Spiritual Warfare (SW-12)
Ephesians 6:16
Shield of Faith
"Whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith." (1 John 5:4)
Are you born of God?
Because if you are born of God you are a world overcomer.
There are two groups - those who are overcome - and those who overcome.
What do you over come if you are an overcomer? The world.
Somebody say, "I am a world overcomer."
Anything that comes against you in this world you have the power to overcome. Anything in the world - physical, financial, relational, family - you overcome. Why? Because you are an overcomer.
"This is the victory that overcomes the world - even our faith." I get excited just reading that.
So what is the key that makes you an overcomer? Your faith.
In Mark 5, a woman came to Jesus with an affliction, an issue of blood. She was a woman of faith believing that if she touched Jesus garments she would be made whole. And she reached out in faith - and she was made whole. And Jesus turned around and said some very powerful words to her. He said, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction." He did not say, the power of God has made you well, or my miraculous touch has made you well, or the will of God has made you well. He said very simply, "Your faith has made you well."
Why? Because this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith.
I hear a lot of discussion about why people are not healed - and I can understand it theologically and biblically. But here is what I also understand - your faith is the key to your healing. As a matter of faith - your faith is the key to every part of victory that God has for you.
It is not love!
It is not prayer!
It is not living right!
Some would tell you that the key is the power of God.
Other would tell you that the key is the Word of God.
I don’t know about that - but here is what I do know.
"This is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith." (1 John 5:4)
Say ‘this is the victory’ ‘that overcomes the world’ ‘my faith.’
Watch this - ‘Your faith the key to your victory’
Your faith is not the key to my victory and my faith is not the key to your victory.
Your faith will not override my doubt and your unbelief will not override my faith.
Now I don’t know about you - but when I heard God say in His Word, ‘This is the victory that overcomes the world . . ." and am ready - I want to hear it - I have my pen in my hand and I am saying, ‘Yes Lord - tell me."
And here is the big answer to that big question - YOUR FAITH.
Please open your Bibles with me to the book of Ephesians and the 6th chapter - Ephesians 6 - and we will read from verse 13 to 18.
While you are turning there may I remind you that like the Spartans, every Christian is born a warrior. It is his destiny to be assaulted, his duty to attack. It is his privilege to overcome. He must stand against the constant attack of Satan.
He must wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. He must have weapons for his warfare - not carnal - but "mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." (2 Cor. 10:4) Weapons of incredible strength are at his disposal - and he must live with them in the right hand and the left.
Ephesians 6:13-18
This morning - the shield of faith - let me tell you about it if I may.
The shield that Paul had in mind here is not the small, round buckler, that the soldier used in close combat, but the oblong, door-like shield, measuring about 4’ x 2 ½ and that had a slight curvature to it. This shield was made from a base of wood with toughened layers of leather woven together to form an extremely tough yet light material. The edges were bound with rawhide stitched through the wood (or sometimes bronze binding was used.) It could be soaked in water prior to a battle and then it would be relatively invulnerable to the fiery darts which would be aimed at it.
One of the provocative aspects in the exploitation of the Roman shields was their use in a combination which was called the testudo ("tortoise") formation. Soldiers would combine together and form an almost impervious tortoise shell. The soldiers on the outside edge would interlock their shields vertically and those on the inside would form a roof with theirs. The composite was virtually impregnable as a sort of walking tank. I am told that they would test their skills in training by driving chariots over it.
Now precious believer - that shield is what the writer is saying is your faith.
Note something very important: Faith seems to have two parts to it: First, there is the portion of faith that God places in our hearts when we are first born again. As Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." The second aspect of faith, however, is activated by our own personal choice to, moment by moment, trust and believe. This is called the Shield of Faith. (Ephesians 6:16) It’s Jesus’ faith, yes. But, we must choose, moment by moment, to put it on. In other words, we literally raise this shield by making faith choices (non-feeling choices) to believe what God’s Word says. (Prov. 30:5) Even though this Shield of Faith belongs to every single believer, many have gone off to battle, having left their shield at home.
We are not talking about a faith to be saved by - that is different faith. We are talking about a faith to live by.
‘Above all’ - literally ‘in all’ - in all things of life and in all things of this battle take up the shield of faith.
‘Take up’ - it is an active choice.
What is this faith? It is the unquestioning belief in what God says that does not require the proof of evidence or the verification of reason. The fact that God said it is sufficient. It is the choice to see, live and engage life through the perspective of supernatural faith.
There are two elements to faith - believing God and trusting God. Both elements must be present to make faith.
