Shield of What?

Above all, take the shield of faith, with which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (Ephesians 6:16)

Above all… what an imperative statement. What an all-inclusive statement.

One of the amazing things to me about this whole passage is that it speaks of the different aspects of the Christian life as very useful articles in the clothing of a soldier in spiritual battle. I am therefore very inclined to find a clear and practical understanding of what these items are so that I can use them in this warfare that we are engaged in. I am therefore very interested in understanding what it is and how to use this shield of faith.

For years I heard and many times read the definition in Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

To me this was not very helpful. And it is amazing that this is the answer so frequently given. But if you will read on in the chapter there are very good examples of what faith is and how it works.

Noah may be my favorite of those mentioned although Enoch is also very impressive. Noah is so good because we can read about what happened and if we will think about it see that faith involved a long and difficult task that was the result of a warning from God (Gen. 6:)
. It was also a job that had to be accomplished in the face of opposition with almost no support. Faith then was a matter of being faithful and doing what was required without support or help and possibly with opposition.

In Luke 17 Jesus gives instruction to the disciples about relationships and when they ask him to increase their faith he tells them a parable about a servant who comes in from working all day and then is told to clean up and prepare dinner for his master. The servant does not expect to be thanked or praised for his work. Jesus tells his disciples, “So likewise you, when you shall have done all the things commanded you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants, for we have only done what we ought to do.’”

So then how is this a practical shield against the darts of the devil?

If we are actively seeking to know and do God’s will rather than our own, when doubts and fears come we can safely hide behind the shield of faith. When discouragement would tear me down when I get busy about the work that I believe God wants me to be doing, that dart has no power against me.

OK, so what is this work that I am supposed to be about?

God’s word is full of activities He wants each of us to be about; In everything Give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thes. 5:18). Finally brethren whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise think on these things (Phil. 4:4-8). I exhort you therefore that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings and all that are in authority(1 Tim. 2:1+). Because of this, make every effort to add integrity to your faith; and to integrity add knowledge; to knowledge add self-control; to self-control add endurance; to endurance add godliness; to godliness add Christian affection; and to Christian affection add love If you have these qualities and they are increasing, it demonstrates that your knowledge about our Lord Jesus Christ is living and productive (2 Peter 1:5-8).

If we become faithful in these activities Satan’s darts will do us no harm. And this is work because it is in every case contrary to the old nature and in complete harmony with the Spirit of God.

Take up the shield of faith.

Profanity is not a problem with your mouth!

Many of us have battled with profanity to some degree or another. There are even acceptable versions of profanity heard in churches of all colors. On the street someone may say ‘Oh shit’ but around home or at church it sound like ‘Oh crap’ , ‘Oh poo’ or maybe even ‘PICKLES”. The illustrations could go on and on but you can see what I mean if you are interested.

Many of us have tried to overcome this habit with the acceptable curses, but that does not eliminate the problem. The problem is much deeper than my mouth. In Luke 6:45 Jesus says;

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth the good. And an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth the evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

What comes out of my mouth comes straight from my heart. It is also true for you. I can say, “But I was only joking.” But what Jesus says is different. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” So here is the problem. My heart… your heart.

So much of the business of following Jesus is wrapped up in our heart. Lately as I read God’s Word “heart” seems to jump out at me and when I see it I come to a stop to see how it applies. One precious brother said, “My heart is that place where I like it.” My heart is the place where I have a taste for a thing. Whether it is ice cream, the Word of God, puppies or profanity. If I can admit this then I can truly go to work on the problem.

Do I trust God in all things? Do I believe in the deepest part of my heart that He is loving and caring for me? If that is true of me then when something happens that is a difficulty for me the response from my heart will be one of praise to God. And that is what will come out of my mouth. Yours as well!

When you hear profanity coming out of your mouth think about this. What is in my heart that such things come out of my mouth?

On our way to Arizona we stopped at Boron California and saw the 20 Mule Team Museum. Older readers will remember the TV show about the 20 Mule Team. There really was a time when teams of 20 mules would go into the mountains of Southern California to haul out the Boron from the mines. 10 pair of mules were harnessed to a chain that pulled the wagons to and from the mines. The mule skinner or driver sat on the last mule on the left with 1 rope leading up to the first mule on the left and this with his voice commands is how he controlled the mules. In the same way the reins for our tongue are way down in our heart telling us what to say and how to speak.

