Shields

                                                                                                                                      

Aloha Dearest Family.

In the book of Ephesians chapter 6, God talks about us putting on the "whole armor of God" to stand against the whiles or methods of the devil.

"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" (Ephesians 6:14-17) 

God refers to our walk today much like a battle. The devil wants to defeat us at every turn but God tells us how to counter Satan's attacks. God tells us that when we take up the shield of faith we will be able to quench all the fiery darts or spears of the wicked. In other Bible translations the phrase "able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" is translated "able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" This reminds me of a movie that I saw (oh no, not another movie reference. What can I say? I like movies.)

In the movie "300" the Spartan warriors all put their shields up to form a "phalanx", an impenetrable barrier that surrounded the soldiers. When they interlocked their shields the warriors could not be touched from any arrow or spear because they were under the protection of the phalanx. If any man lowered his shield, the phalanx would be broken and their protection would be compromised.

In scripture there are two types of shields used for protection in the ancient East. The first shield, which was used by both the Greeks and the Romans, was body length and was used almost solely to protect the soldier from incoming spears and arrows. The soldier put up his shield when being fired upon and when the attack was over he could move again and advance further. It was rarely used as an offensive weapon, it was almost always strictly for defense. God's Word says that God is our shield,

"Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield." (Psalms 115:11)

"Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in Thy Word." (Psalms 119:114)

 "For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12)

 The second type of shield used in the ancient East was known as a "buckler". The buckler was a smaller shield that fit around the forearm and helped protect the soldier when he was involved in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. It was used mainly to deflect smaller weapons such as swords and knives and was light enough to be used for offence as well as defense. God tells us He is our buckler as well as our shield.

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him." (II Samuel 22:31)

 "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." (Psalms 18:2)

 "He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly." (Proverbs 2:7)

 Knowing all of this about shields, let us go back to Ephesians and find out how to activate this shield. 

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."

I used to believe that taking up the shield of faith was only for my own benefit, to protect only myself from the enemy's attacks. Then I read verse 18 and found out how we should more fully utilize the shield of faith. 

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" 

Actively praying for our fellow believers protects them as well. Just like the Spartan Phalanx in the movie, when we have our shields up together in prayer, we will be protecting, not only ourselves, but our brothers and sisters as well. The family of God needs prayer at all times and we all need to do our part and put up our shields in prayer so that the enemy cannot break through the front lines to "steal, kill and destroy." Now, many Christians do not believe that prayer is all that important. Many believe that prayer is just "busy work" that God gives us to do. This comes from the myth that God is in control of everything and we cannot change God's plan. But I say to you, that if you DON"T pray, things will not happen.

When you pray you get God actively involved in the situation and the impossible can come to pass. The Family of God need your prayers. When the enemy attacks we can have our full body shields up in defense to extinguish all of the devil's flaming arrows. When we are in the thick of the fight, God is our buckler. And when we stand together in prayer we can all be fully protected as a family. We are in this fight together and some may have no other defense then you praying for them. When we actively pray, God can get to work and we will surely see signs, miracles and wonders.

"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." (Psalms 91:4)

Love Always, Ray