A Shield Of Faith

                            Written By Hudson Millar ( April 2016)

Background:

I recently shared a bible verse with my friend from the book of Job, which tells us that when God puts a hedge around us, Satan has no power to harm us.

Job 1:10 KJV

¹⁰ Hast thou not made a hedge about him and about his house and about all that he has on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands; therefore, his substance has increased in the land.

My friend challenged me to consider further what it would take for a person to break their own hedge and in doing so open themselves to Satan’s attack on their lives.

It was some time later during a time of prayer that God gave me an image that showed me at least one way this may happen. This image was a person laying down their shield of faith.

God often reveals truth to me in seeds, that is short revelations of truth that unfolds and grows when planted in scripture. The way it works for me is that the seed grows almost instantly, such that for example, the prophecy I wrote below was all their on my tongue as soon as I started to think it and later write it down. 

I saw this shield of faith as faithfulness in the context of keeping the ten commandments of the bible. Because what I have written is a contemporary, non-complete, practical applications of the ten commandments, some of the commandments are combined. I have called it a prophecy, but don’t get hung up on this word, it is what it is and you can call it something else if you don’t like this title.

It is fitting that faithfulness is about doing what is right in the sight of God. Job was described by God as blameless …

Job 1:8

⁸ And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my slave Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God and has departed from evil?

and his hedge was secure apart from his day of testing. Their is a possible clue that Job’s departure from evil has something to do with this protection. The text in Job does not make this connection but the image that God gave me from Ephesians 6:16  does.

Ephesians 6:13-18 KJV

¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

¹⁵ And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

¹⁶ Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

The last line in this prophecy did not come from the image out of Ephesians 6, but was a second image I got when I meditated on first image. I included it because for me it was there. 

Prophecy:

Belief is in the mind, where you decide what is real, but faith is in your body, the things you do for God – your faithfulness.

Faith is treating the name of God with respect, so that you don’t say ‘Oh my God’ at any trivial surprise, or treat anything of his with flippancy.

Faith is not making, television movies, computer games, money, possession, spouses, friends and children so important that there is no time, yes simple no time left to give to God in prayer and worship.

Faith is respecting your parents and not treating them as your slaves.

Faith is not murdering others through unresolved anger.

Faith is not committing adultery through a sexual passion (real or imaginary) that comes between you and your spouse, or a future spouse.

Faith is not stealing other people’s stuff.

Faith is not slandering others, not deceiving them for an easy sale, not pretending to be someone you are not, or not being so afraid of rejection, that you lie in order to make yourself look good.

Faith is not being envious of what others have, because what you have and are is all that really matters.

And why does faith matter … Why does faith matter, you’ve got to be kidding right! Faith matters tremendously, because when faith fails, you in effect lay down on your door sized shield, then say to the devil bring it on! It may seem like bravery at the time, but this delusion will soon pass when a wall of fiery arrows comes your way and the ball and chain is swung toward your head.