OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: TUESDAY JUNE 11TH 2024
TOPIC: THE SHIELD OF FAITH
MEMORISE:
“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” - (Ephesians 6:16)
READ: MATTHEW 21:18-22 (KJV)
18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.
19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!
21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
MESSAGE:
Over the past few days, I have been teaching on the full armour of God. The shield of faith ensures that the fiery arrows of the devil do not get to you. This suggests that there will be times when the devil will try to attack your health, finances, marriage and so on. You should use the shield of faith to ward off all such attacks. A Christian without faith is vulnerable to the devil’s attacks. Also, a Christian without faith should not expect to receive anything from God as we see in James 1:6-7.
Some things will come up that will try to shake your faith, those are the fiery darts of the enemy. They will look scary and seem to be able to bring you down, but if you hold on to your faith in Christ, you will ward them off. Sometimes, they come as mountains standing in your way. You must command those mountains to be removed by faith, and they will be removed.
One interesting thing about the shield of faith is that it can be in different sizes. In Matthew 8:26, the Bible talks of little faith and then we have great faith in Matthew 8:10. The size of your faith will determine how many fiery darts you can ward off. This is why Proverbs 24:10 says:
If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
In order not to faint in the day of adversity, you must build up your faith before adversity comes. Jude 1:20 says that you should build up your faith by praying in the Holy Ghost. Ensure that you pray in the Holy Ghost every day. In fact, pray in the Spirit every minute, after all, that is the only way you can really pray without ceasing as instructed in (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Faith also comes by hearing the word of God as we see in Romans 10:17. If you want your faith to grow, you must ensure that you study your Bible every day. Also, ensure that you listen to sermons from genuine men of God regularly; this will further help your faith grow.
One final way through which your faith can grow is through trials as the Bible says in (1 Peter 1:7). Although, many Christians do not want to face challenges, the Bible says that you should count it all joy when you face temptations as they help you become perfect in Christ (James 1:2-4).
KEY POINT:
Build up your faith so that you will ward off every fiery dart of the enemy.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: PSALMS 38-42
AUTHOR PASTOR E A ADEBOYE
HYMNAL: 16 - 'TIS SORRY SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS
1 ’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His word;
Just to rest upon His promise;
Just to know, Thus saith the Lord.
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him,
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er,
Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more.
2 O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
Just in simple faith to plunge me,
’Neath the healing, cleansing flood.
3 Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life, and rest, and joy, and peace.
4 I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.
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