Standing: Lift Your Shield: Faith When the Fiery Darts Come

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Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,

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Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you

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on your drive to work, while you're getting ready in the morning,

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or even in those quiet moments before prayer.

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Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go.

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Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with a familiar prayer.

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The prayer of Jabez.

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Oh, that you will bless me indeed and enlarge my territory.

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Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.

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Father God, we come before you this day asking that you will indeed bless us,

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not just with what we have, but in who we are becoming.

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Enlarge our territory, Lord. Expand our capacity, our mindset,

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and our ability to receive what you have for us.

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Let your hand be upon us, guiding us, covering us, and leading us in every decision we make.

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And Father, keep us from harm, physically, emotionally, and spiritually,

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that we may walk in peace and not in pain.

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And Lord, just as you heard Jabez when he cried out to you, hear us now.

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Your word says that you granted his request, and we believe that you are the same God today.

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So we come boldly before you, knowing that you hear us, knowing that you see

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us, and knowing that you respond to the prayers of your people.

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Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word.

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In Jesus' name, amen.

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Hello and welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

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I'm your host Connie Morris and we are on our journey through the armor of God.

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This is a long water break.

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I call it a watermark moment. But today, episode five, we're going to discuss

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our shield of faith. The title is Lift Your Shield, Faith When the Fiery Darks Come.

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This is the armor of God where we are learning how to stand.

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So if you have your Bible, let's go with me to Ephesians 6, and we're going

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to read verse 10 through 18 like we always do. So let's begin.

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It says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.

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Put on your whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles

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of the devil. So we see here that our power is not in ourselves.

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Our power is not even in the armor. Our power is in God.

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And so it tells us here to put on the whole armor. And then we continue in verse 11.

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Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

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For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,

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against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world against the

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spiritual wickedness in high places.

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Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.

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And having done all to stand, stand therefore, having your loins girt about

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with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with

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the preparation of the gospel of peace.

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Above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye should be able to quench,

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all the fiery darts of the wicked. So we see here our main focus today is how

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do we quench the fiery darts of the wicked.

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Verse 17, and take the helmet of salvation and.

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The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer

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and supplication in the Spirit and washing thereunto with all perseverance and supplication,

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all saints for all saints. So we know we have to pray for our brethren and our sister.

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And so today I want to just thank you for coming. Thank you for listening.

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As always, I want to give you this water break, a watermark moment,

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a moment to pause, to reset, to take a spiritual water break and to receive

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a little encouragement to help you keep going and finish strong.

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The goal is always to finish strong. I did a couple of podcasts on finishing

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strong and what that looks like.

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Today's topic is our shield. As you may notice, I did a replay on the breastplate of righteousness.

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That is a very powerful lesson. We have to remember to put on our breastplate of righteousness.

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And many people don't understand how strong that is that protects our heart

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and our really are sensitive in our vital organs.

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We know in our belly, we have our heart. In our heart area, in our chest, we have our heart.

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Then we have our belly. Now we have our intestines. We have our liver kind of

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sitting in the back and our kidneys.

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And so anything that appears through that front, we're not that wide.

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And so it can actually harm a lot of organs. So you always want to make sure

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you put on your breast plate of righteousness.

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Today, I want you to put on this, lift the shield of faith. You want to lift it up.

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I am right-handed, so I'm going to lift my shield up with my left hand.

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And that shield is set to block.

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So you're blocking it. And it's not a small shield.

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You do your research. It's pretty much almost a body-sized shield.

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It can cover your face and also can cover your legs and additional cover for your vital organs.

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So we're going to finish strong. And so we understand

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on how Paul put these in a particular intentional order. First truth, it's a belt of truth.

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Then our righteousness, which is our breastplate of righteousness.

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Then our shoes of peace, which we just finished. And then those are it.

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And then now in Ephesians 6, 16, it tells us above all, like above all,

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like if you don't do anything else, at least have your shield up, right?

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Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you should be able to quench

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all the fiery darts of the wicked.

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So now that you're standing on the word of God, you're standing with a strong

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footed foundation with the gospel of peace on your feet.

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You have the truth belt around your waist, and then you have the breastplate

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of righteousness covering those vital organs. But you also now have the faith

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shield that's helping you give you that double coverage.

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Now this right here, when you pull out your shield, we understand that this

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is when the action starts, right?

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And it's sometimes we have, it's never a quiet fight, right?

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The action starts when you pull out your shield. You know, you're about to get

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into some type of fight when you put on your vest, your belt,

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and your shoes, and now your shield, now it's time to go at it, right?

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So this is where the battle becomes more active. Now something is being fired

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at you and Paul tells you what to do.

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He tells you to lift your shield.

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Why does faith come right here?

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Faith does not come first. Truth comes first.

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That matters because biblical faith is not believing whatever you want to believe.

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The loudest voice in the room. Faith is rooted in truth.

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It has to be rooted in truth. You first learn what God has said.

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Then you choose to trust him. That means faith is not, I believe everything

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will happen exactly the way I want.

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No, faith is, I trust God even when I do not know exactly how this will turn

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out. That is a major difference.

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Truth gives faith something solid to stand on. What is faith?

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Hebrews 11.1 tells us that faith is, now faith is, the substance of things hoped

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for and the evidence of things not seen.

