The Shield of Faith

I was able to take off this Sunday from preaching and listen to a young man whom God is developing into a fine preacher. Josh Phillips shared from Ephesians 6, continuing where I had left off the previous week. Josh focused on the wonderful piece of armor--“The Shield of Faith”.

Faith is a really hard topic for some and yet for others it seems to come so easily. It has always been funny to me that we are so inconsistent with our faith. Let me explain...

• We seem to be able to drive our cars and not have to know how it all works before we do so.
• We can go to a restaurant, order food from a stranger, cooked by a stranger, delivered by a stranger and then have no problem placing these items into our body.
• We can board a roller coaster; strap ourselves in for the ride of our life with no hesitation.

Yet, when it comes to God, some of us want to know all the answers before we will trust him with our lives. Is that fair?

If this is how we feel we must go through life, then be consistent with this way of thinking when it comes to all areas of life, right? All I’m trying to say is that everyday we display all kinds of faith in our life (like when we travel through a green light, trusting that total strangers will all be stopped at the red light).

• Why not bring this same faith to our relationship with a God that is absolutely in love with us?
• He has our best interest, he wants the best for us, why not trust him? Today? Right now? What are you waiting for?

Grab your bible and read Proverbs 3:5-6 (not later, right now) and chew on what this means for you today:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths

straight.

Have fun, and oh yeah--Join us this Sunday night at five as I finish out the rest of Ephesians 6.

The Belt of Truth

Would you stand if front of a goalie net in your street clothes, while hockey pucks are shot at you at over 100 mph? I hope you would come to the same conclusion as me--NO WAY!

I shared this thought with the church Sunday night as we began to look at Ephesians 6:10-14...

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place...

Paul shares his thoughts with us about the hockey pucks being shot at us daily by the devil and his crew. We have the choice to take these shots protected or unprotected. Together, we took a look at some of the armor God has provided in helping us stand and defend our “goal”...our life.

So today, are you going to put on the belt of truth--Jesus and his word? How about that breastplate of righteousness? I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want my heart exposed to those pucks coming my way. Perhaps today would be a great day to tighten up that belt, throw on the breastplate, STAND & DEFEND!

On a lighter note, it is amazing how fast summer is going by. I absolutely enjoyed some beautiful sunsets and the warm summer nights of this last week. It has been nice to make myself go outside, stroll around the neighborhood, and wind down with the sun. If that's not something you've done in awhile, I would encourage you to give yourself permission to do so.

I look forward to seeing you this week at life groups, and at Journey on Sunday...Join us for the BBQ!