Don’t put them down or misplace them or misuse them. Keep them both at hand and keep them clean and ready. Don’t let the sword be nicked and hammer out any dings in the shield.Ephesians 6 (NKJV):
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, … (12) Therefore
take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand
in the evil day,… (13) above all, taking the shield of faith with which
you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one… (16)
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;… “(17)
Any questions? Do you see what you need to do?
The word tells us to… ‘above all’. Do you appreciate the strength of your faith and that faith only grows as we exercise it, use it, allow it to direct us, rely on and grow it? Faith is never static, it is continually growing. And Hebrews (11:1) tells us that … “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…” Read again (11:1-15) about our ancestors who died in faith not seeing but believing in what they had hoped for. Does this describe you?
Do you have to see, or like Thomas, touch, in order to believe? Is your faith the evidence of believing but not yet seeing? Notice that the shield IS able to quench all the fiery darts. Unless you believe in this power, you will be overcome.
“Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw
near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession
for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
This is powerful! These words can give us hope, be the foundation for our faith, and lead us in victory against the devil. He is a defeated foe… and he knows this so why not act on this?
The sword is the word of God. And He continually tells us about this power. But we are limited… by our lack of knowing the word. Hebrews 4:12, Isaiah 55:11, 2 Timothy 3:15-17, and Revelation 22:18 are some of the strongest statements about the Word of God. These can be your foundation for relying on the Word as your offensive weapon. Remember, Jesus defeated the devil by continuing to respond to him with… “It is written…”.
In my understanding, most of the armor of God is for our protection. There’s nothing missing – our whole body is covered:
“… girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, And take the helmet of salvation…” (14,15,17)
