The Armour of God:
The Shield of Faith

‘…above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one’

Ephesians 6:16

In the past the shield was usually made from wood, and was covered by a thick layer of skin. It was made to protect most of the body, and the soldier would hold it in his left hand, with his sword in his right. The shield of faith is important to cover all your armour. The shield is also important because it can protect you from all the tricks of the enemy. This is very important in our spiritual life.

Verses 2-7

Elijah in the wilderness:

Can we consider Elijah’s stay in the wilderness a test of faith? Ravens are birds. They may bring him meat today, and not tomorrow. Second point: the food of ravens is meat, they feed on meat. What if a raven was hungry, and eats the meat? But after time, Elijah did not worry about not getting food, as the ravens came every day. What about drink? Day by day, the level of water was decreasing in the brook. Considering that the major problem would be the water, not the food, surely he will suffer when supplies run out.

If God wants Elijah to stay alive, he will supply it by a miracle. So why did he leave the water to run dry?

  • A test of faith.
  • Because the water is natural (from a stream) Elijah would not rely on it.
  • After the brook ran out of water supplies, he went to Sidon. When did God order him to go to Sidon?
    • When the brook dried up
  • God did not directly tell Elijah. He wanted to train him that his peace must not depend on the surrounding circumstances. God left the water level to dry up, and then Elijah MUST leave.
    • 1st lesson: Don’t worry about the surrounding circumstances.

Psalm 23:4

Can you imagine how great this problem is?

To illustrate this point clearly, I will take the example of Peter the apostle. Let’s start with his faith. We all know about the miracle of when Jesus walked on water; after walking on the water himself, he asked Peter to walk to him on the water – he was walking on the water at first, but soon started to sink.

Matthew 14:30 : “He saw the wind”

Peter SAW the wind. This means that he concentrated of the surrounding circumstances, and his faith began to fail.

Acts 12:1-10

Do you think that Herod was serious about wanting to kill Peter? He was serious, of course, as a result of the guards, and his murder of James. How could Peter sleep – and to the extent that the angel had to wake him roughly. He slept deeply because he concentrated, and did not focus on the surrounding circumstances.

Abouna Abdel-Massieh:

One night he was lost, and he could not see anything, and wanted to sleep. He simply drew a circle, and crosses around it; in the morning, he found many animal footprints, but not one had stepped into the circle.

1 Kings:4-9

God ordered Elijah to go to Sidon. What were his difficulties?

  • He had to walk all the way, tired and thirsty, 100 miles.
  • Dangers from wild beasts.
  • He was among people who were very angry at him and wanted to kill him.
  • The King of Sidon, father of Jezabel, was against him.

Elijah did not object, or grumble against God. In complete submission, he obeyed his word.

  • This was the 2nd lesson: You must listen to God, in complete obedience.

For example, St. Mary – she agreed to God and listened to him completely. The disciples also listened to God, in complete obedience.

Fr. Thomas (mustard seed meeting 05/03/2004  a.d 26th Amshir 1720)