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THOU ART A SHIELD FOR ME
Dr. Kenneth W. Jones, Pastor, Practical Living Ministry
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2/21/2016
copyright@PLM TEACHINGS
Psalms 3: A Psalm of David
LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many
are they that rise up against me. 2 Many there be
which say of my soul, There is no help for him in
God. Selah.
3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory,
and the lifter up of mine head.
Lord, How are They Increased That
Trouble Me?
“And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to
run before him.” (2nd Sam 15:1)
Absalom was the son of David
Led a revolt against David
Even Ahitophel, David's wise counsellor, declared his support for Absalom’s rebellion.
David is in flight from his own son
Have you ever been troubled?
By someone, a spirit….
Why Did Absalom Rebel Against
David?
Absalom avenged his sister, Tamar’s rape by his half brother Amnon
Although David knew about, he did nothing about it
In fear, Absalom ran from David for 3 years, yet David did little to
reconcile with his son which may have led to Absalom becoming
bitter against his father
Absalom began to turn the people against David
From the world’s point of view, those who submitted to Absalom’s
leadership considered themselves blessed. In reality though,
Absalom’s leadership was destructive to his followers because he put
them at enmity with God’s people and, ultimately, with God Himself.
The bulk of Absalom’s story is told in 2nd Samuel chapters 13-19
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Points of Emphasis
This episode demonstrates that even the most renowned of
God’s children face trials; yes, even heavy trials.
Affliction is normal for the saints. This contradicts much
“teaching” in the pulpits.
Some would say that, when one becomes a Christian, there will be no
more adversity, no more trouble, no more hardships
The Hall of Fame of Faith include those who were persecuted
and suffered (Hebrews 11:36-39)
It is hard to be a Warrior without experiencing some Wounds
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Afflictions are not “Random”
We are engaged in a spiritual battle with an enemy who seeks
to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10; Ephesians 6:10-12) and
seeks to “Sift” us in our faith through trials, persecutions, and
attacks (Luke 22:31)
“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon; behold, Satan hath desired to have
you, that he may sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31).
Afflictions and Troubles can arise from sin, poor decisions,
unfaithfulness, and disobedience
The affliction of David described in this Psalm was a punishment from
God for his sin with Bathsheba.
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Points of Emphasis
David brought sin into his household not only
through Bathsheba but also through
concubines
Protect your home- Ensure Godly Order
David’s daughter, Tamar, was raped but
David, nor Absalom did nothing until after
two years
Men and Women, parents, etc must make a
stand in their home and community and destroy
the works of darkness
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2nd Sam 12: 8-12
God speaks to David regarding his sin and the
consequences of it:
And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy
bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that
had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and
such things.
9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to
do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword,
and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the
sword of the children of Ammon.
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Cont’d
Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house;
because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the
Hittite to be thy wife.
11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out
of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and
give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the
sight of this sun.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel,
and before the sun.
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David’s Prayer
O Lord, how my adversaries have
increased! Many are rising up against
me.
2 Many are saying of my soul, "There
is no deliverance for him in God."
Selah.
3 But You, O Lord, are a shield about
me, My glory, and the One who lifts
my head.
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Symbols
Increased – The traumatic feeling when his nation turned
against him
Increase describes rebellion
David’s fear more than just people turning against him but the thought
that God would not be his help
Shield- Symbol for God’s protection (Genesis 15:1) first
revealed to Abraham
Genesis 15:1 - After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a
vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be
very great."
Psalms 28:7 - The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and
I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.
Be Encouraged
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The enemies of the LORD will never triumph over Him. Even if they come in like a flood, and seem unstoppable, the LORD will lift up a battle-standard against him, and he will be
stopped.
God as a Shield
The word “shield” also means to protect, guard, defend,
shelter, and screen.
God protects us from harm’s way, guards us from danger,
defends us against accusations, shelters us when we are weak,
and screens everything that comes our way.
Nothing can touch us until it goes through God’s screening process
first.
The Shield is more than in front of us, it is around us
We don’t have to take a shield, God is our shield. The
problem comes when we step from behind the shield 2/21/2016 copyright@PLM TEACHINGS
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Scriptures
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give
grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that
walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).
“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you
will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and
rampart” (Psalm 91:4).
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What is the Shield of Faith?
The Roman shield of the time was called a scutum.
This type of shield was as large as a door and
would cover the warrior entirely.
Such a shield was not just defensive but could also
be used to push opponents.
The shield provided protection against arrows
launched from the walls of cities they were
attacking.
Shields, often made of wood and then covered in
hide, when wet, could extinguish flaming arrows.
For the believer, the shield of faith provides a
protective barrier between the believer and the
attacks of the devil
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The Shield of Faith Provides
Protection Against Satan’s Fiery Darts: Ephesians
6:16: Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith
ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked.
The Greek word used to describe these particular “darts” is
a very specific word of warfare that is also very historical.
“Thucydides, the ancient Greek writer, used the same
identical Greek expression to depict especially terrible
“arrows that are equipped to carry fire.”
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Fiery Darts
Fiery darts, or arrows,
represent the thoughts that the
enemy attacks our mind in
order to hinder us.
If an army had fortified its
positions so that the enemy
could not break in, the enemy
would revert to these fiery
arrows!
The fiery darts of the wicked
one fly and find their marks
on any whose armor is
deficient.
