Sunday Service: November 30, 2025: “Faith, The Force That Protects, Above All Others ” скачать в хорошем качестве

Sunday Service: November 30, 2025: “Faith, The Force That Protects, Above All Others ”

Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might… above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Hebrews 11:1 KJV “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:6 KJV “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Mark 11:22-24 KJV “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Romans 10:17 KJV “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Ephesians 6:16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Let’s break this verse down to get a better understanding of what the Apostle Paul is trying to say. Above All - That sounds pretty simple. After having put together all of the other parts of the armour this piece of Armour stands out. The Roman Shield with the dimensions of a door. It was strong made of metal, yet light enough to be carried by foot soldiers. It was a considerable barrier and source of protection against arrows and against spears. In battle they were designed to be able to link together providing a wall that archers could also crouch behind as they prepared their bows and arrows to unleash upon the enemy, on command. Another use of this ability to link shields was that a penetrating force could form what they referred to as a turtle; a group of soldiers at the front with shields forming a moving wall, lines of soldiers lined up behind them with those on the left and right sides producing a wall protecting from attack from either side. Those soldiers in the centre carried their shields above their heads preventing attack from above with stones, arrows, the only thing they couldn’t protect the troop from was boiling oil poured from above. They invariably formed a tank that could attack, and is probably the inspiration for Leonardo Da Vinci’s tank design and the forerunner of the modern day tanks used in modern warfare. The concept of Faith as such a shield is by no means incidental. As we discovered Without Faith it is impossible to please God. Another word for Faith is Trust. Therefore our Faith is a demonstration of the degree to which we actually trust God, as Father and Creator. Sometimes it is easier to understand what something is, by what it isn’t, or its opposite. So, what is the opposite of Faith, it isn’t doubt. Fear is Faith’s opposite. Both are spiritual forces; one leads to actions that benefit and strengthen the believer. Fear on the other hand creates doubt and an inability to achieve the desired goal, or outcome. We can grow our Faith through feeding upon God’s Word. But we cannot get MORE Faith, because we are given the measure of Faith at the New Birth (Romans 12:3). Faith the size of a grain of Mustard Seed can be mountain moving (Matthew 17:20). Be aware that when a person begins to walk by Faith the enemy will not hesitate to try and knock them off their faith. This is where the fiery darts come into play. The battlefield is in the mind. He knows full well that Faith pleases God so his tools are no different now than they were I Jesus’ time. Thoughts of doubt, reminders of previous, yet forgiven, sins, attacks upon your character. He will even accuse you of the very thoughts that he is trying to plant in your mind. When you go to lay hands on the sick he brings thoughts to tell you that they won’t be healed, “who do you think you are?” He will tempt you to think prideful thoughts as to how good you are when God uses you to heal someone. If you are confident in who you are, In Christ, received freely by His Grace. If you have ruminated and meditated upon those truths as we discussed the breastplate of Righteousness; we, like Jesus can command “Get behind me Satan!” With the same veracity as Jesus. Because we have been MADE the sons of God. Faith and Patience are referred to as The Power Twins. As you stand in Faith and apply Patience, it won’t be long before you will see the manifestation of the thing you’re standing in Faith for. PAX Pastor Graham