And always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it
to quench the burning arrows of the Evil One. – Ephesians 6:16 (New Jerusalem Bible)
Jesus tells us: There is a battle going on every day – a battle for your mind. And Satan has an unlimited supply of arrows. His arrows are the lies that he whispers to you, trying to weaken your faith. His arrows say, “No one loves you,” “Even Jesus wouldn’t forgive that,” “There’s no hope for you,” “You are so worthless lie after lie after lie. Protect yourself with your shield of faith. When you feel the sting of one of Satan’s lies, come to Me and hear My truth. The truth is, I love you so much that I died for you. There is nothing you can do that I won’t forgive. In Me, there is always hope. And you are My own special creation, always precious to Me.
Jesus concludes: Take up your shield of faith. Stand up to the devil, and he will run away from you. Come close to Me, and I will come close to you.
Ephesians 6:16; Revelation 12:10; James 4:7-8 Study Notes
Footnotes Ephesians 6:16 The demon is always waiting for his hour. All we need is only to persevere in prayer with the arms that Christ left us: truth, faith and His Word. If we believe, we have found salvation.
Passage Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, Salvation and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the accuser, who accused our brothers, day and night before our God, has been brought down.
Footnotes Revelation 12:10 The devil is presented as the head of the army of rebellious angels. He uses disguises and many substitutes. However, those who are ready to suffer for the truth will recognize him and will triumph by the blood of the Lamb and their courage in proclaiming Him.
Even after the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, evil remained in the world, although definitively defeated at the root. To achieve full victory the faithful of the earth are required to have the courage to bear witness and total trust in God.
Passage James 4:7-8 7Give in to God, then; resist the devil, and he will run away from you. 8The nearer you go to God, the nearer God will come to you. Clean your hands, you sinners, and clear your minds, you doubters.
Footnotes James 4:7-8 We cannot divide our love between God and the world; neither can we ask God to help us satisfy egoistical requests.
THE WORLD…we see history
EARLY FATHERS LIVING BY PSALMS 119:105 THE
BIBLE IS A LAMP TO OUR FEET AND A LIGHT TO OUR PATH
John Adams was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801.
John Adams wrote, “The Bible contains the most profound philosophy, the most perfect morality, and the most refined policy that was ever conceived on earth, I believe [it] to be the only system that ever did or ever will preserve a republic in the world.” Before his presidency, he was a leader of the American Revolution that achieved independence from Great Britain, and he served as the first vice president of the United States.
Born: October 30, 1735, Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America (now Quincy)
Died: July 4, 1826, Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting place: United First Parish Church. Wikipedia
The WORD…we see Jesus, His Story!
It is the Bible that made America. Not every Founding Father was a Christian, a Bible-believer, or a paragon of virtue. Not every president has honored the Bible. Not every leader has appreciated its influence. Some of the Founding Fathers—Thomas Jefferson, Ethan Allen, Thomas Paine—were disciples of Enlightenment rationalism. But even they were intimately acquainted with the contents of the Bible. They vigorously studied Scripture and respected its ethical teachings.
I am not commending all those whose stories I tell in these pages, but I am commending the book they held in their hands. Trying to explain American history without its Bible is like trying to understand the human body without its bloodstream. Had there been no Bible, there would be no America as we know it. The nation would not have been born as it was.