Think about it.

Authority, Who is in charge here

In Matthew 28, Jesus says, “All authority is given unto me…”

Why was all authority given to Jesus?

Most of you will probably say, “Because he was the Son of God” or “Because he was God.” But is that what the Word of God says?

In Philippians 2:6-10 it says.

Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God. Instead he gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us.  Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross. Then God gave Christ the highest place and honored his name above all others. So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.

Most people don’t understand this truth. But all people who truly have authority have gained that authority by being under authority. The centurion who met Jesus in Luke 7 and Matthew 9 understood when he said, “Say in a word and my servant will be healed for I also am a man under authority and I say…” He knew that Jesus had authority because he was under authority and recognized that his authority came from submission to authority.

In the book “The Fellowship of the Ring” in the very beginning, where Tolkien is explaining about the rings, he says, “Above all things, men love power.” We would all like very much to be able to speak healing for those we care about and to speak prosperity to the situations that we encounter. Of course we can say the words. But do the words we speak bring about the desired results?

In John 12:49 Jesus says;

For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

This is a small part of a larger speech that Jesus is making but at the same time I believe it can stand alone to show us the principal of where Jesus got his authority.

Therefore If I desire the kind of authority that Jesus speaks of in John 14:10-15, I must learn to submit to his commands the way he submitted to the Father’s.

To believe is to keep his commandments.

It’s something to think about.

Put Your Shoes On

Don’t go out without your shoes on. I remember my mom saying those very words to me and I hated it. Now barefoot weather is approaching; some places slower than others. But there are places where, even in nice weather, we don’t go barefooted. Soldiers in combat seldom are without shoes. In Viet Nam although it was almost always plenty warm to go barefoot, whenever we did any walking we usually had something on our feet. When we were on the move we always had our boots on.

In Ephesians 6:15 we are encouraged to put on specific shoes. In each of the more literal translations that I have these are described as the “preparation of the gospel of peace.”

Frankly I do not like the whole idea of “Soul winning classes.” Just my prejudice. But here I am commanded to put on the preparation of the gospel of peace… Get ready to share the gospel. To me, this relates directly to 1 Peter 3:15.

“but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason of the hope in you, with meekness and fear;”

Sometimes it feels like I’m the last person on the planet who reads the King James Bible. Everyone says they can’t understand it. Anyway, when you ask them to tell you about their hope, they almost always quote the KJV. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life. I thought you didn’t understand that? Even Microsoft Word didn’t hiccough at “believeth” in that context.

The whole point is, can you, in simple English, give a personal answer to the question, “What do you believe and why do you believe it?” As I have thought and prayed about this, I do believe that these 2 verses (Ephesians 6:15 and 1 Peter 3:15) tell me that having an answer ready, is important.

Back in 2011 I wrote an article and tried to encourage people to write what they think they might say to someone who would ask them to “Tell me what you believe, and why”. No one replied. I will ask again.

Can you write down what you would say if someone asked you, “What do you believe and why?” I would love to see what some of you might say. If you would like for me to share that on this blog, I would like to do that as well.

Try to keep it under 1000 words. That doesn’t sound hard to most people but some of us like to write.

If you want to keep it just between you and me you can email me at rdeham47@gmail.com. You can also see my answer to the question at the link.

http://rickeveringham.blogspot.com/2011/09/gospel-as-i-see-it.html

By the way comments are welcome. Thanks

It’s something to think about.

Fact and Truth

In one of the Indiana Jones movies Dr. Jones makes a profound statement. He says, “We deal with facts not truth, if you want to know about truth go to the philosophy department.” The thing that is profound is that facts and truth are not always the same thing.

The fact is I have sin active in my flesh and have often chosen to do sin (1 John 1:8). The truth is I can have victory over my sin (1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 John 2:1).The fact is God sees my sin (Psalms 139:23-24). The truth is that God’s vision for me is that I do overcome and have victory (Romans 8:29). If I focus my attention on the facts I will be discouraged and frustrated, but if in view of the facts I focus on the truth I will have hope and be encouraged.

Ephesians 6:14 says “Therefore STAND having your loins girded about with truth, and having the breastplate of righteousness.” We don’t hear a lot about girdles anymore, but when I was young a lot of women would wear girdles to hold their stomachs in but they also provided support and comfort. The girdle of truth is there to support and comfort us in the world of facts that would discourage and tear us down.

