The Armor of God | Shield of Faith and Sword of the Spirit, Day 4

These five devotions were written earlier in the year to include in a booklet for a local youth camp that is held in July. Now that camp is over, I thought I'd share the devotions. Helping Hands Camp is a faith based youth camp that allows campers to provide services and to fulfill clean up and construction projects for those in the community that are unable to do so. 

Theme: Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 

Our anchor verse is based of the entire passage from Ephesians 6:10-17. Each daily devotion is based off of that verse.

[NIV Translation, Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.]

Shield of Faith and Sword of the Spirit

[16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.]

Psalm 28:7 says “The Lord is my strength and my shield;” Begin practicing a prayerful life now and trying to keep your mind on Christ. The sheer focus alone will prevent you from becoming occupied with worry and fear of daily circumstances. Not only will God’s word and the holy-spirit give you power, strength and encouragement. You will not waste energy trying to resolve the other things that cause you concern.

Hebrews 4:12 says “¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword”. Earlier in the week we identified areas that the devil might attack us in our mind and thoughts. Knowing and using scripture in the moment provides a powerful relief. Even Jesus used scripture against the devil. (See Matthew 4 for an example).

If you keep your shield up, you won’t be caught off guard by the regular blows of life. When attacks strike, swing your sword in response and repeat scripture back at the enemy. It is not having tools or weapons with you that makes you powerful. It’s using them. You need to pick these up daily and use them as they were designed.

Think About It

1. Do you spend time sharpening your sword and polishing your shield or would you say that you need to go home and find them?

2. Do you have examples in your own life where you have used scripture to help you against an attack? Can you share it with the group or a friend during camp? How or when do you know to apply it?

3. Sometimes opportunities are like cross roads.  A series of events will happen if you turn left and a different set will happen if you turn right.  It is important to consider the consequences and opportunities from both directions and to think about what Christ might decide if he were in your shoes. Thinking about what he would do often eliminates some of the options. Trying to mirror his response also shields us from the consequences of choosing poorly.