Ephesians 6:16-17

Ephesians 6:16-17

… after taking up the shield of faith in everything – in which you all will be powerful enough to quench every arrow of the evil one that has been burning.  And receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. 

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The fourth piece of equipment is the shield of faith.  We should remember what the ancient people meant by the word “faith.”  Many of us think that faith simply means believing in God.  But the Greek word also means obeying God.  It is this understanding that gives Dietrich Bonheoffer the ability to say: “Only those who obey believe; only those who believe obey.”  You see, anyone can say they believe.  But if all we ever do is talk, then we will never be fully prepared in life.  But if we instead practice what we believe, our faith will be strengthened by our actions and we will be secure.  The shield of faith protects us by knitting understanding and practice together into one solid defense against the evil ways of the world and the Devil.

How secure is your faith?  How well do you put faith into practice?  Does the evidence in your life indicate that your faith is secure when it comes to interaction with the world?

Second Thought:

Salvation comes from God.  It is the message that God has taken care of our sinfulness through His own action and not through our own.  Paul compares this to a helmet, which is an implement of protection.  Paul is saying that our salvation is a great deal of protection for us!  Paul is absolutely right.  Our salvation comes to us through no effort of our own and through no requirement of God.  Why is this protection?  This is protection because we can know that what is given to us based on God’s character cannot be taken away from us based on our own character.  We receive God’s salvation and cannot lose it so long as we continue to remain in Him.

How do you feel God’s protection knowing that salvation is based on God’s character and not yours?  How can this inspire you to be more obedient to Him?

Third Thought:

The last part of God’s weapons and armor about which Paul speaks is the sword of the Spirit.  Paul defines this concept more deeply when he calls it the Word of God.  We know that swords are a great offensive weapon, see Hebrews 4:12.  We also know that swords are capable of parrying and are thus a defensive weapon, too.  The same is true with the Word of God.  The Word of God is our greatest weapon to pierce into the hearts of the people to whom God has challenged me to challenge.  The Word of God is a great first line of defense against the attacks of others.  The Word of God may be last in the list, but it is certainly not last in significance!

How do you use the Word of God?  What prevents you from using this weapon more effectively?  How can you increase your skill with the Sword of the Spirit?

Passage for Tomorrow: Ephesians 6:18-20