Shield of Faith

Lift up over all the [covering] shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked [one].  The shield of faith.  Jesus is our Savior.  It is by faith in Him, that we have salvation and the hope of eternal life.  He covers us with His Presence.  We are shielded from the wiles and dangers of the enemy, because of His saving blood.  Our faith in Him, gives us strength to lift up our shields, and fight the enemy with the Word of God.
     I think I shared this already in another blog, but it fits here, too.  I was being hit pretty hard by the enemy, getting beat up left and right.  I was at a point when I was just hanging on to Jesus with my fingertips.  I was standing as hard as I could in faith, knowing this battle was a heavy spiritual one, but one I had to win.  I knew I needed to get to the tape player and get some worship music on, but all I could do was sit there and pray.  I couldn't move.  Kristine came home from school, and she saw where I was at, and she went immediately to the tape player and put on the praise and worship music.  Within minutes of her putting on the music, I could move and I began to claim the promises of God.  That was my shield of faith at the time, worship music.  Believe me, the enemy ran.  He had put all his energy into putting me down, but with just one act of faith, he was defeated.  The flaming arrows he had been shooting my way, were deflected by my praising God.  I stood up and declared that this was the day that the Lord had made, and I WOULD rejoice in it.
     I was helped by Kristine.  She lived up to her name and planted faith into that situation.  I was freed from the chains the enemy had bound me up with, and folks, these were real spiritual chains.  The enemy knew I had recognized his plans in some area, and I was doing spiritual warfare.  This was his hardest hit, to keep me from going any further, but I was determined I wasn't going to give in, so I sat and prayed and stood my ground, until Jesus sent reinforcements.  Sometimes, that is all we can do, is wait until He sends help our way.  Just hold onto Him, and have faith to believe He will help you out of your distress.
     A shield covers you from head to toe.  Every part of you is covered from the enemy's weapons.  They are vital in warfare.  Today, shields are a bit different, but no less important.  Spiritual shields are mighty to bring protection.  Jesus covers you.  He protects you.  He gives you strength and power to go forward.  Shields in real life could help that soldier move forward against the enemy, by using the shield as a thrust.  It could be used as a weapon, and it could be used to blind the enemy.  Jesus blinds the enemy for us.  He covers us with His Power, so we are shielded and safe.  I have heard of many missionary stories, where they were protected by angels, as the enemy surrounded them, and it was only later that they knew there had been angels there, because the people would ask them, "Who were those mighty men protecting you?"  They knew they had been alone, except for God being there.  They knew that God had protected them.  This spiritual protection is real.
     Allow Jesus to be your shield.  Let Him cover and protect you.  Let Him deflect those fiery darts.  Let Him be a thrust to get you out of dangerous situations.  He will guard and surround you with His army.  Hallelujah, He is truly able to keep you.  As our pastor said on Sunday, "He reigns".  He truly does!  God bless you with His awesome Presence.

Sweet Moments In Time

These are some of the flowers Isolino and I saw yesterday on our Murphys trip. I loved seeing these precious Narcissus flowers. They sure brighten up any day, with their white petals and yellow centers. They are a little piece of Sunshine, all in themselves.

How about us? Are we sweet moments of sunshine in someones life? Do we make life harder or better for those around us? Do we take out our anger and frustration on them? I really hate when I do that to someone else. It makes me feel bad all day long, and until I can ask that person for forgiveness, it makes me worry and fret about when I need to ask them, and then, when I ask, if they don't receive it well, than I wonder why I made the problem in the first place, by being in a rotten mood.

This morning I woke up with a wonderful song in my head. It was "How Great Thou Art" and it made my day. I went on utube to find if anyone had recorded it, and I found so many wonderful renditions of it, that it really blessed me.

I hope that as you listen to that clip with its wonderful pictures, that it will inspire you to trust God more, to believe more of His awesome power to help you overcome all that comes against you. How great our God is. He is mighty to save. He is mighty to deliver. He is mighty to battle.

This reminds me of a time when a friend and I got together for prayer. We were praying over some heavy things, and all of a sudden I got to laughing as I saw this picture in my head. I saw Jesus coming forth on a white horse with such an army around Him. Before I could see Him, it had all been black as black can be, with a heavy feeling of defeat. When He burst forth, I could see Him laughing on His horse. As He laughed, the enemy kept going backwards and backwards and soon they were scattering so fast it was hilarious to see them fleeing. The Lord spoke this verse to my heart, "The Lord scoffs at His enemies". I tell you, with that picture in my mind, it was really evident of how that could be. His laughter drove the enemy to flight. They could not stand in the midst of His joy. They were leaving the field of battle so fast, that it would be like seeing a hill of ants scurrying away from something that threatens them. God really can defeat those who come against you. Trust Him.

Sometimes our bad attitudes come from a hurt we are feeling. Please give that to the Lord. Let His love, peace, and joy come forth out of your heart instead of the bitter seed the enemy planted there. Let forgiveness flow. Let peace come forth. Last night I watched a truly phenomenal movie. It was about the Amish tragedy a few years ago, in which many young girls were killed by a hurting man. The Amish people gave forgiveness, because they knew bitterness would destroy them. They gave forgiveness because God asks all Christians to do that. At the end, one mother said something profound. She had struggled to forgive, but when she found out what her daughter did, before she was killed, she was able to overcome her bitterness and forgive too. That is what God calls us to. A more excellent way. Is it easy? No way. It is hard to forgive those who spitefully use us. That is why we need to cling to How great God is! He is able where we aren't.

I pray that God will give you songs in the night. I pray He'll give you new songs to sing. I pray that as you give your hurt, pain, and sadness to God, He will bless you with His Power in your life. I pray that His deliverance will come forth in such a mighty way, that you will be in awe of His Glory. I love you dear friends. Be blessed. God bless you richly in Christ Jesus, Who loves you with such a great love, He died to see you set free. He went to the cross with JOY. Imagine that! JOY. I told you His laughter was powerful! He defeated the enemy and gave us the keys to the kingdom, that is POWER! Hallelujah!