"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."
As I read about putting on the whole armor of God I wondered which piece of armor would mean the most to me? I chose the shield of faith. What I like about a shield is it can be moved to protect any part of the body. That's what faith is, it's there for every vicissitude of life. Faith requires an eternal perspective, and to walk with the Lord.
"Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield."
I belong to some food storage groups and new people all the time are asking where to begin. They are afraid of a coming famine. The fear is real for them because they have nothing. I don't know what's coming. My life has not changed. We store what we can and rotate it. This is our normal life. Do I have a year supply? Probably not. Why? Because, I simply lack the room for the number of people I have in my family. Am I afraid? No, I am not. Does that mean I think there is nothing to this? Nope, I think the concern is real. So what makes the difference?
It is a personal relationship with the Savior. You can store all the food in the world, but if you don't make your relationship to the Lord your number one priority, it won't calm your fears. I know I can only do what I can do. He sees me and guides me, he knows my efforts and my limitation. I want His eye upon me especially when hard times comes. I need his mercy and kindness. I do believe that if it's His will to keep me alive in a famine, He will do so. He has shielded me so many times in my life, I have no doubt that he will do it again in the future.
Today's Favorite Verse: Proverbs 30:5
"Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him."
This made me think about the whole armor of God. It's found in two places.
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
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.
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.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"
(Ephesians 6:11-18)
"Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.
Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you;
Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked;
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen.
(Doctrine and Covenants 27:15-18)
Yes, I am protected with God's armor around me. How grateful I am for the blessings that come through daily prayer and scripture reading. The word of God keeps his armor tight around me. Shielding me from all the fiery darts of the adversary.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 3:3
"But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head."
I feel this so much. I have so many thoughts close to my heart. My head has been lifted up in so many ways, even to see the errors of my ways. What a shield and protection that even is to me.
I am reminded of scripture I was speaking with a friend earlier today about. How it fits what we are seeing around us. The Lord is not just my shield but my armour also.
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
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
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.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"
(Ephesians 6:11-17)
"After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."
This reminded me of an interesting experience I had this past week. I had to go through some difficult choices and the person I was working with said he appreciated how calm and pleasant I was about the matter. Others he had worked with had been in tears or near violence. Yet, I could make clear decisions, to the point we could laugh about the situation. As he was telling me this I could feel this shield of protection that was surrounding me. That the decisions I had made were correct. I know the hard things I decided have consequences, and if they come upon me I will be protected no matter what. Even if that protection is only His peace to endure. There is no fear about what may come, for the Lord is my shield and protection. This is my reward.