Notice also that the girdle is flexible and will encourage and support in many situations. Each of us needs to find the word and words of truth that will comfort and encourage us individually and apply that to our own life. What words help you when you see your weakness to not be discouraged and to overcome in the time of temptation? I would encourage you to commit those to memory and think about them, meditate on them, even to write about them.

As the girdle of truth is flexible and can fit each individual in their various needs, the breastplate of righteousness is a solid plate that will cover all who will put it on. Our righteousness is our accepting the sacrifice that Jesus made to pay for our sin. My righteousness is accepting the fact that I can never do enough good to erase or cover all of the corruption that I have embraced, and in complete poverty of spirit humbly and confidently placing all of my hope on the cross of Christ Jesus. Jesus truly did pay it all and that is the solid breastplate of my righteousness which I must consciously put on every day and usually more often than just every day.

Does the truth that you hold in your mind and heart comfort, strengthen, encourage and protect you?

It’s something to think about.

Get Dressed for the Day

When I get up in the morning, I check the weather to see what the day looks like, so I will know how to dress for the day. I do that every day. Then I get dressed appropriately to what the day is going to be and according to what I need to be doing in the day. I imagine you do something similar.

When the children of Israel came to the Jordan River after 300 years in captivity and 40 years in the desert, they were given specific instruction about how far to follow the Ark of God. Joshua said “Because you have not passed this way before.” (Joshua 3) As I am on a spiritual journey into the Promised Land of the Kingdom of God, every day I meet things in my life that need to be conquered and put to death so that Christ can be formed in me. I may have met these things before, but many of them I have not realized that I have a responsibility to destroy. In the same way therefore I have not passed this way before.

Every day is a new day that I have never known before. It is only reasonable that when I am going somewhere I have never been that I see if I can get some clear directions for how to navigate in the new day. When I was driving a truck, I learned to always get specific turn by turn directions for how to get to my destination. In many situations this was very important because there were hazards that could not be navigated if I strayed from the correct route.

After writing about the principalities, powers and rulers of this present darkness and wickedness in high places Paul exhorts us to get dressed appropriately for what the day has in store so that we can function as we should in our place.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore…  (Ephesians 6:13 +)

Recently I am impressed with the emphasis of the evil day. Each day I need to prepare. Each day I need to put on the armor of God because I will face enemies in my flesh that will conquer me if I am not prepared.

God’s intention for me is that I become like Jesus. If I am becoming angry when things don’t go my way I am not becoming like Jesus. If my words are not glorifying to God, I am not becoming like Jesus. If my heart is full of desires other than to please God, I am not becoming like Jesus. If I am not loving like Jesus loved, I am not becoming like Jesus. In these cases and many more I am not standing in my place because I am not prepared and clothed spiritually.

I must be properly clothed each day for the day’s activities. This is true spiritually even more than physically.

Think about it.

Present Darkness

In my everyday life it is evident that there are conflicts. People do things that tend to irritate. I am disappointed with things that I do and with the things I do not accomplish; I am even in conflict with myself. Ephesians 6:12 clearly says that the conflict is not with other people and to some degree not even with myself. There are spiritual forces at work that fight against me and against the will of God.

There was a popular book several years ago about the rulers of the darkness of this world. It focused on spiritual beings that affected people and their behavior. As I was reading this passage I became aware of another darkness that strongly affects the people of this present age and time. It has far too great an affect on me and I suppose others may be able to see how it affects them as well.

The darkness I am referring to is the darkness that entered the world in the Garden of Eden. I am not speaking of original sin or sin nature. These seem to me to be Theological terms with little meaning. Rather I am simply referring to the introduction of another point of reference. Before Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil God was the point of reference that said what was good and what was not good. Once they took the knowledge of good and evil for themselves the conflict began.

Jesus came with a different point of reference than was common in the world at that time and now. His central and main point of reference was God’s will, even at the point of being beaten and crucified (ref Luke 22:42). He didn’t even speak his own words but waited and spoke the words from the father (ref John 14:10).

In verse 10 we are encouraged to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” The strength of Jesus is the strength and power of humility. In Philippians 2:5-8 we can read, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

The strength and the might of Jesus was not his own strength or might, rather his strength and might was in the fact that he humbled himself and was obedient to God in all things.

The darkness of this present age is the spirit in each of us that says “I know what is good and what is evil.”

It’s something to think about.