Life Plan Devotion #75 [God's Armor--Shield of Faith, Part III]

Hi, Everyone.
I trust you had a great weekend. We had stormy weather, here in Kansas, but we needed the rain. All is well, where I live.
Today, we step back into the mini-devotional series on the Armor of God, looking at the next phrase in Ephesians 6:16. I pray you will enjoy it and that it will speak to you. As always, I love hearing from you.

Life Plan Devotion #75 [God's Armor--Shield of Faith, Part III]

     Last time, we looked at the phrase "Above all," found in Ephesians 6:16. Today, let's look at the next phrase in "Above all, taking the shield of faith..." [New King James Version]. Again, let's look at that from various Bible translations/versions.
     The New International Version says that we should "take up the shield of faith." The Message advises us to "Take all the help you can get." The Amplified Version directs us to "Lift up over all the [covering] shield." The New Living Translation tells us to "hold up the shield of faith." The New Century Version simply says to "use the shield of faith." My favorite way of putting this key phrase is found in the Contemporary English Version, which says to "Let your faith be like a shield."
     Brothers and sisters in Christ, decide today to "let your faith be like a shield." Faith is of little value if you don't know how to walk it out from day to day. Your Shield of Faith will not help you, if you leave it at church or at home. You will not be victorious if you forget to lift up and use your Shield of Faith. Without it, you're fair game to the enemy.

I Corinthians 16:13
"Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong."

What this has to do with weight loss: The weight-loss journey requires the 4 things mentioned in I Corinthians 16:13, and if you follow it, you will be successful. So, be on your guard, against all forms of temptation that would seek to cause you defeat. Stand firm in your faith. You must believe that you can be victorious in weight-loss issues, and you would be wise to depend on your faith in the Lord to get there. Be courageous. It takes much courage to follow through, to do what you know you should do, day after day. Finally, be strong. Courage and strength go together. You are stronger than you think you are, and you have all strength in Jesus (Philippians 4:13).

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, You have given me, as a believer, the Shield of Faith, but I know I must decide to take it up, to use it each day. It won't do me any good, otherwise. I don't want to be a sitting duck for the one who seeks to ' steal, kill, and destroy' (John 10:10). Help me to allow my faith to shield and protect me. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen."

Go forth today, determined to take up your Shield of Faith.

Blessings,
Mary