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Fiery Darts
Fiery darts, or arrows, represent the thoughts that the enemy
attacks our mind in order to hinder us. There were three
primary ways these arrows were used against the Roman army.
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Three Types of Arrows
There were Three Types of Arrow Used Against Roman
Soldiers (James 1:8; Mark 11:23)
Doubts - The first arrow was just a plain arrow. It was
designed to penetrate the target it struck. This arrow
represents doubts.
Doubts can penetrate our faith, our confidence for provision, and even our
belief in the promises of God. It can cause you to live in fear, frustration,
never achieving or experiencing God’s blessing
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Types of Arrows
Distraction - The second arrow was laced with a flammable
pitch that burst into a ball of flame when it hit its target.
This arrow was designed to be a distraction by temporarily
blinding the soldiers who looked at it. Satan uses the same tactic
of distraction to break our focus and shift our attention away
from our purpose.
A distraction is an unhealthy attraction that breaks your
focus and hinders you.
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Types of Arrows
Lustful Desires/Addictions - The final arrow was wrapped
with a leaking flammable material. It was designed to ignite
the shield of the Roman soldier and consume it in flames.
This arrow is representative of the lustful thoughts of desire that, if
left unchecked, will consume your thought life and drive you to self
defeating behavior.
Most shields were made of wood, so you couldn’t allow fire to
stay on the shield no more than you should allow lustful thoughts
to remain in your mind
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Fiery Darts
As a follower of Jesus, you have fiery darts coming at you all the time.
So what kind of fiery darts are coming your way? Satan implants the
following thoughts into your mind:
Doubt. You start asking yourself, “Did God really say? Can I really trust God?
Isn’t that just your interpretation?”
Discouragement. Satan tells you, “You’re never going to get any better. Your
life won’t change. Don’t even try.
Delay. You ask yourself, “Why is this taking so long?” Something you want to
happen hasn’t happened by now.
Difficulty. You ask yourself, “Why is this so hard? Why is it so hard to make my
marriage work? Why is it so hard to get a job?”
Depression. You tell yourself, “It’s not worth it.” You don’t even feel like making
an effort.
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Other Darts
Darts of accusations. One of Satan’s devices is to accuse the brethren.
Revelation 12:10 tells us that he accuses us before our God day and night.
Satan can do this in several ways.
Accuse us to God.
Accuse us to ourselves.
Accuse us to each other
Darts of Bitterness and Unforgiveness (2 Cor 2:11; Heb 12:15)
Satan wants us defiled through bitterness and through this,
relationships are destroyed
Hold up the Shield: Mark 11:25
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Other Darts
Darts of Self-Pity – David had so many opportunities to pity himself,
but oftentimes found a way to encourage himself in the Lord by reminding
himself of the promises of God
1st Samuel 30:6: And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of
stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons
and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
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Scriptures
2 Cor 2: 10,11: To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I
forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the
person of Christ; 11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are
not ignorant of his devices.
Hebrews 12:15 - Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God;
lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be
defiled;
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How to Quench Fiery Darts
You may have had thoughts such as, “I’m not good enough, or God couldn’t
love me.” That is the enemy accusing you before God.
Trusting and Confess the Word of God which allows you to extinguish the thoughts in
your mind
Romans 10:17: So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
2 Corinthians 10:4,5: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God
for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts
itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ,
This is where knowing the Word of God comes in as you put up the shield of faith and tell
the enemy, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast the sum of them!
Were I to count them they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake I am still
with you”. Ps.138.1718.
You pull down the stronghold by remembering and speaking the Word of God concerning
you. You have now stifled the dart. You have stopped it from piercing you. The shield of
faith has worked.
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Deflect Satan’s Arrows
Shields Up!
The USS Enterprise survives
space and attacks by always
keeping their shield up
We must always be mindful in
our spiritual walk to keep our
shields up through biblical
spiritual disciplines
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The Lifter of My Head
The lifter up of mine head - Thou wilt restore (exalt, bring up)
me to the state from which my enemies have cast me down
The head, in time of trouble and sorrow is naturally bowed down, as if
overpowered with the weight of affliction (Psalms 35:14).
To lift up the head, therefore, or to raise one up, is to relieve his distresses, or to
take away his troubles
My glory and the One who lifts my head: God was more than David's
protection. He also was the one who put David on higher ground, lifting his head
and showing him glory.
Psalms 18:33: He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high
places.
To elevate, to exalt – to increase any one’s power
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Lifter of My Head
For God to be “the lifter of your head” means that He will bring
you out of that time of trouble, so that you are no longer bowing
your head in misery and pain, because He has lifted your head!
When David’s son Absalom rebelled against him and turned the people of
Israel against him. He had to flee Jerusalem with little more than the clothes on
his back. II Samuel 15 says that as he left Jerusalem, David climbed up the
Mount of Olives, and he covered his head, and wept. He bowed his head in
weeping and crying and grief.
I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes
from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalms 121:1-2)
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Practical Living Ministry
Practical Living Ministry exists to assist individuals, groups, and
organizations to operate to their full God-given ability by sharing life
changing principles for spiritual growth and development.
If this message touched you, please let me hear from you.
If you would like to encourage us financially to keep sharing these
kind of messages, please go to our donation section on our website
at www.practicallivingministry.org
If you would like to contact Dr. Jones for a speaking engagement at your
church or event concerning biblical leadership, mentoring, and Christian
culture. Please contact Pastor Kenneth Jones at
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