Spiritual Warfare, Part 7

STAND FIRM WITH GOD’S POWER IN BUSINESS™

The Shield of Faith

Hold to Christ’s Teaching

Walk in His Protection

Live in His Blessing

Childlike Faith

It occurred to me as I wrote this BobChats that after 60 years of being a “born again” Christian, I finally understand faith. The light came on! I got an aha moment!

“He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'” Matthew 18:2-4

I remember that one day in 1983 while developing the Freedom to Lead program for American Business Advisors I had to unlearn some things the world, and in some cases, religion, taught me. The world had taught me to distrust, to disbelieve.

If one is to experience the power of God and His great love, you needs to renew your mind by choosing to be like a child and simply believe God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ as they lead you to the truth (reality) in the Bible. Start with The New Testament. If you have read it already, read it again. KEY: As you read it, ask them to lead you to the truth you seek, and increase your faith.

THE SHIELD OF FAITH

“I read the Bible like I do every other book, like it means just what it says. When I was finished, I recognized it as the truth and chose to believe it.” Francis Schaeffer, American theologian and philosopher

In a men’s Bible study years ago, I heard Dr. Bob Beltz noted that “Most Christians believe their problems are too big and God is too small.” Not trusting God by following His teachings can lead to this perspective, resulting in an even greater lack of faith.

Satan wants you to lose faith in God breaking fellowship with Him and limiting His blessings. Sometimes Satan will even help you prosper for following his ways. Ultimately, that leads you to nothing good. The Bible says you can overcome him and the forces of darkness by putting on the full armor of God daily. Over time, as you demonstrate your faith in God by following His commands and teachings, you will experience and recognize the enormous power God has to protect and bless you – all the way the Paradise.

That’s the key reason I am writing this, to encourage Christians to build up their awareness of the spiritual war and the effect on their faith so they can increase their skills in accessing the enormous power God has to protect and bless them in their daily lives.

All of the armor’s defenses and offenses are founded on faith in God and His honor to keep His Promise.

Putting on the Shield of Faith

God is not moved by our needs, He is moved by our faith. In 1 Samuel 17:45, faced with overwhelming insurmountable odds in the form of Goliath, David’s first words toward his enemy are: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head (1 Samuel 17:45-46).” As you know, David defeated the Philistine with a single stone. Who was David at the time? He was a shepherd working in the business domain, tending his father’s sheep.

The Apostle Paul instructs us that God’s eternal purpose was accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord and therefore, In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12). What would it look like, then, to have a shield of faith?

“The Roman shield – the scutum – was not the standard ‘medieval-esque’ shield most picture in their minds upon hearing the word. It was instead a very large, slightly curved rectangular shield featuring at its center a large metal knob (called a boss).

“The scutum was an impressive line of defense. Because of its sheer size (some were three and a half feet tall and almost three feet wide); soldiers were afforded a great deal of protection from enemies. Because of its slight curve, it was able to deflect attacks without transferring the full force of the assault to the man holding the shield. Because of its boss, it was able to deflect even the more vicious blows and function in a limited offensive capacity as a means of knocking an opponent backwards.”

Taking God at His Word

Faith is taking God at His word and acting on it! Faith is real and based on indisputable truth. The Bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV). We think of faith as an abstract concept, but the writer of Hebrews says that it is a concrete substance and that the evidence of it is solid proof.

Faith, then, is not based on emotion or feelings, but on concrete proof – on reality. “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance (Romans 8:24-25 NKJV).”

This doesn’t mean, of course, that faith comes easily or naturally. We have spent our whole life in this world. Therefore our mind and soul are very influenced by the tangible environment we live in, our natural experiences, and the false evidence Satan orchestrates.

Paul’s point is that you do not hope for what you can already see. Faith requires a large degree of trust. Trust in what? Trust that the evidence around you proves that there is a God who is very powerful and trustworthy. Who is more trustworthy than God, the Father?

