Banquet With The King: Do You Have a Shield?

Prayer – Lord, what is a modern-day shield? What is a spiritual shield that protects us from the fiery darts of the Devil? Give us wisdom and understanding—and insight into this shield idea—and the armor of God and how it applies to our lives today.

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17 (Underlined for emphasis.)

Meditate.

In what do you have faith? Faith is believing in what we cannot see. It is a conviction of the truth of something or belief in the relationship to the divine God, usually including trust and respect for the holiness of God.

The Cross is my shield.
Protecting me spiritually.
Do you have faith?

During Biblical time, a shield was necessary during battle against arrows. Think of David and Goliath and then Roman soldiers with round or oblong door-like shield. Now, except for some video games and movies, you rarely see use of a shield in any form. How would a “spiritual” shield look? Imagine fiery darts being flung at people, with angels defending the humans. Maybe the shield is actually angels? We don’t see them. Consider when an angel visited Daniel (see Daniel 10) and how the archangel Michael fought a battle against the prince of the kingdom of Persia (evil angels). We are told in the book of Revelation that someday there will be a great spiritual battle in heaven.

Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world--was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Revelation 12:7-9

War. Spiritual warfare. All this is happening in a different dimension—one we don’t see. Are we so caught up in our lives and what we can see happening that we are ignorant of the spiritual battles around us? Yes. I think that is just the way life happens for me. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth about this very thing. He is advising that we should take our evil thoughts captive.

For though we walk in the flesh [as mortal men], we are not carrying on our [spiritual] warfare according to the flesh and using the weapons of man. The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ, being ready to punish every act of disobedience, when your own obedience [as a church] is complete. You are looking [only] at the outward appearance of things. If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, he should reflect and consider this, that just as he is Christ's, so too are we. 2 Corinthians 10:3-7 AMP

Do you choose to ignore any spiritual dimension in your life? Life is certainly simpler that way, but consider that Daniel prayed for understanding and his prayers were answered.

And the man said to me, "Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you." When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. Then he said, "Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come." Daniel 10:11-14 (Underlined for emphasis.)

Considering how Daniel successfully used prayer, our shield may be prayer. Prayer is essential. David also declared that God Himself is his salvation and shield. As part of our armor of God we can rely on the Lord.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me; My God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower—my stronghold. ... You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds and sustains me; Your gentleness [Your gracious response when I pray] makes me great. Psalm 18:2, 35 AMP

Whatever you choose as your shield, know that if you love the Lord your God, He will ultimately protect you as He has promised.

Verse of Salvation ~ Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, "It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night. Revelation 12:10

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP),

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

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Saturday, August 31, 2024

Do You Have a Shield?

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