirit. In other words, 'take it up' meaning to keep this protection of faith always alive by walking in the Spirit of Christ and in our Father's truth.

We can extinguish every dart that attacks our being if only we can always give way to the Spirit, we now have in Christ.

 

[marks]

Only taken away for a little while <3

. . . so that we can appreciate you all the more when you return!