By searching the Scriptures, observing creation, considering the testimonies of God’s faithfulness to us and others in the faith, we deduce that God has proven Himself constant, unchanging, and trustworthy over the millennia. Then we are encouraged to exercise our faith so that He will build our faith and fulfill His promises to us. Some of our experiences would indicate otherwise. However, we can choose to stand on our faith in God’s character until He helps us overcome our unbelief through His faithfulness!

Let’s put this in terms we understand in the business domain. In world governments, money is the currency by which power and authority is bought, rewards are paid, and favor is received.

But in the Kingdom of God, faith is the currency by which you receive the free gift of the salvation, God’s favor and His power, authority, and blessings in your life.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SHIELD OF FAITH

The following are five characteristics of the Shield of Faith:

1. A shield is the first line of defense. Pastor Shafer Parker says that the shield “was used by the Romans to ward off the opening barrage from the enemy. Using bows or catapults, the enemy would shoot flaming arrows, throw fireballs, fling rough metal darts covered in flaming pitch, all for the purpose of overwhelming the other side, to create chaos and confusion.” The devil tries to do the same thing to us individually, in congregations, and in the Church as a whole. Just look at the barrage of lies and moral attacks on the Body of Christ today. Satan will do anything to derail a person’s faith and trust in God to stop the advance of God’s Kingdom on earth. Even as a young boy, David knew to pull out his shield of faith first before brandishing any other weaponry.
2. A shield guards. Christ, as the great High Priest, who understands our weaknesses and vulnerabilities, stands guard over us. The One Who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them (1 John 5:18).
3. A shield deflects. Faith in God and His promises extinguishes Satan’s flaming arrows, so he is unable to penetrate our mind and soul. “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:17-19a).” “He will cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness [THE SHIELD OF FAITH] will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday (Psalm 91:4-6).”
4. A shield can incapacitate the enemy. Jesus was able to shut the devil down using His faith in the Father and knowledge of the Word: “Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”’ Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him (Matthew 4:10-11).”
5. There is strength in the number of shields. By banding together with others in unity, faith, and prayer, you create a large powerful composite shield to thwart Satan’s flaming arrows. “The Roman military had an inventive and very effective tactic that made use of their large shields. When enemies would begin firing arrows and other projectiles at the army, the soldiers would close ranks into a rectangular array—called the testudo, or ‘tortoise,’ formation—and those on the outside would use their shields to create a wall around the perimeter. Then those in the middle would raise their shields over their heads to protect everyone from airborne missiles. The result was a formidable human tank that could be stopped only through a tremendous effort.” [1]

We should also not overlook the importance of the Roman military unit moving as one. Thomas Reid said, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” Likewise, the testudo formation is only effective if every soldier is working in sync with his compatriots. To exercise a different plan than the group – in this situation could be a matter of life or death! Similarly, as Christians on the battle lines, we are most effective when we “add our faith” to that of our fellow soldiers to improve our protection and advance the Kingdom of God together.

[1] www.freebiblestudyguides.org

TEMPTATIONS

Sometimes God tests our faith by allowing the devil to tempt us. In the case of Job, Jesus Christ, Peter, and many others in scripture, God allowed bad things to happen to good men.

Pastor Parker explains this, “What does all this mean for me and you? Well, it at least means that we should not be shocked when we are attacked by the devil. It doesn’t mean God has forgotten us. Nor does it mean we’re doomed. These stories tell us that attacks from Satan are a part of God’s plan for each of our lives. Think of it like this. None of these men would have known the victory of God had they not suffered for God. None would have known the power of God had they not come to the end of their own strength.”

“For the battle is not yours, but God’s (2 Chronicles 20:15).”

Parker makes the observation that Satan attacked each of these three men of faith through their flesh. He is using the same avenue today. Whether it’s to entice us through our desires or flog us with our fears, our flesh is quick to respond. The only sure way to recognize his temptations is to listen to the counsel of the Holy Spirit and develop a keen sense of right and wrong that can readily identify the source of his suggestions. We do this by learning, through practice, to recognize the voice of God intimately so that we can discern whether a suggestion comes from above or from below. Knowing God’s voice strengthens our faith. When Satan flings his flaming arrows at us from afar, our shield of faith wards them off.

