Shield of Faith

Faith, it is something that we are taught at a young age to have. We have to have faith in our parents that they will provide food, shelter and love. We have to have faith in our teachers that they are teaching us correct information. But somehow as we get older and more independent our faith is changed. We have faith that when we go to work that we will receive a paycheck, we have faith that if we pay our bill the lights will work, we have to start working for our faith. We have to DO something in order to have that kind of faith. God is no different.

"In addition to all this take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Ephesians 6:16 NIV

In this study I was reading about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They singlehandedly stood up to the almighty King Nebuchadnezzer and sad that they would not serve or bow down to the Gold image that the king had made his people worship. (Daniel 3:16-18) They were sent into an inferno, a furnace made for the purpose of annihilating their mere existence. They went in not knowing if God would spare them, but they went in there saying 'we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.'

Wow! What conviction and what FAITH! 

Everyday we walk this earth, we are walking a hidden battlefield. We have a CHOICE to pick up the shield of faith and trust that God will take us where we need to go, not necessarily where we want to, but where we need to.

Personally, I have really been struggling with this whole thing. With God, with the bad things people do, with having faith. I try, I try to keep my head up towards the Lord and I try to be the person I am expected to be, but I keep falling. I focus on the negative and I look at the things and people I have lost. I have so much to be thankful for and the devil keeps pulling me back into the pit of worry, and stress, and hardship. It's a rough road to follow. I have been told following God is easy, it's simply a decision to be good and follow his lead, listen to him and you will fulfill the will of God. Well, I don't know about you, but I respond much better to verbal instructions, written usually works too. But really, a little book and a few phoe calls from God would be great! "Okay Molly, today is going to be hard, your going to have this and this happen, but don't worry in 2 months it will be resolved and this whole stress thing will go away." And this my friends is where that mighty shield of FAITH comes in. I don't have God on speed dial, I don't have a map of my life. I have a Bible, I have friends and family that support my choice to follow God and I have my Faith. In this battle field of life I have to choose to pick up the shield and tell the devil and all his nonsense that "I'm covered." God has my back. 

I've been told many a times when you pick up a bible satan gets a headache, when you open it he collapses. Imagine what happens when you live it? He definitely pays attention and he turns his wrath loose. Being a Christian is not easy, bad things WILL happen, and the devil WILL try and turn you the other way. Where in the crowd will you be when the devil says "bow to me?" I'm standing in line behind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, you?