“⁹ So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

¹⁰ Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the entrance of the king’s house.

¹¹ And when the king entered into the house of the Lord, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard chamber.

¹² And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.” 2 Chronicles 12:9-12.

The devil, being the devil, wants to kill, steal and destroy all the Lord has given His Children.  As an angel of light, satan will seduce the Believer into forsaking the Law of the Lord for deliverance, faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary’s Cross (Romans 8:2) and direct the Believer’s faith into their works (40 days of purpose, 21 days of fasting, feasts, festivals, etc.).

When we forsake the Law of the Lord for deliverance (faith in Jesus), satan is allowed to take “away the treasures of the house of the Lord” and the “shields of gold” the Lord has given us.  If our faith is not in Jesus Christ and His atoning work, we are not free from the law of sin and death and the devil is able to do what the devil does…kill, steal and destroy all the Lord has given the Believer.

Once the Divine gifts of God have been stolen, we quickly and proudly make our shields of brass and commit them to the Lord.  The fact of the matter is, the Lord had no hand in our shields of brass.  Just as Cain offered up the works of his hands to God, so to are we as our shields of brass are offered up for service.  This vain attempt to replace our Divine gifts we have allowed the devil to steal because we have forsaken the Law of the Lord for our deliverance is the result of pride.

“Thus says the Lord, The Heaven is My Throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that you build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest?

² For all those things has Mine Hand made, and all those things have been, says the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at My Word.”  Isaiah 66:1-2

Humility is the only coin that will spend in God’s economy, not pride.  The shields of brass cannot replace the Divine gifts of the Lord and in fact brings reproach on the work of the Lord.  Repentance in forsaking the Law of the Lord, faith in Jesus and His finished work’, is the result of a poor and a contrite spirit…result of humility.

We don’t have to “fake it until we make it”.  The shields of brass are a lie religion presents to the Believer as a substitute.

“⁷ Then said he  to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

⁹ And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”  Luke 3:7-9.

Lay down the shields of brass church.  Repent.  The axe is laid unto the root of the tree.

-Donna Clark Warren