Eph 6:16
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
The shield of faith is designed to protect our whole
body. We need to know how to use and
keep the shield of faith.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me,
to every man that is among you, not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Way back at our birth, God planned and designed that we have
a measure of faith. We know this to be
true. We have heard testimonies and have
a testimony that as a child we longed for God.
We wondered where we came from and, “Who is God?” There was that seed of faith.
Hebrews 11: faith is the substance of things hoped for.
I believe that measure of faith that is placed in children
causes them to want to know about God. There
must be a beginning; before anything can be designed or built there is a plan
and a thought. Some may have the design
in their head and never put it on paper.
God had a design that you and I know how to build a shield of
faith. It is the substance of things
hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.
It is because of faith that you and I know truth tonight. What a wonderful part of the shield of faith
truth is!
I think of the price of truth. The instruction to buy and sell not the
truth. I think of those that were in
position to help me to come to truth.
People could find God anywhere. God is God.
But I am so thankful that God had people in position when my mother was
so desperately heart broken and needed a savior that could help her find Him. She had a husband and a family, but there was
a great void in her life.
Before my mom came on the scene, God had a plan to bring the
truth to this area and had those designed that would do so.
As a child we possess a natural God given instinct to be
protected. When a baby is born, they
wrap them tight in a blanket and make them feel secure there for they are used
to being in a place of security with the mother.
Children need security.
I have a burden for children’s consciences tonight. There is the influence of God upon that
conscience but there is also a lot of other influences there. They want to do what is right. We love having children about that want to
please, do what is right, and want the thought, “I am doing what is right.”
God protects the lambs in the tenth verse. Verse 11:
Isa 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he
shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them
in his bosom, and shall gently lead
those that are with young.
I am told that true shepherds when they approach the sheepfold
come humming, talking, or whatever so that the seep are not startled. God comes to His sheep daily.
He shall gather the lambs:
Aren’t you glad that you understand how God loves children? Those precious grandchildren that are out of
your reach tonight, God loves them. We
often tell God, “We are trusting you to protect these little children, to
protect their conscience, to protect them from evil spirits, evil men, and evil
women.
He will carry the lambs close: Every child has a nature to be loved. We know this.
Some of them way too young experience pain, rejection, and abuse. It doesn’t take some of them very long for
their conscience to become defiled.
He gently leads those that are with young: I am glad tonight that I can make the expression
that in the burden for souls: you can trust God to lead you. I am burdened for an individual that I would
never have anticipated having any contact with them. But I have contact with them. We pray God to lead us, guide us, and direct
us.
I don’t like awkward situations. There are times what we need to be
there. We need the grace of God to be
there. If you are burdened tonight, let
God lead you. Take care of your
soul. The world will try to do its best
to abort your burden, get us sidetracked, get us involved in what will cause us
to lose the burden and lose the fervency out of our prayer.
We want to remember that the great teacher, the Holy Spirit
of God, did not leave the scene when someone died or decided to go a different
direction. The more that I study, the more that I hear you teach, the more I hear
good sound preaching, the Word of God opens more and more and more.
1Pe 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all
guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
Aren’t you happy that you had your conscience purged and
that you were really convicted? You were
convicted to lay aside all malice. You felt
bad and knew that it was wrong. All guile
and all deceitfulness: totally lay it all aside. It does not mix with a purged conscience.
1Pe 2:2
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow
thereby:
It is right in this season that God begin to work with us to
build the shield of faith. We realize
that we need to learn how to work with souls.
We need to learn to discipline our mind or we will not have prayer. We come to the place where we realize, “I
have to have the shield so that I can stay focused.”
After someone gets saved, God takes care of them and the
body does. It is not long until they
realize, “It is time to grow up.”
1Pe 4:12
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try
you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
After you get saved God lets the trial come to see, “If I am
really going to serve God.” It is not long until we realize that we need some
protection.
1Pe 5:5
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed
with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
One thing that people must learn, as they want to get their
conscience cleared up, is that the younger submit to the elder. We live in a world where people don’t want to
listen to anyone. If people will not
listen, then they will never become a disciple of Jesus Christ.
People in general, some want to be saved but they have the
attitude, “No one will tell me anything.”
I know you want to be saved but you must take the shield of faith.
If Gyme and Timberly are going to have a happy home, there
must be some rules that the children listen to.
If the teachers have someone in there that knows everything and only
want to disrupt the classroom they are never going to learn anything.
Everyone ought to listen to the body of Christ. “Yea all of you be subject one to another.” When someone needs to tell you something if
you have the attitude, “I am not going to take anything from anyone but…” We will not dictate to God anything. We just say, “God teach me.”
You might say, “That would be humbling.” What is so wrong with being humble?
Be clothed with humility:
Gems of truth. I wish being
subject had started way back earlier in my life. We are not an army that just throws out
compliments. We are in this to see
people saved, sanctified, perfected and ready to work for God.
It works. All of you
be subject one to another. If you want a
shield that will quench the fiery darts of the wicked, then have it settled, “I
am going to listen. When someone wants
to talk to me, I am going to shut my mind down and not be trying to one up
them.”
God resists the proud:
if you want to have a shrinking shield of faith then just let pride
begin to work. You will feel that the
devil is throwing things at you right and left.
Where there is pride there is contention and there is confusion and
every evil work.
Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and he will
exalt you in due time. If you feel that
you are not getting much respect and you are pretty gifted. Let me help you. Humble down before God. He will exalt you in due time.
Cast all your care on Him.
Be sober and vigilant because your adversary the devil walks
about as a roaring lion. There is only
one thing that will silence the devil and that is the shield of faith. “I know I am saved, sanctified, have measured,
and I have done my best to be easily entreated.”
Resist steadfast in the faith: lift the shield of faith, resist him.
The God of all grace… there is always more to be said.
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