I want to give you five Bible keys to using the shield of faith.
1. The Law of Faith - Rom. 3:27 "a law of faith."
Faith Receives What Faith Believers
The friends that lowered the palsied man through the roof - Jesus saw their faith - and responded to their faith.
Your faith moves the hand of God.
The blind man at Jericho - Jesus asked him, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" The blind man’s faith moves the hand of God.
Through faith you can exercise the power of God. That is what Jesus was trying to teach the disciples when they came to Him on the hillside with 5000 hungry people. He said, "You give them something to eat!" (Mark 6:37)
2. The Word of Faith - Rom. 10:8 "But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart"—that is, the word of faith. . ."
Faith Declares What God Says
Matthew 8:8 "But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed."
Romans 4:17 ". . . calling those things that are not as though they were." Faith calls things that are not in existence yet into existence. "Let there be light."
It declares things that are not as though they were - it is the essence of things unseen.
You either confess your doubts or you confess your faith.
3. The Prayer of Faith - James 5:15 - "the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up."
Faith Prays what God Promises
I would rather err on the side of faith than doubt.
Faith releases the power and wisdom of God into a situation.
Faith makes things possible, not easy.
4. The Work of Faith - 2 Thess. 1:11 "To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power."
Faith Does What God is Doing
The work of faith that Paul is referring to here, I believe, is simply choosing, moment by moment, to believe upon, trust in and walk out the promises of God. An active faith is made up of a series of moment-by-moment choices. Only by the work of faith can we fully embrace God’s promises, even though we may never see them fulfilled in our lifetime.
I know this is a difficult statement, but look at the lives of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah. Hebrews 11:13 tells us that all of these saints "died in faith, not having received [God’s] promises but having seen them afar off."
If you want to get faith get the word. Rom 10:17
Faith is the key to your receiving
Faith is the key to your overcoming
Faith is the key to your protection
5. The Obedience of Faith - Romans16:26 "but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith."
Faith Chooses what God Commands
Faith is reason that let go of the safe ground.
"The beginning of faith is faith in the beginning." The Word tells us, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."
Tithing is a demonstration of the law of faith.
Luke 17:12-14 "As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; and they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When He saw them, He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they were going, they were cleansed."
The Confession
"Father, I confess that You are the object of my faith. You are my Shield." ("For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." —Psalm 84:11)
"I confess that You are my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer, my Buckler, the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower." ("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." —Psalm 18:2)
"I confess that You are my Stronghold." ("The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble: and He knoweth them that trust in Him." —Nahum 1:7)
"I confess that You are my Hiding Place." ("Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance." —Psalm 32:7) ("Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word." —Psalm 119:114)
"I confess that You are the Strength of my life." ("The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" —Psalm 27:1)
"I confess that You shelter me under Your wings." ("He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler." —Psalm 91:4)
"I confess that You position Your angels around me to guard me as a shield." ("The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." —Psalm 34:7) ("For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." —Psalm 91:11)
"I confess that the blood of Jesus Christ is a protective shield about me." ("And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. —Revelation 12:11)
"I confess that the victory that overcomes the world is my faith which is a gift from You." ("For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." —1 John 5:4) ("For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" —Ephesians 2:8)
Through FAITH all my needs are supplied.
"My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19
"Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing." Psalm 23:1
Through FAITH I have no fears.
"For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7
Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
Through FAITH Satan is defeated by Christ dwelling in me.
"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4
"Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ." 2 Corinthians 2:14
Through FAITH I have the wisdom of God.
"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him." James 1:5
Through FAITH I have no worries.
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
"Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin, yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?" Matthew 6:28-30
Through FAITH I am not condemned therefore my guilt feelings are gone.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death." Romans 8:1,2
Through FAITH I am not lonely.
"Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20
"I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
Through FAITH I do not have bad luck or good luck for God guides my steps.
"A man’s heart plans his course, But Yahweh directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9
Through FAITH in Christ I conqueror all the troubles I may pass through.
No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39
"I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression; but cheer up! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
the righteousness of faith - Rom. 4;11
the measure of faith - Rom. 12:3
the spirit of faith - 2 Cor. 4:13
the unity of the faith - Eph. 4:13
the shield of faith - Eph. 6:16
the basis of faith - Phil. 3:9
the breastplate of faith - 1 Thess. 5:8
the mystery of the faith - 1 Tim. 3:9
the words of the faith - 1 Tim. 4:6
the good fight of faith - 1 Tim. 6:12
the full assurance of faith - Hebrews 10:22
the Perfector of the faith - Hebrews 12:2
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