Faith as a Shield

By Denise Trio

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”—Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV)

Sometimes it feels like every day is a fight with little darts flying towards us on all sides. We might consistently lose an argument with our toddler over broccoli. We might struggle with commuters who won’t use their turn signal in rush-hour traffic. We might wrestle with negative thoughts consistently invading our mind . Today’s passage cautions us that we are, in fact, engaged in a very real battle against dark forces in the heavenly realms. 

At the same time, the author, Paul, gives us the strategy for how we can stand firm in the midst of chaos. We are to put on God’s full armor.

The pieces of the armor we are to wear are: the belt of truth at our waist, the breastplate of righteousness on our chests, and the shoes of the gospel of peace on our feet. The pieces we are to take up are the helmet of salvation placed upon our heads, the sword of the Spirit in one hand, and the shield of faith in the other.

The shield Paul refers to is no ordinary shield. It’s large, oblong, and has four corners. It looks like a door and is meant to provide full body protection when we hold it in front of us. This representation of faith as a shield is powerful because faith is our first line of defense. The goal is to not let anything get past our shield or near to our bodies. It protects us, not only by stopping flaming arrows from the enemy, but by extinguishing them completely. 

The problem with a shield is that it only protects us on one side, usually the front. As we stand and face the enemy, our sides and our back are exposed. The good news is, if we stand back-to-back with a fellow armored believer, we’ll double our protection. Even better news is, the Lord our God calls Himself a shield, a very great reward (Genesis 15:1). He surrounds us like a three-sided shield, and so together with our faith, we have 360-degrees of protection on all sides.

The Lord, your shield, is your salvation. He’s the one who will charge and fight the enemy. In fact, He has already overcome the enemy for you. He simply invites you to stand still and see the victory!

The next time you feel those arrows coming your way, stand firm and hold up your shield. Your faith in God will protect you. 

Pause: Take a moment to reflect on your first reaction to flaming arrows from the enemy.

Practice: Reach out to someone who can stand back to back with you. You can share with them what you learned and practically stand with each other in prayer. 

Pray: Dear Lord, I thank You that You are my shield and my reward. I choose to go to You first when I feel anxious, attacked, or afraid. I affirm my faith in Your mighty power! Amen.