"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Eph 6:16
Have you ever played a video game when your immunity shield went down? All of a sudden, you get hit. Out of nowhere. And you had gotten so far too! But not only does your immunity shield go down - every hit and every punch you take now does 10 times the damage. And very quickly you die. No fun!!
But you know what? God has given us an immunity shield for this life, called faith. When we first come to Him, the shield is small, but with every revelation we receive from Him it is built up, more and more and more, until we are so strong with His truth that we are impenetrable. But, sometime holes in our choices will cause breaks in our armor, making us more vulnerable to attack. Even if we know what the right thing is to do, our humanness can often be our greatest enemy.
So, what do we do to build up our shield of faith, or repair those breaks in our armor? The first step is to confess our shortcomings, renounce them, ask for God's forgiveness, and turn the other direction. The second is to surround ourselves with scriptures regarding the issues we face. And the third is surrounding ourselves with others who can surround us with 360 vision, and help encourage us along the way.
Do you have breaks in your armor? Ask God to help you create a shield of faith that is impenetrable.
"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." -Psalm 32:7
We used to sing a song at church called "hiding place". "You are my hiding, you are my hiding place..." It was a catchy praise tune, but it was also a great reminder of where we put our trust.
Life can be harsh sometimes. When we're going through difficulty or we're experiencing rejection, hurt or betrayal, it's especially essential that God becomes our habitation.
From what place do you live your life? Is your heart hidden in God, or do you put your heart out there, unprotected, for all the world to see?
There is a great quote for all the single ladies... "A woman's heart should be so lost in God that a man must seek Him in order to find her."
During David's "pit" phase when Saul was trying to kill him, he wrote many Psalms to comfort and remind himself that His fate and his heart was in the hands of God.
There will be times in our lives where we feel disappointed, hurt, and vulnerable. But it is during those times that God is teaching us to find our habitation and our protection in Him. When we truly find our identity in the "hiding place" of our God, there is nothing in this world that can shake us.
Is God your hiding place?
