“10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, 15. and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17. and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…” (Eph. 6:10-14).
The fourth component of the whole armor of God is the shield of faith. I am sure that no sane person will underestimate the importance of a shield as part of a successful defensive strategy. In Roman times it was large enough to cover most of the body and was crucial for ensuring the survival of a soldier who was under attack. A well-trained combatant could deflect any weapon like an axe, a sword, or even an arrow. A common tactic of an attacking side would be to light the ends of arrows before raining them down on the opposing side.
One can only imagine the fear of seeing hundreds of flaming arrows piercing the air as they made their way across the landscape to where the soldiers were standing. However, with the proper shield and extensive training the chances of survival would be infinitely better, but knowing how to use it would be paramount to the goal of surviving the enemy’s onslaught. Ours is not a physical one but rather a spiritual shield that, when used correctly, will ward off the “flaming darts of the evil one.” Those flaming arrows are dipped in fear, anger, greed, hatred, and doubt, and they are extremely dangerous if not fended off before hitting our spiritual organs. They are specially designed and prepared with our earthly weaknesses in mind and can be shot at any time.
But those darts are no match for a well-prepared shield of faith. That shield is not something we can buy online at Amazon. It is not something we can buy at our local sporting or hunting store. It was purchased with the blood of Christ on the cross specifically for every baptized believer and after we have received it, it is maintained with obedience to God’s Word – Gal. 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
And while faith is a gift from God, we must take up the challenge to know where it comes from, and how we are awarded it. It is in the pages of the Bible that our faith is unwrapped one page at a time until all the pieces of the shield are perfectly formed into an impenetrable shield of faith. Rom. 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” No one else can do that for you, and while they can battle next to you with encouragement and directions, they cannot fend off the devil’s artillery that is aimed at your heart. That is something only you can do. But you needn’t fear because while your family and friends cannot ultimately help you, you do have someone far more powerful in your corner.
Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” With Christ in your corner and a faith that has been developed with careful study and internal processing of God’s word, you will not only deflect all the flaming darts but also extinguish them. How disheartening is it for the forces of evil to see those fiery darts dipped in fear, anxiety, anger, hatred, doubt, and anything else that could impede our Christian walk fall extinguished and broken to the ground? The quicker you take up the shield of faith, the quicker you can overcome the onslaughts that are sure to come your way.
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