Shield of Faith
ICS Daily Devotions
Ephesians 6:13-16 (AMP) Therefore, put on God’s complete armour, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day (of danger) and, having done all (the crisis demands), to stand (firmly in your place). Stand therefore (hold your ground), having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the complete breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God. And having shod your feet in preparation (to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness and the readiness produces by the good news) of the gospel of peace. Lift up over all the (covering) shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked (one).
In order to stand our ground, or stand up against the enemy’s wicked schemes, we need to put on the full armour: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of the gospel of peace and now the shield of faith!
The shield that the Apostle Paul refers to is not a small circular shield but a large, oblong, and four-cornered shield that can be as big as 4 x 2.5 feet in dimensions. This means it would have been large enough to cover the rest of the armour and allow the soldier to stand behind it fully protected.
The Christian soldier’s shield is faith—faith in God’s trustworthy Word and in the One named Faithful and True, the Lord Jesus. Such a faith firmly grounded on the Rock provides a sure defence against the fiery missiles of the evil one. Our faith is shown through our obedience to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The materials used in the shield consisted of animal hide, which the Roman soldier would have soaked in water before the battle. Arrows used in those days were dipped in tar, set on fire, and shot in the air so that that they would burst into flame upon impact. This is the picture Paul had in mind when he talked about taking up the shield of faith to quench the devil’s fiery darts. We are not dealing with physical arrows but spiritual arrows that are being fired at us. At times, we might stand alone, but it is better to hinge our shields together with other soldiers’ to quench the fiery darts of the evil one. The shield of faith must be “out front” to completely “cover” our lives and protect us from these fiery arrows. This unity in faith provides a sense of connection and support, making us stronger together in the face of spiritual warfare.
In a spiritual battle, we need to be completely covered, and God has given us enough faith to make this certain. We are wrestling with spiritual forces, and only the Word of God can help us understand their work because Jesus has revealed this to us.
Sermon: The Weapon of Our Spiritual Warfare
