The Meal That Changed Everything.
The Word at the Table
I'm Neal Reyes, The Entrepreneurs' Pastor, and I'm glad you're at the table. This week I'm bringing you two distinct words again. One for your faith and one for your leadership. But before either one, I want to take you to a dinner table in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where God got my attention in a way I will never forget.
This Week's Word
The Opening: The Table I Almost Missed
We had gone out to one of our favorite local restaurants. I ordered our food, walked the family over to our table, and told Katie I was going to wash my hands while we waited for everything to come out.
When I came back around the corner, here is what I saw. My wife and our three kids, all sitting at the table, every single one of them on a phone or an iPad. Our youngest, Tristan, did not have a device yet, he was just a baby at the time. But everyone else, heads down, scrolling.
Now before you judge them, you should know something. I am no better. The only reason I was not in that picture is because I happened to be in the restroom. Had someone walked by our table at that exact moment, they would have seen the spiritual head of the household completely absent from his own family, off doing the same thing everyone else was doing, just a few feet away.
The Lord got my attention right there. Not in a sermon. Not in a Bible study. At a dinner table.
I sat down and told Katie what I had seen walking up. We made a decision together that day. No more phones and no more iPads at the table. Just us. Just conversation. Just family. And it has been one of the best decisions we have made.
I am telling you that story because I think it sets up everything I want to share with you today. Two words. Completely different topics. But both rooted in the same question. What are you actually putting your trust and your attention into?
Part One: He Did Not Just Give You a Shield. He Is the Shield.
We are in Part 4 of our series Suited for Battle: The Armor of God on Champion's Walk, and this week we covered the Shield of Faith.
Most believers think the shield of faith is just for blocking attacks. But I want to show you something deeper today. I want to show you, through a word study, that God Himself is the shield. Not just the one who gives it to you. The shield itself.
Genesis 15:1 NKJV is where this starts. God speaks to Abram in a vision and says, Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. Notice what He says. Not, I will give you a shield. I am your shield.
Psalms 84:11 NKJV says it again. For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalms 115:11 NKJV says it a third time. You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their shield.
Three times, in three different books, God describes Himself the same way. He is the shield.
Faith Anchor #1: Before you take up the shield, you have to believe He's real.
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV tells us that without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. That is not a 90 percent chance. It is all or nothing. You have to believe He exists, and you have to believe He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
Faith Anchor #2: He didn't just give you a shield. He is the shield.
Here is what I love about this. When your faith engages, when you choose to trust Him and pick up that shield, you are not holding a piece of equipment that can crack, splinter, or fail under pressure. You have probably seen it in movies. A hero holds up a wooden shield, the villain swings a massive sword or battle axe, and the shield splinters into pieces. That is never what happens with your shield. Because the moment your faith picks it up, God Himself steps into that place. He becomes your shield. And He has never once failed.
Faith Anchor #3: Your shield isn't just for defense. It's also meant for offense.
Most people think a shield only protects you from what is coming at you. But the best defense has always been a good offense. As you grow in your believer's authority and understand exactly who God is and why that armor belongs to you, you stop simply blocking attacks and start advancing forward in faith with confidence.
You are not trying to manufacture faith in something uncertain. You are placing your trust in the One who has called Himself your shield three times over in His own Word. Pick that shield up. And do not put it down.
Part Two: You Were Not Created to Be a Consumer
Now let me bring you to the second word for today, and this one is going to hit close to home for a lot of you, because if I am honest, it hits close to home for me too.
The average adult spends roughly three to four hours a day on social media. I want you to sit with that math for a second. Three hours a day comes out to 21 hours a week. That is almost two full workdays gone every single week. Stretch that across a year and you are looking at nearly two to three months of your life spent scrolling.
Two to three months. Out of twelve.
Leadership Truth Bomb #1: If you are struggling with clarity, motivation, or peace, it might not be overwhelm. It might be scroll fatigue.
Doom scrolling is defined as mindless, endless content consumption that is often negative in tone and useless in its impact. It mimics productivity, but it is not productivity. It is fool's gold. It looks valuable, but it has none of the substance.
And here is something worth understanding about why it works so well on you. Social media today is the modern day slot machine. I know that because I have run a casino. Slot machines are designed around one metric: time on the machine. The longer they keep you in that seat, the more money goes in. Social media platforms operate on the exact same principle, except instead of your money, they are after your time, your attention, and ultimately your potential.
The hidden costs are real. Mental fatigue without real output. Loss of deep work capacity. Emotional erosion from constant comparison. And disconnection from your own voice, your own values, and your own vision.
Leadership Truth Bomb #2: The scroll will slowly numb your mind and steal your momentum.
If you are a leader, this matters even more. Leadership demands clarity, vision, and presence. Your team will always follow your example, and distracted leaders create distracted cultures.
Leadership Truth Bomb #3: If you are addicted to distraction, you cannot fulfill your true potential.
So here is what I want you to do. Start tracking your time, because awareness always precedes change. Establish no scroll zones, especially early morning and right before bed. Replace idle scroll time with intentional input, a podcast, a book, a walk, a conversation with someone you love. And remember this above all else.
You were not created to be a consumer. You were called to be a creator, a leader, a builder. Start taking your focus back.
Take This With You
This week I want you to do two things, one for each word we covered today.
On the faith side, find one of the three scriptures we covered today, Genesis 15:1, Psalms 84:11, or Psalms 115:11, and let it settle into your spirit. God is not just offering you protection. He is the protection. Pick up that shield with full confidence this week.
On the leadership side, check your screen time report today. Just look at it. Do not judge yourself yet, just get the number. Then pick one no scroll zone, either the first hour after you wake up or the hour before bed, and protect it fiercely this week. Awareness always precedes change.
From the Table Last Week
On Champion's Walk, my faith show that teaches Real Help For Real Hope, I brought you He Did Not Just Give You a Shield. He Is the Shield. This was Part 4 of our Suited for Battle: The Armor of God series and I took you through a deep word study proving that God Himself is your shield, not just the one who hands you a shield. We dug into Genesis 15:1, Psalms 84:11, and Psalms 115:11, and I showed you why your shield of faith can never splinter, crack, or fail the way a shield in an old battle movie might. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zdwtZAWODQ&list=PLMPDSgKkGZNvHLzeBuhqHvZhuCSMEQEgV
On The Executive Perspective, my leadership and business show that delivers Real Help For Real Success, I brought you Doom Scrolling Is Draining Your Potential. Here Is How to Stop. I broke down the staggering statistics behind social media consumption, why social media is designed exactly like a casino slot machine, and the hidden costs of scroll fatigue that most people never recognize. I also gave you practical steps to reset, including establishing no scroll zones and replacing idle scroll time with intentional input. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szvfgCl9Z9w&list=PLMPDSgKkGZNuJ-dNFVFCWc3lb7BmJ07mM
Until Next Time
God is not just holding a shield over you. He is your shield. And while you are walking in that confidence, take back the time and attention that have been quietly slipping away. You were not created to be a consumer. You were called to be a creator, a leader, a builder. Go build something this week.
This Wednesday on Champion's Walk, we are continuing the Suited for Battle: The Armor of God series with the next piece of armor. Each one has been just as powerful as the last. Do not miss it.
Then Saturday on The Executive Perspective, I'm dropping something for the leaders and entrepreneurs who are ready to operate at their next level. This one is going to challenge you to think bigger, lead better, and push past where you are right now. Be there.
I'll see you at the table next Tuesday.
Neal Reyes, The Entrepreneurs' Pastor