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And verse 6 tells us in Hebrews, but without faith, it is impossible to please

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him. So you might have your truth put on, your righteousness and right standing with God.

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You might have on your gospel or peace shoes, but that faith connects it all together.

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Faith is confidence in God, confidence in his character, confidence in his word.

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Confidence that what he has spoken is more reliable than that fear is telling

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you, than what fear is telling you.

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Faith does not mean you never have questions. Does that mean you never get tired?

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Does not mean you never feel afraid. Faith means fear does not get the final word.

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Wow, the fiery darts. What are those? We hear about those all the time.

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Paul says the shield of faith can quench all fiery darts of the wicked.

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Quench means to stop, full stop.

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A fiery dart was not just designed to hit. It was designed to hit and then keep burning.

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So when we go into a war, those biblical wars, they would have something flammable on the tip, right?

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They'll light it up and then they'll shoot it.

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And not only does it hit you, it burns whatever it is.

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You're holding on to, right? So if it hits you in your vest,

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it's burning you through. It's coming that fast.

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So that heat is going to give a little bit more power. But when you lift up

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your faith shield, it quenches it. I mean, it stops it dead in its tracks.

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Think about this. A fiery dart was not just designed to hit.

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It was designed to hit and then keep burning.

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That gives us a powerful spiritual picture.

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Some attacks do not end when they first hit you. They keep burning.

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One thought becomes 10 thoughts. One fear becomes a whole story in your mind.

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One offense becomes bitterness.

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One disappointment becomes hopelessness.

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One accusation becomes shame.

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One temptation becomes an obsession.

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And then one unanswered question becomes, maybe God does not care about me at all.

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You see how that is? It wasn't meant to get you on the first one.

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It's meant to burn. It's meant to leave a mark. It starts to cause doubt.

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And that is what makes the image of a fiery dart so powerful.

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The enemy wants to hit you. The enemy wants the thing that hits you to keep

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burning even after the initial impact.

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And we can give, I can give you examples of that.

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Someone might have, we'll give a couple, cut you off on the road.

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They're playing with their kids or something. They don't see you and they purposely,

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maybe unintentionally cut you off. Now you got cut off, right?

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And so you almost hit them. So you hit your brakes. You're looking like,

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what just happened? And then that person has gone on about their business.

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But yet that sting is still there.

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Because now in your mind, you may think that it was intentional.

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So then what happens is you'll get to wherever you're going and now whatever

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happened in that car, you're taking that burning, come on now,

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to your workplace, to your home, to your friend's house because of one incident.

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You see how that happens? You might have an incident where you might feel embarrassed.

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I went to work the other day and I had took my shirt off to put an undershirt

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on because I didn't want, you know, I wanted to be a little bit warmer at work.

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But I ended up putting on my shirt inside out and backwards.

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Didn't even think about it. I went to work and someone says,

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Connie, is your shirt on inside out and on?

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The tag was still out, inside out. I was like, I don't know,

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because I just had to do something real quick.

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And I realized that it was. And I was like, okay, what can you do now,

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right? Everybody sees your shirt is inside out.

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And the shirt I had on was kind of a shirt that can go inside out. It looks like it.

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But the tag was still there. Hello. And so I could have let that,

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dang, I feel embarrassed. And let that sit, that thought sit on all day long.

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But I didn't. somehow with wearing my equipment, trusting in God,

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even in the mistakes that we make, right? He allowed me to.

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I didn't feel it. I was like, yeah, Connie, one of my partners said,

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you know, Connie, I was going to tell you, your shirt was inside out and backwards. I said, okay.

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I said, I already took care of it. And that was the end of the story.

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I didn't want to tell you in front of everybody. I said, okay, thank you.

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You know how some little thing can get you off. You know, I do a job and my

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job is very important. And if I make an error, sometimes we get tired or sometimes

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we just miss something. And I missed something and she was sending some things back.

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And I said, oh, wow, I must have was daydreaming that day, right?

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You know, and I didn't take it personally. I was like, okay.

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So I made some mistakes. She sent it back. And then I was like,

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okay. She said, how long have you been here? Like, I don't know what that meant, where that was going.

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But by the end of the day, when you're tired and they're sending it back,

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then I said, okay, I got to go. I got to go home.

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Because I'm feeling like, even though it's business, not personal,

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then guess what? You feel like you're being under attack.

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When actually, Riley, it was nothing, right?

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And so we have to put on our armor. We have to lift up our shield of faith because

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that protects us from taking offense.

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God doesn't want us to be an offense.

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Offense leads to what? Bitterness and all kinds of other things that we don't,

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we won't get past it. It clouds up our whole day.

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You know, we start thinking that God doesn't care about us. Okay,

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let's continue. This is what makes the image of a fire guard so powerful.

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The enemy wants the thing that hits you to keep burning after initial impact.

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But Paul says faith can quench it. Not just block it, quench it.

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Put the fire out. Think about it.

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Faith can actually put the fire out. Why?

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Because you're not letting it get, you got on your truth belt.

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You know that there might be an attack. You understand that.

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You have on your breastplate. You say, my heart is protected.

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My shoe, my feet are protected. I got peace. And then Satan comes immediately to what?

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Give you some chaotic things, chaos, right? So what does a fairy dart look like? Let's talk about that.

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Sometimes it looks like fear. What if everything falls apart?

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Sometimes it looks like doubt.

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What if God does not come through this time? Sometimes they look like accusation.

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After what you did, God cannot use you. Sometimes they look like temptation. Just do it.

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It will not matter. And sometimes it look like rejection.

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Nobody wants you. Sometimes, you know, a fairy dart can look like discouragement.

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You've been waiting way too long. Won't you give up? And sometimes it looks

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like comparison. Look how far ahead everybody else is.

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And sometimes it can look like self-doubt. Maybe I took the wrong job.

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Maybe this ain't for me. Maybe they're thinking I can't do the job.

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You start getting those little voices in your head. The enemy may take something

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real and attach a lie to it.

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You really did lose something, but the lie says you will never recover.

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You really made a big mistake, but the lie says you are permanently disqualified.

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The door really did close, but the lie says God has no other door.

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You really are in a difficult season, but the lie says God has abandoned you.

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The shield of faith separates what happens from the lie that the enemy attaches

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to what happened. So remember, don't allow the lie to attach to it.

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Stand on your faith. Stand on truth.

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And it could be real. I mean, no one's walking around here, floating around.

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And they would make a mistake. Things happen at the workplace.

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Things happen on the road. Things just happen.

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I mean, as long as you live, there's going to be something that's going to happen.

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That's not going to make you look good.

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But faith does not deny that reality. Understand that. We're not saying that didn't happen.

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I did wear my shirt inside out with my tag out. I did.

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And so that was a reality. That's a true reality. Just like my arm hurts,

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I pull something in my tricep, and something is not right.

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My thought will be healed by now. It's not. So I might just take another level,

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using my faith, go find out what's

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happening and then use it to cause a healing and a curing in my body.

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So don't remember, don't remember that faith does not deny reality because this

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is important. Faith is not pretending everything is fine.

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Faith does not say I'm not hurting. I'm not disappointed. I am not afraid.

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Nothing is wrong. That is denial.

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Faith can look directly at reality and say, but God, I am still hurting but

00:17:19.437 --> 00:17:24.954
God is still faithful I do not understand but God is still wise I do not know

00:17:25.069 --> 00:17:27.797
what happens next but God is already there,

00:17:28.337 --> 00:17:33.980
I am afraid, but I will trust Him. And that's what Psalms 56 through 4 says.

00:17:34.248 --> 00:17:40.488
What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee. David did not say, I never get afraid.

00:17:40.766 --> 00:17:46.633
He said, what I am afraid, I will trust. That is faith. The shield has to be lifted.

00:17:46.923 --> 00:17:50.940
That's another important detail, Paul says. It says, take the shield of faith.

00:17:51.237 --> 00:17:56.792
You have to take it out. A shield sitting on the ground does not help the soldier.

00:17:57.129 --> 00:18:02.864
That means faith has to become active. Faith must become active.

00:18:04.095 --> 00:18:07.705
You can know scripture and still allow fear to dominate you.

00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:10.515
You can know God is faithful and still choose panic.

00:18:10.927 --> 00:18:16.101
You can choose what God promised and still live as if he never spoke.

00:18:16.101 --> 00:18:21.330
At some point, you must lift up what you believe.

00:18:21.689 --> 00:18:26.561
Faith says, I know that fear is same. but I'm going to trust God anyway.

00:18:26.561 --> 00:18:31.091
I know what the report says, but I'm going to take, make my fear.

00:18:31.091 --> 00:18:32.713
I'm not going to make fear of my God.

00:18:32.945 --> 00:18:39.981
I know what happened, but I refuse to believe this is the end of my story unless God says it is.

00:18:40.219 --> 00:18:42.935
This, that is lifting up the shield.

00:18:43.463 --> 00:18:46.354
Always lifting it up. Always putting God first.

00:18:46.568 --> 00:18:52.977
Always trusting in him no matter what. Even if it looks like you're losing. Remember, God went.

00:18:53.087 --> 00:18:57.331
And so you can hold it up and you can cry, but don't make cry your emotion.

00:18:57.604 --> 00:19:01.461
You better use your mouth and begin to speak the word of God.

00:19:01.461 --> 00:19:04.291
That's why the sword of spirit is coming up real soon.

00:19:04.558 --> 00:19:08.790
But let's learn how to build up our faith. First of all, faith comes by hearing.

00:19:09.150 --> 00:19:14.491
Romans 10, 17 tells us, so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word

00:19:14.491 --> 00:19:16.853
of God. There is a connection again.

00:19:17.114 --> 00:19:21.951
Truth came first. Now faith comes. The more you know God's word,

00:19:21.951 --> 00:19:26.437
the more you have something to trust when the darts begin to fly.

00:19:26.716 --> 00:19:32.625
That is why you cannot wait until the battle starts to decide whether you're going to believe God.

00:19:33.333 --> 00:19:36.689
You know, you can't, we talked about that about single people.

00:19:36.996 --> 00:19:39.847
You can't wait till you get a boyfriend and decide that I'm not going to sleep

00:19:39.847 --> 00:19:44.582
with them. You know, you have to decide those things by faith and advance.

00:19:44.989 --> 00:19:48.106
Faith is built before the moment of crisis.

00:19:48.344 --> 00:19:52.204
You study when things are calm so that when the fear starts shouting,

00:19:52.541 --> 00:19:55.136
you already know God's voice.

00:19:55.345 --> 00:19:59.017
You know, I told you I get dreams or I wake up and God's talking to me.

00:19:59.017 --> 00:20:03.478
Like, I love that. I'm waking up and he's talking to me about something that come in.

00:20:03.994 --> 00:20:07.799
Up. And I share with you that, you know, he put, he wanted me to put my name

00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:11.799
in some of the big hats, you know, and things where people got national searches

00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:14.809
on. He said, I want you to apply for those. I'm like, oh my gosh,

00:20:14.809 --> 00:20:16.649
that's, that's going to take faith.

00:20:16.951 --> 00:20:20.556
Not that I don't have the qualifications, but you know, when you're playing,

00:20:20.805 --> 00:20:25.479
you're playing, you know, playing low ball and God tells you to go high and

00:20:25.479 --> 00:20:28.799
you're looking at him like, okay, you know, like you don't trust him.

00:20:29.194 --> 00:20:33.646
You know, you got to trust him. When he says it, it's already done.

00:20:33.948 --> 00:20:37.170
You just got to wait until you get the phone call. You know,

00:20:37.402 --> 00:20:40.209
first thing you have to do when you are building up your faith,

00:20:40.209 --> 00:20:43.217
you have to remember what God has already done.

00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:49.278
God has done great things in your life. He's done great things in my life. And he's not, you know.

00:20:49.655 --> 00:20:54.525
And so sometimes faith grows by remembering. David did this before he faced Goliath.

00:20:54.729 --> 00:20:59.269
First Samuel 17, David remembered the lion. He remembered the bear.

00:20:59.269 --> 00:21:02.200
He remembered what God had already brought him through.

00:21:02.507 --> 00:21:07.418
Then he looked at Goliath and essentially said, the same God who delivered me

00:21:07.749 --> 00:21:09.874
before can deliver me again.

00:21:10.106 --> 00:21:12.672
Sometimes your shield is strengthened by memory.

00:21:12.933 --> 00:21:17.879
What has God already brought you through? What prayer has he already answered?

00:21:18.326 --> 00:21:22.598
What season you think will break you? What season did you think will break you?

00:21:22.807 --> 00:21:28.148
What door did he open that you thought you could never open yourself?

00:21:28.496 --> 00:21:31.410
You never thought that door was open, but God opened it for you.

00:21:31.706 --> 00:21:35.559
What did he provide when you could not see where it could come from?

00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:39.687
Faith says, if God was faithful, then I have a reason to trust him now.

00:21:39.901 --> 00:21:44.319
Shields were not only individual. Think about that. The shields were not only

00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:48.399
individuals because the army would put them on the road. So think about it.

00:21:48.399 --> 00:21:52.295
There's another powerful historical picture behind the scenes, behind the shields.

00:21:52.539 --> 00:21:55.835
Roman soldiers could use their shields together.

00:21:56.799 --> 00:22:00.409
Their individual protection could become collective protection.

00:22:00.409 --> 00:22:03.852
That gives us a beautiful picture why believers need one another.

00:22:04.322 --> 00:22:09.223
Sometimes your faith might be stronger than mine. I mean to remind you what God says.

00:22:09.437 --> 00:22:13.204
This is why isolation can become dangerous in spiritual warfare.

00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:18.510
The enemy will love to convince you. Nobody understands. Do not tell anybody.

00:22:18.812 --> 00:22:24.083
Handle this by yourself. But sometimes God sends another believer to help hold

00:22:24.083 --> 00:22:26.493
up the truth when your arms are tired.

00:22:26.806 --> 00:22:34.254
I love that. Galatians 6.2 says, bear one another burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

00:22:34.635 --> 00:22:40.469
So God wants us not only to put up our shield, but to be able to encourage others

00:22:40.654 --> 00:22:45.914
along the way. And I had an opportunity today, and we always have an opportunity to encourage others.

00:22:46.047 --> 00:22:50.744
And you don't realize how many people are listening when you are encouraging others. And so I...

00:22:51.382 --> 00:22:56.617
I got to church because I serve as an usher. And one of the ushers was off the

00:22:56.617 --> 00:22:58.104
day. They got the day off.

00:22:58.673 --> 00:23:03.224
And then she was very upset about not being called in to serve.

00:23:03.509 --> 00:23:06.197
And she was just getting ready to start a whole...

00:23:06.537 --> 00:23:10.137
I mean, she was loud about it. And I said, and I called her name out.

00:23:10.137 --> 00:23:13.633
I said, such and such, enjoy your time off.

00:23:13.958 --> 00:23:17.290
This may be your season to rest, you know?

00:23:17.603 --> 00:23:20.105
And I didn't know I was going to say that. I just opened my mouth and said it

00:23:20.535 --> 00:23:23.751
because I'm looking at her and she needs a word in due season.

00:23:24.047 --> 00:23:27.887
And I'm always in the word, right? And so you should always have a word in due

00:23:27.887 --> 00:23:29.863
season. You're not preaching to them.

00:23:30.270 --> 00:23:33.966
You're just giving them an encouraging word that will calm their soul.

00:23:34.297 --> 00:23:38.012
And I said, maybe this is your season to rest.

00:23:38.227 --> 00:23:43.010
You know, and I told her, I said, and it's not personal. It's your season to rest.

00:23:43.353 --> 00:23:47.840
You need to, I told her, I said, you should go talk to God and find out what's going on.

00:23:48.032 --> 00:23:52.960
Maybe it's your season of rest because he's going to tell you first before you get a day off.

00:23:53.361 --> 00:23:57.703
She's there all the time, every Sunday, every Wednesday, wanting to serve.

00:23:57.987 --> 00:24:01.006
That's a servant's heart. Nothing wrong with that.

00:24:01.308 --> 00:24:07.879
But if someone takes you off the schedule for a day for one Sunday and you're losing it.

00:24:08.424 --> 00:24:12.598
Then our focus is off. And I say, girl, I wish she would, he would gave me today

00:24:12.598 --> 00:24:16.533
off. I wouldn't be over here crying. I'll be over there getting my praise on, you know?

00:24:16.864 --> 00:24:21.038
And then she started smiling, you know, and she started crying at the same time,

00:24:21.038 --> 00:24:24.788
smiling and crying because she didn't ever have, no one ever told her that.

00:24:25.130 --> 00:24:28.648
People raise you up in the church at least, and they'll tell you,

00:24:28.648 --> 00:24:30.245
you know, don't miss a Sunday.

00:24:30.464 --> 00:24:33.108
And that's fine. You know, if you're one of those people that miss a lot of

00:24:33.108 --> 00:24:37.250
Sundays, that might be a kind of like, hey, you need to be at church a little more often.

00:24:37.656 --> 00:24:39.968
But if you're one of those people that are at church all the time,

00:24:39.968 --> 00:24:44.018
every time the door is open, and you desire that you might want some time off

00:24:44.018 --> 00:24:47.818
or they don't put you on a schedule, and you'd be like, I ain't on a schedule.

00:24:48.198 --> 00:24:51.798
Shoot, I'm coming in with my suit on. I'm going to be looking at extra cute

00:24:51.798 --> 00:24:55.928
today because I get to leave right after service. I don't have to put any envelopes

00:24:55.928 --> 00:24:58.252
away. I don't got to clean up anything because I'm off.

00:24:58.618 --> 00:25:02.938
You see? And so she was able to be encouraged. And then after they said,

00:25:02.938 --> 00:25:06.490
dang, that encouraged me. Then everybody said, that encouraged me.

00:25:07.018 --> 00:25:10.038
Everybody that was in a circle, because we were all in a circle when she came

00:25:10.038 --> 00:25:11.697
in, getting ready to make a fuss.

00:25:11.999 --> 00:25:16.318
And then I said that, and then she said, wow, that really helped me.

00:25:16.987 --> 00:25:21.132
That really helped me. It's not personal. God is trying to tell you something.

00:25:21.410 --> 00:25:26.078
And this lady's been suffering from sickness in her body, trying to find a job,

00:25:26.078 --> 00:25:30.148
trying to even get to church. And God gives her a day off, and she wants to

00:25:30.148 --> 00:25:32.595
fuss. But she didn't us. She was like, thank you.

00:25:32.949 --> 00:25:35.800
So we always have to be able to lift another burdens up.

00:25:36.101 --> 00:25:42.318
And it's interesting that happened because this morning I had prayed for her

00:25:42.318 --> 00:25:47.055
particularly. Didn't know why God had put her on my heart. And I just prayed for her.

00:25:47.526 --> 00:25:52.286
I always pray for her, but that particular morning, I remember praying for her.

00:25:52.588 --> 00:25:56.738
Remember I told you at the end of putting on your equipment,

00:25:56.738 --> 00:26:01.945
your whole armor, it asks you to pray for others. It's not just about you.

00:26:02.713 --> 00:26:05.462
And there's some other things that I prayed for before I went to church,

00:26:05.462 --> 00:26:09.035
and God showed up and showed out again.

00:26:09.534 --> 00:26:13.754
You know, I had prayed that, you know, in order for us to support our pastor,

00:26:14.074 --> 00:26:17.690
we have to be rich. I told God, we need to be rich.

00:26:17.951 --> 00:26:21.792
We should not have to be borrowing and begging and pleading.

00:26:21.792 --> 00:26:23.385
Your body should be rich.

00:26:23.663 --> 00:26:27.639
And pastor is covering the covenant of Abraham's covenant.

00:26:27.929 --> 00:26:31.598
And so I remember praying that, and it was just a good prayer time.

00:26:31.923 --> 00:26:38.162
So I get to church and pastor pulls out Malachi 3 and begin to do offering scripture

00:26:38.162 --> 00:26:41.228
off of that and talk about putting meat in my house.

00:26:41.431 --> 00:26:46.482
She was really preaching that and it just rung in my heart that that is what I pray for.

00:26:46.853 --> 00:26:51.832
And she says, in order for us to be a church, we've got to have meat in the

00:26:51.832 --> 00:26:55.299
house and that people are not doing their tithing offering.

00:26:55.578 --> 00:27:01.946
And so the church is going without, but the people in the world are buying up old churches.

00:27:02.277 --> 00:27:04.233
They're buying up property near the church.

00:27:04.732 --> 00:27:08.412
The Muslims are, and they're, they're actually trying to take over while our

00:27:08.412 --> 00:27:13.575
church is trying to, while, while we as people of God, of God's sheep.

00:27:15.462 --> 00:27:19.484
Of God's flock don't have money to do what we need to do for the church.

00:27:19.757 --> 00:27:24.163
And so she encouraged everybody to give something so that she can help.

00:27:24.822 --> 00:27:28.323
Our church is a helper of other churches, but she can do that.

00:27:28.922 --> 00:27:33.043
There's no money and no meat in the bank.

00:27:33.925 --> 00:27:37.059
And she said, we almost got our church paid off. And I'm talking a lot.

00:27:37.373 --> 00:27:41.177
And I'm thinking like, wow. And so all we have to do is just one more.

00:27:41.177 --> 00:27:43.816
We can knock that out in two weeks. That's her faith.

00:27:44.751 --> 00:27:49.437
And so when we're bearing one another's up, we have to, when God puts someone

00:27:49.437 --> 00:27:53.256
on your heart, when someone puts someone on your heart, you want to pray for them.

00:27:53.534 --> 00:27:57.250
Pray what God tells you to pray. Put the word of God on them.

00:27:57.569 --> 00:28:00.454
You pray for you, whatever you pray for you. If you don't want to pray,

00:28:00.698 --> 00:28:05.011
pray for them what you pray for you and your family. So what happens when our faith feels.

00:28:05.637 --> 00:28:10.473
Maybe someone's listening today is thinking, my faith does not feel strong right now.

00:28:10.763 --> 00:28:15.698
Then remember the father in Mark 9, 24, who said to Jesus, the father,

00:28:15.698 --> 00:28:18.538
it was the father, and he said his child was sick.

00:28:18.538 --> 00:28:21.566
And he says, I want you to use your faith, 9, 24. But he says,

00:28:21.764 --> 00:28:26.110
Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief. So if your faith is weak,

00:28:26.372 --> 00:28:29.751
you can ask the Lord to help your belief.

00:28:30.169 --> 00:28:34.511
This is one of the most honest prayers in scripture. Faith does not have to pretend. in.

00:28:34.778 --> 00:28:38.518
You can bring weak faith to a strong God. You can say, Lord,

00:28:38.518 --> 00:28:40.090
I believe you, but this is hard.

00:28:40.398 --> 00:28:45.158
Help me. Lord, I trust you, but I am afraid. Help me. Lord, I know your word,

00:28:45.158 --> 00:28:47.282
but I'm struggling to hold on to it today.

00:28:47.602 --> 00:28:51.015
Help me. Come on. The simplest prayer is help me.

00:28:51.288 --> 00:28:54.598
The power is not pretending your faith is bigger than it is.

00:28:54.598 --> 00:28:58.573
Power is in God. Your faith is resting in.

00:28:58.811 --> 00:29:02.666
So anytime you feel it weak, you can say, Lord, help me.

00:29:02.875 --> 00:29:07.013
Help me. And I know when I finish, this podcast, I'm going to go pray that prayer

00:29:07.292 --> 00:29:08.865
because I need some help.

00:29:09.150 --> 00:29:14.043
I need to make the right decision. I do not want to make the wrong decision.

00:29:14.293 --> 00:29:18.397
And so why don't you pray for yourself? Lord, help me.

00:29:18.682 --> 00:29:22.108
Help my unbelief. Especially if there's something, someone out there may be

00:29:22.108 --> 00:29:25.385
going through something and you don't even know how you're going to come out.

00:29:25.693 --> 00:29:29.798
Lord, help my unbelief. And what I realized today, and I just brought it back

00:29:29.798 --> 00:29:33.622
to my attention because I had totally forgot, is that as I pray.

00:29:34.133 --> 00:29:39.300
I actually believe that God is hearing my prayers and he has a way of showing

00:29:39.300 --> 00:29:44.240
me that he is listening, right? He has a way of showing me he is listening.

00:29:44.605 --> 00:29:49.592
When you hear it again out of somebody's mouth who wasn't even in the house,

00:29:49.818 --> 00:29:51.432
right? I heard it from my pastor.

00:29:51.804 --> 00:29:57.051
You know, I heard it from the lady who was crying out, help me. And I had a word for her.

00:29:57.312 --> 00:30:00.760
I did not wake up thinking I'm going to have a word. I didn't wake up thinking

00:30:00.760 --> 00:30:03.791
that I was going to do anything spectacular today.

00:30:04.087 --> 00:30:08.644
But God knew. God knew. It was just powerful. It was just powerful.

00:30:08.824 --> 00:30:10.797
Let's talk about the evil day.

00:30:11.053 --> 00:30:15.082
And I believe we're kind of in the evil day. But let's see, how do we handle

00:30:15.354 --> 00:30:20.340
the evil day? Faith and the evil day. Remember what Paul already told us.

00:30:20.543 --> 00:30:26.667
There will be an evil day. That means there will be seasons when standing is harder.

00:30:26.824 --> 00:30:31.660
There will be moments when darts come one after another. And maybe that is where you are.

00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:35.833
Before you recover from one thing, another happens.