I saw this manifested in my own life. After several years of conscious spiritual war, exhaustion set in from not seeing the results that I had been expecting. In a moment of great frustration, I declared to the Lord, “I am sick of this continuous spiritual warfare and I don’t want to do it anymore!” His response was quick and to the point. “Tough!” He said, “It’s just the way it is, so get over it.” “Ok, I get it,” I responded. From that day forward I completely turned it over to the Lord and the exhaustion and frustration have gone away. I had finally come to the end of my own strength and therefore made the real decision to put on the armor of God and move on. For people with leadership talents, this is considerably harder than we think.

Flaming Arrows

The flaming arrows of the evil one are no ordinary temptations. Pastor Parker says they are “things that seem to suddenly come from nowhere to pierce and penetrate and torment the soul.” Satan is an intelligent being. He knows exactly how to hit us.

Martin Luther, the great Reformer, once was battling it out with Satan. The spiritual battle was so real that Luther picked up an ink well full of black ink and threw it so it splattered against a white wall. The ink stain is no longer there (actually, no one is able to support that it actually happened). But Luther did often say that he had driven the devil away with ink.

In The Seal and Pledge of the Holy Spirit, Brian Allison reports, “The devil sought to discourage [Luther], by making him feel guilty, through rehearsing a list of his sins. When the devil had finished, Luther purportedly said, ‘Think harder: you must have forgotten some.’ And the devil did think, and he listed more sins. When he was done enumerating the sins, Luther said, ‘Now, with a red pen write over that list, The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin.’ The devil had nothing to say. Luther’s reliance upon the ink of Holy Scripture (especially the ‘red ink’ revealed in the Bible) is one of his enduring legacies. The belief that the heart of each and every page of Scripture is the sacrificial blood of the Lamb is the touchstone of our own faith and the measuring stick by which we are called to evaluate what any Christian or Christian congregation believes, teaches and confesses.” [2]

Satan knows how to shoot his flaming arrows at your vulnerable places. His arrows include, but are not limited to:

• Anything to get you to disobey God. Satan would love to break down your faith to the point where you lose faith in and disobey God. He knows that God’s blessings and protection are related to obedience to Him (and he hates to see you blessed). Following are temptations and your solutions.
• Disobedience

“Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love Me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not My own; they belong to the Father who sent Me’ (John 14:23-24).”

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind (Ecclesiastes 12:13).”

• Blasphemous thoughts. Thoughts like: “There is no God. God does not love you. God is not good. Would a good God allow all this pain and suffering?” Remember, God delegated dominion over the earth to man, therefore whatever goes on here on earth is man’s responsibility, not God’s. God is good and He demonstrates His love for us. He will help man if he asks. See Genesis 1:28-30, Mark 10:18, Romans 5:8.
• Critical and hateful thoughts about yourself and others, leading to breaking fellowship with God and man. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you (John 15:12).”
• Thoughts of lust, wrath, revenge, or despair which Parker says are “capable of burning themselves deeply into your very souls, and all of them weakening your ability to resist whatever strategy he (Satan) plans next.”
• Sudden fears, anxieties, panic attacks, and a dull feeling like nothing is right, as in the case of King Saul in 1 Chronicles 10.
• Medical attacks, as in the case of Job.
• Questioning the inspiration and authority of the Bible, or its foundational principles: the deity of Christ, His atoning sacrifice on your behalf, or Salvation by grace, through faith in Christ alone.

[2] From an article by Pastor Daniel Harmelink – Redeemer Lutheran Church, Huntington Beach, CA

The Source of Faith

“Faith in ‘the shield of faith’ means the application of what we believe as an answer to everything that the devil hurls at us” (Martyn Lloyd Jones).

