In my last post, we saw that the Shield of Faith is the first of the offensive weaponry given to us. It protects our whole life against the fiery trials of evil. It also identifies me as a member of God’s family.
Today I want to talk specifically about how to use your faith in the midst of the spiritual battles you face. Let me first warn you, because I’m going to say some things that you may not agree with. Stick with me and see where I’m headed.
It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak…
2 Corinthians 4:13
There are many places in Scripture where we’re told to speak out our faith. This is important in using the shield. To use faith as a shield, I must speak what I believe.
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:12
Paul talks about the fight of faith. It’s a shield fight. It can fend off the enemy when he first attacks. It’s all about having a good confession.
Wait a minute! Let me explain to you what I mean by “a good confession.” First of all, that word, confession, in the Greek means to speak the same as. This means that I confess the Word of God.
But be careful. I’m not saying to mindlessly repeat something over and over again. God’s Word is not some sort of magical spell. You can’t just repeat some words and get what you want.
The key is in the verse from Corinthians. I speak what I believe. If I don’t believe what I’m speaking, I get no results.
Think about when Jesus was confronted by the devil in the wilderness. The Lord was not victorious because He quoted the Scripture. He won the battle because He believed the Scripture that He spoke.
The point is that I can’t simply have God’s Word in my head. I need to get it into my heart.
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Hebrews 13:7
We’re told here to imitate the faith of godly leaders. They spoke the Word. But more than that, because they believed it, they lived it. It was a faith that could be seen and copied.
By spending time in God’s Word – reading, memorizing, speaking, and meditating on it – my heart begins to have faith in that Word. Then, in the middle of a spiritual battle, the Holy Spirit is able to use that Word as a shield to protect my life.
But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
Hebrews 3:6
As I said in my last post, faith shows that you belong to the family of God. The word, hope, in this verse actually means expectation. What do you expect God to do in your life? It’s time to start boasting about it.
We need to take our trust for God’s Word out into the open. People need to see the faith that’s in our hearts. When I speak my faith, evil will have a hard time sticking to me. My life will start to line up with the Word of God.
Question: What are you expecting from God in the near future?
© 2023 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 