Our Shield
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Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.
For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.
Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest,
and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.
In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God.
Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.
In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Worry
Then he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear.
For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.
Consider the ravens: They don’t sow or reap; they don’t have a storeroom or a barn; yet God feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than the birds?
Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying?
If then you’re not able to do even a little thing, why worry about the rest?
Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Fear
As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.
Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves—but Jesus kept sleeping.
So the disciples came and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to die!”
He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me?
Depression
For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God.
I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God?”
I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts.
Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.
I am deeply depressed; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your billows have swept over me.
The Lord will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night— a prayer to the God of my life.
I will say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?”
My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, “Where is your God?”
Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.
temptation.
And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.
In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
Every word of God is pure; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
What is faith?
Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.
For by this our ancestors were approved.
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.
By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God.
Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going.
By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise.
For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the one who had promised was faithful.
Therefore, from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and as innumerable as the grains of sand along the seashore.
These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.
Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return.
But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son,
the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac.
He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones.
By faith Moses, after he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter
and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin.
For he considered reproach for the sake of Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since he was looking ahead to the reward.
By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees him who is invisible.
By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites.
By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being marched around by the Israelites for seven days.
By faith Rahab the prostitute welcomed the spies in peace and didn’t perish with those who disobeyed.
And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets,
who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,
quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.
Women received their dead, raised to life again. Other people were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection.
Others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment.
They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated.
The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised,
since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.
Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us,
keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up.
In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him,
for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives.
Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?
But if you are without discipline—which all receive—then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
Furthermore, we had human fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live?
For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but he does it for our benefit, so that we can share his holiness.
No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees,
and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed instead.
Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord.
Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.
And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for a single meal.
For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, even though he sought it with tears, because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance.
For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm,
to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them,
for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.
The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear.
Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering,
to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect,
and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.
See to it that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven.
His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.
This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what is not shaken might remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe,
for our God is a consuming fire.
For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
not from works, so that no one can boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
The Message of Ephesians 3. The Armour of God (Verses 13–20)
For faith lays hold of the promises of God in times of doubt and depression, and faith lays hold of the power of God in times of temptation