"Hold Onto FAITH" ~ Shield of faith

copyrighted by Art4Him Studios 2024

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with a pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)"  Hebrews 10:22-23

What is the first thing that comes to your mind, when you hear the word shield? The dictionary defines it in several ways, but one definition was a broad piece of armor used to protect the body. We think of a shield in this way, many times, especially when we are talking about God's armor. The other definition given for shield was used in the form of a verb, saying that it "served as a protection". This particular form of the word is what I am conveying here in this painting.
1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" If you are a child of God, the enemy knows he can not have you, so he will do whatever he can to keep you from sharing the gospel with others. We are told to be sober (serious) and vigilant (alert) because the enemy is always roaming about. As I think about this painting, the LORD taught me several things. No matter what I face, the enemy is going to be right there trying to pull me away. When I do not stand alert to his presence, he can easily pull me under. There have been times in my life when I was not standing alert and the enemy easily pulled me under, like the death of my child, broken relationships, finances, housing and health issues. The enemy does not just go after those traumatic things in our lives; he even goes after our thoughts, emotions, and yes, sins we struggle with. He will constantly remind us of our failures. Those hands just keep grabbing at us.
The wonderful thing is, that is not the end of the story. Another thing, the LORD showed me is that even though I feel like I am being pulled under with the sins or  trials in my life, Jesus is right there reaching for me to grab HIS hand. His LIGHT, radiates from Him and all I need to do is grab it, which causes the enemy to withdraw their grasp.
I had drawn this picture a while back as a reminder that when I doubt what God can do through me, like art, I am allowing the enemy to pull me down with that FEAR, DOUBT and INSECURITY. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind." Whenever, I allow fear to take over, it keeps me from creating what the LORD has desired for me to do. That fear grows, producing insecurity and doubts. This is exactly what the enemy wants to do; keeping us from pointing others to our Savior and keep the focus on ourselves. Ephesians 6:16 says, "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." What better shield than the ONE who conquered the enemy with His death and resurrection.
This is not my normal type of painting. I felt the LORD wanted me to be very personal in this painting, telling not just His story but mine! This painting. which the LORD did through me, is definitely from my heart. He is my source of protection and all I have to do is grab His hand, and "Hold Onto Faith", which is HIM! What about you, what are you holding onto OR what is pulling you away? His shield of FAITH is right there for you to grab!