FULL ARMOR OF GOD-SHIELD OF FAITH

 

Ephesians 6:10-18 is the basis of our discussion.  “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. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”   

 

In our last Blog, we discussed having your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  We learned that we must have on the appropriate footwear to do battle.  We must always be ready by being right with God and having peace in the midst of the battle.

 

The next piece of equipment is the shield of faith.  Before we discuss the shield of faith, I think we need to discuss what the Bible says faith really is.  Hebrews chapter 11 is known as the ‘faith’ chapter because it defines what faith is and it is also known as the hall of fame of faithful believers.  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”  (Hebrews 11:1, 3)  All throughout this chapter, the Bible gives examples of great faith in God.  I.e. By faith, Abel; By faith, Enoch; By faith, Noah; By faith, Abraham…

 (Note:  you may want to review their stories in the Bible)

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  (Hebrews 11:6)  Faith is being sure that God will keep His promises.  Faith in God protects you when you are tempted to doubt.  In other words, faith is trusting God wholeheartedly, never doubting His promises. 

Now let’s discuss ‘taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.’  Once again we will use the Roman solider as our example.  The shield was about 2 ½ ft. wide and 4 ½ ft high – designed to protect the entire body.  It was usually made of a solid piece of wood and was covered with metal or heavy oiled leather soaked in water.  The long lines protected the archers from the enemy arrows.  Soldiers always kept their shields ready for battle.  Another word for shield is buckler.

So, how can we ‘take up the shield of faith’?    Never lose faith in God’s Word (Promises).  This is extremely important because Satan comes to us in times of temptations and gets us to doubt the character and integrity of God and His Word.  Faith is our basic trust and confidence in God and His promises.  Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith.”  Realize that the kind of faith we are discussing is not the everyday, practical faith that we exercise when we get on a plane or when we drive our cars.  Our faith in God is more important and is immeasurably more reliable than that.  Our faith is only important and reliable because of its source and our source is Jesus Christ.  Having Jesus as the power source of our faith enables us to withstand the ‘flaming arrows of the evil one’.  “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”  (Luke 18:27)  Having our faith in Jesus Christ will give us protection from the ‘flaming arrows’, which are primarily temptations.

Satan continually bombards us with all types of temptations like:  envy, covetousness, anger, pride, lies, doubt, fear, gossip, bitterness, hatred…  We need to remember that every temptation (directly or indirectly) that presents itself is purposed to get us to doubt and distrust God.  Temptations are an enticement or invitation to sin, with the implied promise of greater good to be derived from following the way of disobedience.  God does not tempt man nor can He Himself as the Holy God be tempted.  Whenever we try to justify sin, we disgrace God and lift up Satan.  When we give in to sin or make excuses for it, we believe Satan and elevate him.  When we follow after righteousness by living by faith, we believe God and He is lifted up.  “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”  (1Corinthians 10:13)

When we are feeling overwhelmed with the temptations of life with doubt and fear, hold onto God’s Word, which are His promises.  God’s Word “will not return unto Him void, but it shall accomplish what He pleases and it will prosper in the thing for which He sent it.”  (Isaiah 55:11)  Remember that our shield of faith is our trust and belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  When we trust in His promises He becomes our shield, our buckler.  Mediate on the Word of God:  “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress:  my God in him will I trust.  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust:  his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.  Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;  Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.  A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.  Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.  Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.  Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder:  the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.  Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him:  I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.  He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:  I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.  With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.”  (Psalm 91)

 

So take up your shield of faith, which is your trust in Jesus Christ.  Be always ready to ‘extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy’ by believing the promises of God.  The Word of God says in Proverbs 30:5, “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.”

 

Do you know where your shield of faith is?

 

In our next Blog, we will discuss the helmet of salvation.