The Shield Of Faith

“Faith is acting like it is so, even when it is not so, so that it might be so, simply because God said so.” ~ Dr. Tony Evans

“And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted by the sea; and it should obey you.” Luke 17:5-6 (KJV)

Welcome back to the Armor of God blog series.  The next piece of armor that Paul talks about in Ephesians 6 is the shield of faith, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked”, Ephesians 6:16 KJV.

The Greek word for faith that Paul references here is Pistis.  Pistis is translated as conviction, commitment, and faithfulness (being full of faith).  Simply put, faith is acting like God is telling the truth.  This act of faith is what becomes the shield of protection to guard against the enemy’s attack.

“Faith is not hoping that God can.  It is knowing that He will.” ~ Toby Mac #speaklife

Let’s talk about the enemy’s attack.  The enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy.  However, we are children of the King and the enemy knows that he can’t destroy us because we are eternally secure in Jesus.  However, we have learned that the enemy is really good at distraction and can sidetrack me and you and turn our focus and attention away from Jesus.  Those are the fiery darts of the wicked that Paul was referring to in this passage.  Do any of these tactics sound familiar:  insecurity, fear, doubt, temptation, anxiety, worry, discouragement, questioning your ability, guilt, hopelessness, etc?  These are what the enemy will use to distract you and keep you unfocused so you won’t notice him sneaking up on you.

Here’s the good news, with the shield of faith, we can quench all of those fiery darts that the enemy tries to throw at us.  In the analogy of the Roman soldier, part of their battle armor was a shield.  This wasn’t part of their daily uniform; this was something they would take up when they were preparing for battle.  These shields weren’t some round metal shields from Medieval times.  These were shields were made from wood with a metal frame around them and be the size of doors that would entirely cover the soldier in a kneeling position.  The shields were also dipped in water to create a damp, dense barrier of protection.  Once those flaming darts hit the water-soaked shields, they would penetrate enough to be quickly extinguished.  Just like the wet shields, our faith causes the fiery arrows of the enemy to fizzle out.

“Your shield of faith works because it is directly connected to the faithfulness of your God.” ~ Priscilla Shirer

Far too many times, we are swayed by our feelings and this is how the enemy likes it.  We become so focused on our insecurities, inabilities and being afraid instead of following the truth of God’s Word.  “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”, 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV.  When we have those thoughts come upon us, we can be sure that the enemy is at work hoping to distract us from obtaining all of what God has already intended for to do for us and through us.  

So, I encourage you to be bold and courageous and to step out in faith.  Faith reveals a reliance on God.  The “faith place” is stepping into a situation or circumstance where we put ourself into a position for God to have to come through.  Remember, if God has called us to it, He will see us through it and will equip us to see victory in quenching every fiery dart from the enemy.

“Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” Ephesians 3:20 KJV