Of course, our faith is in God, not the shield. The armor of God is a metaphor, a very strong mental image of the power of God and the different weaknesses and supernatural resources and solutions we have in our struggle “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).”

Practically, this means that as the devil flings evil thoughts your way, we turn them back with a quick application of God’s truth. If you feel your faith is weak, confess it to God and ask Him to increase your faith, as the father of the demoniac boy in Mark 9 did: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief (Mark 9:24)!”

Faith is a gift from God and is one of the ways He keeps us from becoming prideful over what we do or have done. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ (Romans 10:17).”

As Christians, our life is intended to be a strategic partnership with God. He uses us to fulfill His purpose and plans summarized in The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). We need Him to give us life to the fullest, teach us, guide us, and protect us. As with any functional team, this strategic partnership requires a declaration of interdependence on each other. In this case, God has already made a declaration of interdependence on us.

We are the Body of Christ, His implementers of The Great Commission and therefore, His only plan to get the job done. There is no backup plan. His declaration of interdependence has been declared, so it is now only up to each of us to obey Christ and make a declaration of interdependence on Him!

Stand Firm After Putting on Your Shield of Faith!

When Satan tries to persuade you to do things his way instead of God’s way, remember that God is bound by His promise, His way, and His Word – He cannot lie or deviate from it. The promises He has made are irrevocable and the warnings He gives us are faithful and true.

Several years ago, I noticed that the Old Testament tells us repeatedly to tell of God’s glory and faithfulness throughout the earth. So I decided to openly thank Him at Christmas in our business newsletter, give Him credit for our success, and quote Scripture to back it up. Honestly, I did this with some fear and concern as to the “political incorrectness” of the decision. But I decided that, when I stood before Christ on Judgment Day, He was going to be more concerned with the political correctness of the Kingdom’s culture than the world’s culture. So I proceeded.

Over the years, I have received several comments about this practice from both Christians and non-Christians – some supportive, some not so supportive. Even some Christian business owners questioned whether it was appropriate. Every year, Satan would work on my mind and circumstances to try to stop me from publishing the letter. Every year I have chosen to do it anyway. What I can tell you is that the Lord has always taken care of me, my family, and my business beyond what I could have imagined or deserved.

Here is God’s Word on the matter:

• “I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD (1 Kings 20:28).”
• “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).”
• “But, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you (Matthew 6:33).”

Following is a brief Action Plan to improve your effective use of the shield of faith in winning the war against the spiritual forces of darkness. It starts with making a decision to believe!

1. Read the Bible regularly so the Holy Spirit can remind you of what Scripture says during Satan’s attacks.
2. Obey Scripture in your daily life (Psalm 119:11, Deuteronomy 12:28).
3. Allow the Holy Spirit to counsel and sanctify you (John 14:26 and Luke 12:12).
4. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). Resist means to repel, defy, or thwart – to not agree with Satan, not receive his thoughts into your mind and soul, and not to entertain anything that is contrary to the Word of God! Take comfort in knowing that your brothers and sisters in Christ are subject to the same learning process (1 Peter 5:8-9).
5. Quote Scripture to Satan, just as Jesus did.
6. Set your mind on overcoming the world and Satan, (1 John 5:4- 5).
7. Unite with other Christians. Make a declaration of interdependence with true believers and work together. Satan uses the age-old strategy of “divide and conquer” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Don’t let him divide us.
8. Practice trusting God daily in your problem-solving, decisions, and actions by basing them only on Christ’s teachings.
9. Ask God to increase your faith.

“Every time you affirm your trust in Me, you put a coin into My treasury. Thus you build up equity in preparation for days of trouble. I keep safely in My heart all trust invested in Me, with interest compounded continuously. The more you trust Me, the more I empower you to do so.” Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

The Key to Overcoming Satan

“IT IS WRITTEN”

Jesus Christ, King of God’s Kingdom

When Satan tempts you, rebuke him with “It Is Written” and quote Scripture!

*Much of the information in this BobChats is taken from my book, STAND FIRM WITH GOD’S POWER IN BUSINESS.