The size of your “belief list” determines the size of your “faith shield”.

Your “shield of faith” or, your “belief shield” is an imperative piece of armor which you must have built well for you to go into battle, and win. But, as you know, you’re already in the battle. Your shield must grow, and it must be made of the right stuff, the right substance. Which is faith/belief. (the Greek word pistueo is translated as faith when it is a noun, and believe when it is a verb) So, who do you have faith in? Who do you believe in? What do you actually deeply believe about Christ? 

Jesus asked the disciples, “But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matt. 16:15–16). That was the basis for Peter’s “belief shield.” Though that was a correct, relational, emotional theological statement…it was more than just a dry statement of belief. It was about Peter’s deep confession about “the person of Christ.” It was personal.

Our shields are to be made of what we deeply believe and can state about what we believe about God. Notice how many times we have said “deeply.” 

Tepid belief will just not stand up to flaming arrows. So…what can you state right now that you deeply believe? What can you say specifically that you deeply believe about Him? Can you fill up a page with an actual list of truthful facts you believe deep in your heart about who the Trinity is and what They are like? What is the size is your list?

The size of your belief list” is the size of your shield of faith.

How long is your list of what you believe, and can you say it? Right now, stop, and write a list of things you believe about Himwith all your heart. 

Is your list short? 

How readily available in your heart and mind are the things that you know and believe deeply about Him? Each truth you actually believe can and should be used as part of your shield. A piece of what you hold up against the arrows/lies of the enemy.

What you don’t know about Him is your part of your un-belief. There is probably more that you don’t know about Him, than you do know about Him. Your unbelief is bigger than your belief. You may have so small a list of what you believe about Him, that the holes in your shield are larger than the pieces that make it up.

But don’t give up. Don’t stop. Don’t just stand there on fire. Build your shield, and then help your brother. God had King David write this about Him: “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psa. 34:17–18). David knew what it was like to be wounded, and to wound others. He did not just keep taking arrows; He allowed God to heal his wounds. He believed more and more in God, and he wanted back into battle. 

The following is a metaphor, so don’t take it too far. Imagine holding a large three-by-three-foot metal shield to protect yourself. Imagine this large shield is made up of one-inch six-sided pieces. Each piece represents a truth you have faith in and you deeply believe in with all your heart. That’s 1,296 belief pieces which make up that belief shield. Now, name 1,296 truths you believe with all your heart. Yep….me too…I got a tiny shield. The good news is since we are making this up, we don’t know how large each piece is or how much it covers. But we do know that you have to build up what you deeply believe, and that belief will hold, and shield you, and extinguish the flaming arrows from the enemy.

Share this Article

Available Now on Amazon

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *