Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. EPH 6:16

Friends, this week you will use many tools in your spiritual arsenal to defeat the enemy of your faith. But none is more important that the shield (the large, four cornered defense) that is your faith. It is not a separate item labeled faith, it is YOUR faith exuding from your spirit into a situation. It has four corners, this shield. One is HOPE, the hope of Glory, the hope that keeps you looking forward whenever the clouds close in. One is TRUST...trust that God is going to pull you through and see you out of this predicament. One is LOVE...the love shed abroad in your heart that helps you overlook hurtful words and spears that would impale your mind and cripple your soul. Finally, we have JOY....the JOY OF THE LORD THAT IS YOUR STRENGTH!

Take up the four corners of this shield...this attitude and belief that will sustain you in the times to come. YOUR FAITH is the defense against defeat, your reflector and deflector of all that the enemy lunges at you. God will not suffer you to be defeated, he is a STRONG TOWER and a mighty rock, but it is YOUR FAITH that makes a personal, close quarters defensive weapon until you can run into the mountain of God's love.

Be blessed and know that the shield of faith isn't something sitting out there waiting for you, it is IN you, looking to come out and SCATTER the enemy! That's why it is quenching FIREY darts, because the Holy Ghost is like a RIVER OF LIVING WATER, AND WATER QUENCHES FIRE. You can do it, and you can come through it!

In Love,

Elder Mark and Sister Dana