“When you realize that your shield (of Faith) is getting heavier, it is a sign that you have not been using or training with it regularly.”

A soldier trains with his armour whether there is a war coming or not.

A soldier programs his mind as if he is always on the battle field. Hence the saying, “Hard Training, Easy Battle.”

            A soldier doesn’t see his foe as a friend. He doesn’t blur the lines: “A foe is a foe, and deserves no mercy.”

No matter how heavy, and sometimes uncomfortable the armour of way may be, a soldier always keeps on training with it. Because he has at the back of his mind that the more he trains, and the harder he pushes himself, THE EASIER ANY BATTLE WILL BE. 

A soldier may have not gone to war yet, but he’s trained by an EXPERT of war. He is trained as if he is before a battle. This training becomes a part of him such that their families sometimes even feel the change and difference in them.

What am I driving at?

As a Christian, like a soldier we have an enemy. An enemy who wants to put us out anytime soon, and doesn’t think twice about destroying anything belonging to us. An enemy who gets happy when he kills, and destroys us after he has stolen all of us from ourselves.  What do you do? What is expected of you as a Christian? Like a soldier, a Christian needs to see as a great privileged to be clothed in the armour of war. You needn’t see the ‘battle’ as a hectic one but as an opportunity to prove who you are, since you have an expert (God) who has been to war with this enemy (Death on the cross, and Resurrection) training you. He won his battle against this same enemy. So should you listen to his instructions and teachings, you will win too. He is NOT training you so that you will die. Rather, he is training you so that your enemies will die (at your sword).

Moreover, as a soldier, you needn’t get weary putting on your armour. You need to train with it so much that you become use to them. That is, its weight wouldn’t be a problem to you anymore. “It’s the new soldiers who complain about the weight of their armour. But old soldiers see their armour as their worthy costume.” For example, with the shield of FAITH, you needn’t say that you are tired of holding it. As long as it is part of your armour, you need to learn to hold it for the longest time possible.

A soldier (Christian) can defend himself with the shield (of faith) for as long as the battle is on, but his enemies will not reduce in number, since he is not using his Sword. He is to use his sword to kill his enemies, while his shield is to protect himself from his enemies’ attacks. Use the Sword, the double-edged sword (the Word of God) to kill your enemies. Use the shield of FAITH to defend yourself from the attacks of the enemy so that NO FIERY DARTS of the enemy will get to you. The enemy desires to kill you, and should any of his fiery darts get to your head (thoughts), legs (affect your zeal for God’s Work), arms, or heart (the fountain of the issues of life), then you will be wounded and weak.

Use the helmet of salvation to protect your thoughts. Use the breastplate of righteousness (walking in the light of God’s Word) to protect your vital organs (heart; spirit, and the ‘lungs’). Use the belt of Truth around your waist to hold tight all your armour together. Thus, Believe NO LIES! Accept ONLY the Truth about yourself (ONLY what the Word of God says about you). Use your shoes soldier. You are to walk in peace.

And then, after you have put on all these, PROTECT them with the SHIELD OF FAITH. Without the shield of Faith, the darts of the enemy will get directly into your armour, weakening it or damaging it all together.

• The SHIELD OF FAITH: Use it always no matter how much it makes you ‘tired’. Train with it always (always believing the Word of God over circumstances) till you BECOME USED TO IT. Amen.