True protection is found in our faith in Jesus Christ, it is a shield.
Today we are living in a rather special period in human history. In our societies, everyone is looking for some form of protection. To do this, our contemporaries resort to all kinds of practices. Some go to magnetizers or fortune tellers to attract good fortune; others encounter charlatans, marabouts and attach themselves to totems, statues or even amulets to ensure their future.
However, I can say with certainty that true protection is found in our faith in Jesus Christ. This is the subject of my sharing today: faith is a shield. For this, I want to read two texts, through which we will see how faith protects us from the plans of the enemy, and sometimes from ourselves.
Ephesians 6:16
16 take above all this the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one;
1 Thessalonians 5:8
8 But we who are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and having for our helmet the hope of salvation.
In the text of Ephesians, faith is spoken of as being a shield that protects us from the “fiery darts of the evil one.” What are they and how does faith protect us from them? It is not a question of addressing them all, but of being able to talk about some of them in our sharing.
James 1:5-6
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all simply and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask it in faith, without doubting; for he who doubts is like the wave of the sea, tossed by the wind and driven from side to side.
Thus, faith is a shield against doubt and dismay. So many people live in permanent doubt to the point of losing sleep, or even their health.
Indeed, doubt can cause paralysis and prevent the most prolific people from succeeding in life. It can eat away at the depths of man and inhibit all the talents and treasures that God has placed in us. Faith, on the other hand, frees us and allows us to express what is best in us.
Also in the book of James 5:15, the Bible tells us that “the prayer of faith will save the sick”. I think one of the “fiery darts of the evil one” that faith shields from is sickness. God uses several ways to keep us healthy. Medicine, certainly, but also anointing, deliverance from impure spirits and faith. By the prayer of faith, all illness is overcome. The apostle James speaks of this in the context of a sick person, who comes to see the elders of the church. Then he makes this declaration: “the prayer of faith will save the sick”. In other words, the sick person will be healed if one prays for him in faith. Prayer alone is not enough. Many of us sometimes pray mechanically, almost as if out of habit. However, prayer is not an ordinary activity, it is a sacred act that allows us to be in contact with the divine.
Finally, it seems to me that faith helps us to counteract the bad thoughts that the evil one introduces into the hearts and subconscious of believers. It allows us to focus on the promises of God in our lives and not on the negative aspects of our existence.
Together, let us put on the armor of faith which is essential for the development of our Christian life.
