Seven Weapons of Spiritual WarfareSample

The Shield of Faith

It was Henry Ford who was supposed to have said,

“Whether you believe you can, or whether you believe you cannot, you are right.”

Whether Henry Ford actually said it or not is not important. The sentiment of this modern proverb is the same. It is talking about what you believe and that whatever you believe, you can achieve.

Belief is faith.

But the faith we hold in Jesus Christ is much more powerful than these aphorisms. The power of faith in God and in Jesus Christ is the power of life. Faith has the power to lead us to victory over the flesh and to bring us into the kingdom of God, to live with Him into eternity.

We are shown in many scriptures that the key to Christianity is faith. Everything in Christ rests upon a foundation of faith. At the simplest level, we must believe God exists and that He rewards those who do believe in Him.

It is by faith that we are set free from our sins. It is by faith that we are set free from the law. It is by faith that we are reckoned righteous, just as Abraham was reckoned righteous. And it is by faith that we shall enter the kingdom of God.

In the depiction of the armor of God we see faith represented as a shield that can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. The devil throws his flaming darts at us all of the time, but we can stand behind our faith and be protected. It is our faith in Jesus Christ that protects us from the barbs the evil one lets loose upon us.

When I think of the shield I am reminded of the practice of the early Greek or Roman armies. When the shout went up that arrows were being fired upon them, a platoon of soldiers would band tightly together, locking shields above and around them so that the arrows would not penetrate. They often called this a “turtle” formation, and even while under a hail of arrows they could still move forward.

As Christians we too can hold our shield of faith around us to protect us and continue our walk forward. But if we drop our shield and allow the flaming darts to penetrate, then we stop walking and are in serious trouble.

Call to action:

Stand behind your shield of faith in Jesus Christ whenever you are under attack. Pray to Him and believe through faith that He has the situation under control, knowing that He will pull you through and out the other side.