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DRESSED TO KILL
Week 6 - The Shield of Faith
Ephesians 6:1-18
In every battle you will need faith as your
shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Eph. 6:16
The Shield:
· Common symbol of God’s love and protection (Genesis 15:1; 2
Samuel 22:31)
· Fiery arrows were shot at houses & towns to destroy them
· Flaming arrows would glide off the shield or be quenched
· The shield was the only thing that could stop flaming arrows
· Universal covering to every other part of the armour
Faith:
· 2 Cor. 5:7 – We walk by faith, not by sight.
· Faith doesn’t require sight, but it does require vision
· Heb. 11:1 – Faith is the confidence of things hoped for, a
conviction of things not seen.
· Heb. 11:3 – By faith we understand that the entire universe was
formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything
that can be seen. How do you view that?
Everyone has faith. The question is, what is your faith placed in?
· Heb. 11:6 – Without faith it is impossible to please God. Anyone
who wants to come to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards
those who sincerely seek him.
· Luke 8 – Jesus asked: “Where is your faith?”
· Luke 18 – Jesus asked: “When I return, how many will I find who
have faith?”
· Romans 1:17 – God making us righteous is accomplished from start
to finish by faith, because it is through faith that a righteous person
has life.
How important of a piece of armour is faith? How important is it to be a
soldier who carries the shield of faith?
The Shield of Faith:
· Read Hebrews 11 – sounds like soldiers, heroes, warriors...
What are we like compared to this?
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THEM |
US |
| Soldiers of faith |
Soldiers of fortune |
| Cost them everything |
Costs us anything? |
| Lived for what they
could give |
Live for what we can
get |
| They persevered to the
end |
We want to give up |
· 1 Tim. 1:4 – Don’t let people waste
time
· Acts 14:21-22 – strengthened & encouraged the believers to
continue in the faith, through many tribulations
· James 1:3 – When our faith is tested, endurance has a chance to
grow
· 1 Peter 5:9 – take a firm stand; be strong in your faith
· Satan’s attacks are designed to inflame us to sin
· Our shield is designed to quench the fiery darts; it will cover
you in the battlefield of life
· 1 John 5:4 – Every child of God defeats this evil world by
trusting Christ to give the victory
Faith that fully trusts in God and never
doubts, is the best of all defences.
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God is looking for those who will be
soldiers,
who will take up the shield, have faith
against
all odds, have confidence and conviction,
step out in faith, move forward, and be
willing
to endure whatever He calls them to. |
· 2 Cor. 13:5 – Examine ourselves to see if our faith is genuine
· Heb. 12:1-2 – Let us strip off every weight, let us run with
endurance, keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start
to finish.
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Do I recognize what an
effective shield faith can be for my spiritual life?
Do I have confidence and
conviction of things I don’t see, yet hope for?
How do I view the
difficulties, trials and testing that is part of my journey of
faith?
Am I persevering and
enduring, or tending to give up?
In what ways can I step
out in faith, moving forward towards the end? |
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