THOU, O LORD, ARE A SHIELD FOR US!

"But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head" Psalm 3:3

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.As Christians, we are in a spiritual battle with an enemy known as the devil! Ephesians, chapter 8, speaks of the armor that is given to the Believer. In this article, we are going to examine how the Lord is our Shield and how our faith in Him is our shield.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 Christian life is not a walk through the daisies. Just as soldiers must walk through territories where the enemy is hiding, so must the Christian walk. Our enemy, the devil, lies in wait for us. He is hiding behind every side, throwing fiery arrows at us. We are given a spiritual armor in which to fight this battle. We are to stand in our spiritual armor, which is Christ Jesus. THE LORD is our shield. The Lord is our Deliverer. The Lord is our protection for we have put our trust in Him. The Bible tells us to take up the shield of faith. Faith in the Lord is what we need in this battle-- Not faith in a pastor, not faith in your local church but faith in Jesus. Your pastor might let you down, your church may let you down, but Jesus will never let you down.Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, "...lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."Who is Jesus to you? Faith in the Lord will get us through the troubles of this life. Faith in the Lord is what we need for He will protect us from ALL the fiery darts of the devil. We must not put our confidence in man, for man will make mistakes. But our faith must be in the Lord, who will shield us from the enemy and will deliver us from the enemy. "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."WHEN TROUBLES COME OUR WAYMany times, Christians tend to go to everyone but the Lord when troubles come. Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.Our faith must be in Christ Jesus. He is our Intercessor and Mediator between God and man. 1Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.Through Jesus, we have access to the Heavenly Father. Jesus is our High Priest and Hebrews 4:16 tells us, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.Psalm 115:9 O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.The Lord truly is our shield and He shelters us in the dangers of this life. It doesn't mean that we shall not have danger but He protects us from the enemy's snare in the midst of the battles of our life. Jesus never promised us a life without trouble. He said in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD. The Lord works all things out for our good, and if we believe this, we will not get discouraged when troubles come our way, for our faith is planted firmly in Him. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us, and if we would only trust in Him-- put our faith in Him in all matters, we would see that He has our best interests at heart.Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.Sometimes, we do not know what is best for us, but God knows and when we pray for the Heavenly Father's will in our lives, we see that His will is best for us in the long run. He alone knows the future and He will see us through whatever hard times come our way. 1John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.As Christians, we have seen the Lord's hand in our own lives so many times. When we pray for the Father's will, He hears us. "Thy will be done..."John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.Luke 12:27-28 [Jesus said] Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?Deut 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.Psalm 115:11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.When we pray according to the Father's will, he hears us. The Lord will help us through every battle that we face. Remember we have the shield of faith for protection because WE ARE IN A BATTLE. As long as our faith is in the Lord, we will walk in victory. It's when we start leaning upon our own rationalization and our own way of thinking that gets us in trouble. BE SOBER, BE VIGILANT1Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.A soldier who lets his shield down in the midst of the battle was a soldier unprotected from enemy arrows and unprotected from the enemy's sword. A soldier without a shield was a vulnerable soldier. And so is the Christian who has lost hope and lost faith in their God. Remember that whatever rough battle you are going through at the moment, God is your shield. Put your faith in Him to see you through and do not lose heart. Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.Ephesians 5:19-20 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;God uses circumstances in our lives to bring us closer to Him and to a better place spiritually. He also uses situations that can bring us earthly blessings too. When you pray, believe God. Put your hope in Him.The late Pastor John R. Rice wrote:"Having faith about a particular matter means confidence that there is a God and believes that He hears and answers prayer...One cannot know God except as he comes to know this blessed attribute of His -- He is a God who hears prayers."WE SHOULD NEVER DOUBT THE LORDDeut 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.One may lose his current job and question, "Why Lord?" but what this Christian does not know is that his particular place of employment will be closing shop next year. By him losing his job, God is able to provide him with a more secure place of employment where there is job security. So what may look hopeless in the beginning turns out to be a blessing in the end, but the devil would have you to think that God has abandoned you. The devil is always trying to discourage the Christian by causing doubt. 2 Cor 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.We should never doubt the Lord. Where He leads us, we will follow for we have put our trust in Him. We read God's Word and by reading His Word, we have faith in Him. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.Rom 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." The road we travel, as Christians, always leads us to a better place. When we put our faith in the Lord and trust in Him for everything, we find that in His timing, all things work together for our good. 1Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.Psalm 5:12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.Sometimes, we get in our comfort zone and do not want to venture out into the path that the Lord wants to lead us on. We settle down in a routine or a job and think, "This is the life." But God has even a better plan. If only we would follow His leading and be in tune with what He wants for us. The Lord knows what is best for His children and we, as His children, need to trust Him more. He knows what is best. He has a plan and no matter what comes our way, Jesus is our loving Good Shepherd who leads us and guides us. Our faith must be in Him. He is our shield in times of trouble and confusion.STRENGTH IN NUMBERSJude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.We are all traveling this cobblestone road of life together and God is going before us each and every step of the way. The most wonderful thing about fellowship and prayer with other Christian Believers is that all can put their shields of faith together, creating a wall and a roof of protection during the devil's attack. Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.As with any army, there is strength in numbers but the army is only as good as the weapons they possess. The Christian must have the shield of faith-- faith in Christ.Psalm 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.KEEPING OUR EYES UPON JESUSThe LORD truly is our shield and our faith in Him is also our shield in times of trouble. Keeping our eyes on Jesus will help us to see more clearly the path before us-- for He alone lights our path. Jesus is the Light of the world. Our faith in Him shields us from the enemy's snare. Don't let doubt creep into your life-- trust in the Lord -- for only He can do the impossible!Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.