Spiritual Warfare Part 6 | Shield of faith

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.”

The warfare that Christians face against the devil and his hordes of demons is no small matter. Demons are fallen angels, different from angels only in morality and loyalty, and we know that angels are not the cute creatures that they are usually portrayed to be. They instigate fear in those who see them, which is why they always have to reassure people with the words, “Fear not!” So, should we then fear the evil force? If we are not wearing the armour of God, we stand exposed to the evil force’s cunning, power, and capacity to rob and destroy the ill equipped. But in this passage, while we see the greatest force of wickedness mentioned, we must remember that God’s protection is greater. The armour of God is given, empowered, and guaranteed by God to keep His children safe.

We have looked at the following pieces of armour: The BELT OF TRUTH (Being grounded on the word of God and having a solid Christian worldview that keeps us from being blown around), The BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (Being clothed with Jesus’ righteousness, therefore giving the devil no claim over us), and the SHOES OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE (Having made peace with God because of the gospel, and not because of our works or our obedience).

Today we look at the fourth piece, mentioned in Vs 16 the SHIELD OF FAITH.

The verse starts with “In all circumstances,” also translated as “Above all” and “In addition to all this.” So obviously, Paul wants readers to pause and consider this piece in a special way. The word FAITH in this verse is not used in the sense in which it is used in Jude 1:3, where it refers to ‘THE Faith’ or the full body of Christian beliefs. Instead what is meant here is the personal application of faith in our lives—the act of trusting and resting in the doctrines of the Bible and holding tightly to Biblical doctrines. We can know that a parachute saves lives, but it takes faith to put it on our backs and jump off a plane. At the same time, the Christian faith is not like jumping off a plane, blindly believing that we will not hit the ground at speed. Rather it is like someone who has done the necessary research about the parachute and then proceeds to use the parachute properly. The Christian faith believes in what is worthy and reasonable. In Rom 4:19-21, we read about a beautiful example of this kind of faith. “He (Abraham) did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.” It was perfectly reasonable for Abraham to believe that he would have a son, BECAUSE IT WAS GOD WHO HAD PROMISED.

Biblical faith is always attached to an object—to God. The world uses the word faith without this Object, as if we would have any power in and of ourselves. We hold on to Him and to His promises, and God uses that to protect us.

The shield that Paul would have had in mind, was strong and solid and well designed. It was 1.5m tall and 1m wide, with curved edges to stop arrows coming from the sides. It was made of metal, so that even fiery arrows could not diminish the ability of the shield to protect.

When the enemy fires his fiery darts, our faith in God’s promises protects us. This keeps us safe from all his schemes.

TEMPTATION: When the devil tempts us with sinful thoughts, remember that the greatest pleasures come from righteousness. The blessedness of life is for those who walk in the law of the Lord. We have to remember that the way of the wicked will perish. We must recall the anguish that David expressed in Psalm 38 because of his sin. “. . . There is no soundness in my flesh . . . there is no health in my bones because of my sin . . . My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness . . .” On the other hand, Psalm 1:1-2 shows the blessedness of someone who walks in faith. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Although at the time of the temptation, the evil one makes us think that the sin will feel so good and that the consequences will be minor, the truth of the matter is that sin hurts us more than it satisfies. God is not robbing us of pleasure; He is only protecting us. This is why we pursue holiness in faith.

DEPRESSION: But when we fall and sin, the devil comes and accuses us, saying: How could you . . . He may come and point Rom 14:17, that the kingdom of God is of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, at a time when we are not feeling any joy. At such times we must remember Rom 8:1 even when we feel the most condemned, that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” We must remember the restoration promised in 1 Jn 1:9, that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all iniquity.

DECEPTION: Satan is ready to ask: Did God really say that if you confess your sins to Him and cling to Him, joy will come in the morning? But we must cling to the faithfulness of our God, who has proved Himself to us time and time again, and has given us such an amazing witness of His faithfulness throughout all scripture. This is the shield of faith, to trust in God’s faithfulness to do what He has promised. We do not know when the darts will come, and that is why the shield is so big.

DIVISION: The way the shield works best is when brethren stand together, much like the shield-wall formation in the Roman army, which made them invincible. We are not in this battle alone. When we lack faith, our brothers and sisters are able to help us, and we in turn are able to remind them, when the going gets hard for them, saying: “Put your faith in God. Confess your sins. He will deliver you,” and in this way we can minister and be ministered to.

When we look at the Eph-6 passage about the armour of God, we see that the first three pieces of armour are already worn by the soldier of God: ‘HAVING FASTENED on the belt of truth, HAVING PUT ON the breastplate of righteousness, as shoes for your feet, HAVING PUT ON the readiness . . . But for the other pieces, we are urged to take them up. We are asked to TAKE UP the shield of faith and TAKE the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Faith is something that waxes and wanes, and we have the tendency to put the shield of faith down. We must take it up on a regular basis.

And this regular taking up of the shield of faith is done using the ordinary means of grace—the ordinary ways that God has provided through which to bless and work in our lives—Bible reading, prayer, singing, the gathering of the church, communion, and baptism (which is a one off). Rom 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Rom 4:20-24. but he (Abraham) grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised. That is why his faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness.’ But the words ‘it was counted to him’ were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in Him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord.”