00:30:36.077 --> 00:30:39.705
Before one prayer is answered, another problem appears.

00:30:39.949 --> 00:30:45.655
Before one wound heal, something else hits you. That is when you need the shield.

00:30:45.974 --> 00:30:50.282
Because sometimes faith is not dramatic. Sometimes faith is,

00:30:50.473 --> 00:30:52.650
I am getting up again tomorrow.

00:30:53.144 --> 00:30:59.465
I'm going to pray again. I'm opening my Bible. I'm trusting God for one more day.

00:30:59.860 --> 00:31:07.267
Do not underestimate this kind of faith, the faith that gets you up and gets you back in the fight.

00:31:07.557 --> 00:31:10.133
Your faith is you moving towards God.

00:31:10.833 --> 00:31:15.609
Many people say, I got big faith. Okay, what are you doing with it? Right?

00:31:15.742 --> 00:31:19.253
God doesn't want you to just have it in your pocket or wear on your back like a backpack.

00:31:20.293 --> 00:31:24.774
He wants you to put it to use. What are you lacking? What do you need?

00:31:24.999 --> 00:31:27.485
Who can you pray for? You understand?

00:31:27.873 --> 00:31:31.357
Faith without works is dead. So understand that.

00:31:31.623 --> 00:31:34.741
Now with our watermark moment, I want you to think about this.

00:31:34.898 --> 00:31:40.424
So take your spiritual water break and ask yourself, what fairy dart has been hitting me lately?

00:31:40.627 --> 00:31:45.827
Fear, doubt, rejection, shame, comparison, discouragement, temptation,

00:31:46.124 --> 00:31:51.314
and then ask, what truth from God answers that? God has an answer.

00:31:52.080 --> 00:31:56.781
Everything I just mentioned. If you're discouraged, if you need encouragement,

00:31:56.781 --> 00:32:01.873
if you feel tempted, God has to ask for that. Do not just identify the dark.

00:32:02.348 --> 00:32:06.988
Lift the shield and fear says God forgot you.

00:32:07.278 --> 00:32:11.462
Faith says he promised never to leave me or forsake me.

00:32:11.725 --> 00:32:15.867
Shame will say you made the worst mistake.

00:32:16.163 --> 00:32:21.846
Faith says there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

00:32:22.038 --> 00:32:26.541
Discouragement may tell you nothing is happening. Faith says God is working

00:32:26.541 --> 00:32:30.020
even when I can't see it. Comparison says you are behind.

00:32:30.362 --> 00:32:35.830
Faith says my time are in God's hand. The dart may hit the shield,

00:32:36.137 --> 00:32:38.343
but it does not have to enter your heart.

00:32:38.651 --> 00:32:43.092
And that's why today's watermark moment is called Lift Your Shield,

00:32:43.353 --> 00:32:45.559
Faith, When the Fairy Darts Come.

00:32:45.715 --> 00:32:48.484
Faith does not promise that the darts will never come.

00:32:48.682 --> 00:32:52.246
Faith gives you something to lift when they don't.

00:32:52.612 --> 00:32:59.125
And remember, you do not have to have perfect faith. You need faith in a perfect God.

00:32:59.798 --> 00:33:05.841
In our next episode, we're going to move from the shield of faith to the helmet of salvation.

00:33:06.253 --> 00:33:12.325
Because after the enemy has done firing for a while, the battle becomes often in our thoughts.

00:33:12.529 --> 00:33:18.321
And that's when you must remember not only what you believe, but who you belong to.

00:33:18.890 --> 00:33:23.621
Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus, thank you for the gift of faith.

00:33:23.969 --> 00:33:28.091
Thank you for our confidence, knowing that we don't rest in what we see.

00:33:28.375 --> 00:33:32.102
Help us to recognize the fiery darts that have been coming against us.

00:33:32.369 --> 00:33:36.264
Where fear has been burning, clinch it. Where doubt has been burning, clinch it.

00:33:36.647 --> 00:33:40.415
Where faith has been burning, clinch it. Where discouragement has been burning, clinch it.

00:33:40.728 --> 00:33:43.990
Where temptation has been burning, give us strength to resist.

00:33:44.257 --> 00:33:46.579
Teach us to lift the shield of faith.

00:33:46.916 --> 00:33:51.328
Bring your word back to our remembrance when lies begin to speak.

00:33:51.688 --> 00:33:56.674
Remember us. Remind us of every place you have already been faithful.

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And when your faith becomes weak, when our faith becomes weak,

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help us to pray honestly. Lord, we believe.

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Help our unbelief. Keep standing. Keep trusting.

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And let every fiery guard fall powerless against the life anchored in you. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:34:15.998 --> 00:34:20.316
So we're almost fully dressed. I hope that was very important for me,

00:34:20.717 --> 00:34:23.503
especially in a time where I'm standing on some things.

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But it was just rewarding to know that we have a God who hears and answers our prayers.

00:34:29.058 --> 00:34:32.476
And the person that reminds me right now that comes to my heart is Hagar.

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I remember Hagar got kicked out of the home of Sarai.

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And Sarai kicked her out the first time. And guess who met her in the wilderness? God did.

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So God is there waiting for us to give up on our strength and to trust in His

00:34:48.896 --> 00:34:57.080
power and His might so that He can show Himself mightily strong through you as you use your faith.

