Gentle Encouragement

Show yourself kindness, especially if things haven’t gone perfectly. This fast is about progress, not perfection.

Ways to Practice Compassion

• Forgive yourself for slip-ups and move forward.

• Write yourself a pep talk in your journal.

Self-compassion fuels resilience and inner strength.

Shielding Confession

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning… Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate…” Joel 2:12–13

What’s Wrong with My Shield?

Years ago, I attended a Military SWAT school where my first task was to serve as the shield man. This is no easy role—one must be in top physical shape to be effective. In military engagements, there is nothing wrong with shields; they protect you from incoming bullets.

However, in the Christian life, Jesus calls us to have no shields between God and us, or between us and others.

Here is the funny thing: many of us have shields up right now. When we try to build natural relationships with others, we end up looking this way—awkward and separate.

Here are examples of tactical ballistic shields used in SWAT operations:

Imagine carrying one of these massive shields everywhere you go. You head to church to worship and make friends, but this barrier stands between you and everyone else. How absurd and humorous would that be? We’d say, “Hey, put that thing down—there’s no war between us! Can we talk without it in the way?”

Isaiah 59:1–2 declares: “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

Our sin creates barriers that inhibit closeness to God and others. God has made a way through Jesus’ cross, but we must confess our sins. Repentance clears the path for fresh encounters with Jesus, while unconfessed sin blocks the flow of the Spirit.

Many of us get careless with confession. We confess major sins like promiscuity but allow lust to linger. Others avoid murder but slander daily, harbor bitterness, and wound with words.

I’m not always the most organized person. This morning, I was searching for my keys and looked at my cluttered desk. I thought, “Wow—if I cleaned this up, I’d spot them right away.” That’s the problem in our spiritual lives: we have “small” things hidden in the darkness that we haven’t allowed the Holy Spirit to clean. This sin clutter shields us from clearly seeing and accessing the things of God. The photo below is an example of many of our cluttered souls. Imagine trying to find anything good on this desk.

Jesus told the disciples, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear” (John 16:12). Let this not be what Jesus says to us. I want to be ready now, in season and out of season.

Let us drop the shield. Let us clean up the clutter and hidden things through confession. I promise you: there will be clarity in the things of God you have never experienced. We will no longer approach Jesus or others like this—barred and distant.

Let us put down the shields by confessing to God—and, when needed, to others. No fear. No condemnation.

Before reading the meditation questions, take some time to let the Holy Spirit reveal any shields in your life as you listen to this song.

Meditation Questions

1. Lord, what is in the darkness of my soul that is shielding me from access to the things of You?

2. Show me everything so I can lay these things down, Lord.

3. I trust that You will forgive me when I confess to You. I know there is no condemnation or shame in You, Jesus.

4. Jesus, show me if I need to confess to someone else. I want to be free and unshielded.

Meditative Passages

• 1 John 1

• Isaiah 59:1–2

Actionable Thought For The Day

While carrying that shield during SWAT training, it was virtually impossible to do anything else as a participant. It made everything more difficult during the mission. In the same way, how will you draw close to the Lord and others if you carry your shield everywhere you go?