Life Plan Devotion #76 [God's Armor--Shield of Faith, Part IV]

Last time, we looked at the phrase "taking the shield of faith" as found in Ephesians 6:16, "Above all, taking the shield of faith..."[New King James Version]. Today, let's see what the Shield of Faith looks like. Tomorrow, we'll look more closely at what it does.
The Greek/Roman soldier's oblong, curved 4' x 2' shield was, both individually and collectively, their most important defensive weapon. Soldiers could join their shields together, in front or overhead, placing themselves behind a fortified wall. Their wooden shields, covered in thick leather, protected them well. The Shield of Faith is meant to be as valuable a weapon in spiritual warfare.
According to Romans 12:3, "God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" [King James Version]. That tells me that God has placed in every person the same amount of what I like to call "faith potential." That makes sense, since "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34). It is up to each of us, whether or not we yield to faith and whether or not we yield to the Shield.
The believer has the potential for great faith, the faith shown by all those pointed out in Hebrews chapter 11, the Hall of Faith chapter. When you read that chapter, you will see that many of these precious believers suffered great persecution, but they never lost their confidence in the Lord. Today, most of us don't suffer persecution like that, thankfully, but we do have an enemy who would like to defeat us, and if he can't steal our salvation, he'll certainly try to steal our joy, on a daily basis.
When we look at our own life, as a believer, and perhaps that of others we know, it certainly seems as if there are various sizes of shields of faith. Some hold up a very small shield, and others hold up a very large shield, and that, my friends, is why some experience defeat and others, while still in the fight, experience ultimate victory.
In the Shield of Faith, size matters. Your challenge is to increase your faith. Don't wait for God to do it, because He's already given you everything you need. Experience will teach you that the more you use it, the more you'll see it works, and the more it works, the more you'll use it. Now, it's up to you. You've got to yield to the Shield!

Revelation 2:13 [NLT]
[Jesus speaks to the church at Pergamum words He wants to say to us today] "'I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to Me...'"

What this has to do with weight loss: When you recognize that Satan will use even your weight-loss journey to try to defeat you, you know that you can use your Shield of Faith to protect yourself. It's available to you, and as you yield to the Shield, you will hear the words, "You have remained loyal to Me." Victory is assured, when that happens.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I'm so grateful for the measure of faith You've given to me. My desire is to increase it and to yield to the Shield of Faith, every moment of every day. I want victory, and nothing less will do! The Shield of Faith works. Help me to work it, in Jesus' Name. Amen."

Go forth today, and yield to the Shield of Faith.

Life Plan Devotion #60 [Mountains, Part V]

We've been looking at how to make Jesus' words from Matthew 17:20 ("If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move," NIV) come alive for you. You've decided which mountain needs to be moved. You've written it down. You've spoken to your mountain, in Jesus' Name, and you've put pure, potent faith behind your words.
Now, you're ready for the trying of your faith to work some patience (James 1:3). Your mountain might move right away, and how wonderful when that happens. However, if God, who knows you better than you know yourself, sees that you would benefit by a time of testing (what I like to call "faith opportunity"), your mountain will not move right away. It is during that time where you will see if your faith is pure or not, if you'll give in to doubt and unbelief or stand on God's Word. Your spiritual character is tested. If you pass the faith test, your mountain will move, just as Jesus said.
A few years ago, a missionary shared Matthew 21:18-22 with the children of an Asian orphanage. It's the story of when Jesus curses the fig tree, and the disciples are amazed when it withers. Jesus explains that it's having faith, without doubting, that one must have, and speaking to a mountain, that causes it to be thrown into the sea.
The children in the orphanage were astounded by that story, and because they lived in the shadow of a mountain, which meant little sunshine, cold temperatures, and clothes that took forever to dry on the line, they decided to command their mountain to move, in Jesus' Name.
The missionary was horrified. He almost told them that Jesus really didn't mean it literally, but he saw that they were acting in faith, rather than tempting God, so he decided to just see what God would do with the situation. This was the missionary's test of faith, as well as the children's.
The children exhibited childlike faith, and each day, they thanked God that their mountain was moving, in Jesus' Name. Could they see that it was moving? No, but they believed that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV). They just seemed to know that instead of believing something when you see it, you will see it when you believe it. Until the manifestation of the moved mountain, they'd be patient and trust God and His Word.
It wasn't long before heavy equipment began to roll nearby, bulldozing the mountain in a redevelopment effort. The government knew nothing about the declaration the children had made. The missionary was shocked but realized he shouldn't have been. Others may call it a coincidence, but believers call it a Godincidence.

Matthew 21:22 [NIV]
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

What this has to do with weight loss: If the mountain you have commanded to move is weight-related, couple your pure faith with faith-filled prayer. If you do that, God will move mountains to move your mountain.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I pray for childlike faith today, the faith that rests in You and takes You at Your Word. Help me to be patient, to rely on Your timing to move my mountain. I believe my mountain has already been moved in Your Kingdom, and I know that if I 'let patience have her perfect work in me' that I will see the mountain be moved in my natural world. I thank You, in advance, for moving my mountain. I pray in the Name of Your Son, Jesus, who calls me to move mountains. Amen. "

Go forth today, patiently watching for your mountain to move.