00:34:57.266 --> 00:35:01.376
I'm your host, Connie Morris, and this has been the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

00:35:01.643 --> 00:35:04.197
And I'll see you on the next episode.

00:35:04.510 --> 00:35:08.254
Before we close today, I don't want to take for granted that everyone listening

00:35:08.527 --> 00:35:09.948
knows Jesus personally.

00:35:10.326 --> 00:35:14.746
If you have listened to this episode or any other episodes and felt something

00:35:14.746 --> 00:35:19.863
stirring in your heart, maybe you know about God, but you're not sure you truly know Him.

00:35:20.055 --> 00:35:24.234
Maybe you grew up in church, walked away, got hurt, became tired.

00:35:24.617 --> 00:35:26.976
And never fully surrendered your life to Jesus.

00:35:27.356 --> 00:35:31.786
I want you to know this. God loves you. He has not forgotten you.

00:35:31.786 --> 00:35:33.726
He is not waiting to shame you.

00:35:33.888 --> 00:35:36.843
He is calling you home.

00:35:37.034 --> 00:35:41.046
The Bible says in Romans 10, 9, if you declare with your mouth,

00:35:41.266 --> 00:35:48.522
Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

00:35:48.720 --> 00:35:51.146
Salvation is not about being perfect.

00:35:51.419 --> 00:35:54.264
It's about surrendering to the one who is perfect.

00:35:54.583 --> 00:36:01.996
Jesus died for your sins, rose again, and made a way for you to be forgiven, restored, and made new.

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So right where you are, you can pray this prayer with me.

00:36:05.792 --> 00:36:10.957
Lord Jesus, I come to you today with an open heart. I believe you are the son of God.

00:36:11.346 --> 00:36:18.643
I believe you died on the cross for my sins. And I believe that God raised you from the dead today.

00:36:19.043 --> 00:36:22.113
I confess that I need you. I repent of my sins.

00:36:22.433 --> 00:36:28.888
I ask you to forgive me, cleanse me, and make me brand new. Jesus, come into my heart.

00:36:29.207 --> 00:36:34.745
Be my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, and my King. I surrender my life to you.

00:36:34.943 --> 00:36:38.350
I give you my past, my present, and my future.

00:36:38.629 --> 00:36:42.553
Teach me how to walk with you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit.

00:36:42.826 --> 00:36:46.773
Lead me in truth, healing, obedience, and love.

00:36:47.093 --> 00:36:51.793
From this day forward, I belong to you. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:36:52.153 --> 00:36:56.503
If you pray that prayer from your heart, I want you to know that heaven has

00:36:56.503 --> 00:36:58.523
heard you. This is not the end.

00:36:58.848 --> 00:37:03.741
This is only the beginning of your walk with Jesus. Find a Bible-believing church,

00:37:03.915 --> 00:37:09.086
begin reading the word of God, pray daily, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow.

00:37:09.365 --> 00:37:14.119
God is not looking for perfection from you. He is inviting you into relationship,

00:37:14.433 --> 00:37:17.933
transformation, and eternal life. through Jesus Christ.

00:37:18.233 --> 00:37:24.255
And remember, you are loved, you are not forgotten, and God still has a purpose for your life.

00:37:24.586 --> 00:37:27.471
Thank you for listening to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

00:37:27.680 --> 00:37:32.138
Until next time, keep walking in truth, faith, and freedom.

00:37:43.112 --> 00:37:46.286
Family, thank you for spending time with me today.

00:37:46.565 --> 00:37:50.216
To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,

00:37:50.216 --> 00:37:52.684
or pushed aside, hear me clearly.

00:37:52.950 --> 00:37:57.490
God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.

00:37:57.879 --> 00:38:02.652
Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God,

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because someone out there needs this reminder today.

00:38:07.753 --> 00:38:11.753
Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14.

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For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you

00:38:17.036 --> 00:38:20.936
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

00:38:21.232 --> 00:38:25.981
Then when you call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you,

00:38:26.242 --> 00:38:31.546
you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

00:38:31.546 --> 00:38:37.614
I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.

00:38:38.044 --> 00:38:43.946
Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us.

00:38:44.103 --> 00:38:49.146
You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to

00:38:49.146 --> 00:38:52.056
harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.

00:38:52.340 --> 00:38:56.647
So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.

00:38:56.874 --> 00:39:00.583
When we feel overlooked, remind us you still see us.

00:39:00.873 --> 00:39:06.104
When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden,

00:39:06.435 --> 00:39:08.641
remind us you are still working.

00:39:08.937 --> 00:39:12.083
Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen.

00:39:12.425 --> 00:39:16.419
So we call on you now. Hear us. Strengthen us. Guide us.

00:39:16.669 --> 00:39:22.352
Help us to seek you with our whole heart, not halfway, not sometimes, but fully.

00:39:22.654 --> 00:39:27.025
And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place.

00:39:27.543 --> 00:39:32.767
Even the hidden one. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken,

00:39:33.081 --> 00:39:37.492
and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand.

00:39:37.899 --> 00:39:44.086
Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:39:44.399 --> 00:39:48.474
This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,

00:39:48.747 --> 00:39:51.493
and I'll see you on the next episode.