WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JANUARY 29, 2025
TOPIC: GOD AS YOUR SHIELD AND BUCKLER (2)
BY T. O. BANSO
“You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield” (Psalm 115:11 New King James Version).
In yesterday’s devotional, we learnt from Psalm 91:4 that whoever dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. God will cover him with His feathers, and he shall take refuge under His wings; His truth shall be a shield and a buckler to him. The shield and buckler are a metaphor for God’s protection. Not only God’s truth is a shield and a buckler, the Bible also says God is a shield (Genesis 15:1b; Psalms 3:3a; 28:7;119:114; 2 Samuel 22:3, 31; Psalms 18:2, 30; 33:20; 59:11; 115:9-11; 144:2, and Proverbs 2:7 & 30:5) and a buckler (2 Samuel 22:31b; Psalm 18:2; Proverbs 2:7b – the King James Version uses buckler in all the three scriptures but most translations use shield).
God is interested in your protection, and you need Him as your shield and buckler. To enjoy Him as your shield and buckler, you must do the following:
1. Love God and walk uprightly. Loving God and walking upright are inseparable. To walk upright means to walk in integrity and walk honestly. That means you must walk in obedience to the Word of God. The obedience God demands is based on love for Him. Obedience is proof of love for God. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15 New International Version). You must love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). Matthew 22:37 and Deuteronomy 6:5 say a similar thing.
If you love God and acknowledge His name, He will protect you. Psalm 91:14 says, “‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name” (New International Version).
Love God and walk uprightly (obey God). Proverbs 2:7 says, “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly” (King James Version).
You can’t walk in disobedience and expect God’s protection; your disobedience will draw you away from divine protection. Obedience will make you dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and that’s where Psalm 91 starts. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked” (Psalm 91:1-8 New King James Version).
2. Fear God and trust in Him. To fear God means to reverence Him. God can protect but can also kill! The Bible calls Him the consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). He is awesome or fearsome. Fear Him and trust in Him “You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield” (Psalm 115:11 New King James Version). If you fear the Lord and trust in Him, you will not need to fear anything.
The Lord God will be your shield and buckler if you fear Him and put your trust in Him. In 2 Samuel 22:31, the Bible says, “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him” (New King James Version). Psalm 18:30 says the same thing. The King James Version uses the word buckler instead of shield. The Word of God is tried, tested, and proven. Therefore, have faith in it and put your trust in God. He will be your shield and buckler.
Other scriptures also talk about trusting God to enjoy His protection as your shield and buckler (Psalms 28:7; 33:20-21). Fear God and put your trust in Him. He will be your shield and buckler. Those who fear Him and trust in Him will enjoy other benefits.
3. Confess that God is your protection. If you’ve trusted Him to protect you, declare it with your mouth. Confess that He’s your shield and buckler. Declare that He’s your refuge in whom you trust as verse 2 of Psalm 91 referenced above says: “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust’” (New King James Version). This is important.
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21). Say who God is to you, and He will be. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37 New King James Version).
What you say is what you will have. When you confess God as your shield and buckler – your protection – He’ll give His angels instructions to protect you “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot” (Psalm 91:11-13 New King James Version). Angels are servants; spirits sent from God to serve those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14).
Conclusion: Beloved, there are fiery darts of the enemy you must take the shield of faith to quench as the Bible says in Ephesians 6:16. This is your protection. As you dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty and confess that He’s your refuge and fortress, your God in whom you trust, God will protect you. As you know and hold on to His truth, it will become your shield and buckler. No weapon of warfare forged against you will prevail (Isaiah 54:17a). God shall frustrate the schemes of the crafty so that they achieve no success (Job 5:12).
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. Take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me to love God, fear Him, trust in Him, and walk uprightly. Father, I confess that You are my shield and buckler. I declare that You are my refuge and fortress and I trust in You. Father, keep me in all my ways; let me not suffer harm. Satisfy me with a long life and show me His salvation.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
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