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

Faith is an “above all…” weapon! The battles of life are not physical wars, but wars in the spirit, hence spiritual weapons must be employed and skillfully too. A Christian must be fully fortified in order to fulfill a victorious course. Attacks can come from any angle. No department of your life must be left unguarded. However much the believer is kitted, the armour of warfare is incomplete without the Shield of Faith. Faith is the Shield by which we stop the fiery darts of the enemy. Even when we do not feel or see Satan’s attack, we must defend ourselves by faith. It is both a weapon of offence and defence.

The shield protects the soldier from blows, cuts, darts or any missiles thrown: arrows of evil thoughts, javelins of lust, spears of immoral passions and stones of satanic temptations. The “fiery darts” refer to combustible arrowheads that set fire to the fortifications, ships, houses or shields that were made of wood or leather. To quench these fiery darts, shields were covered with impenetrable metal. That is what faith represents to the believer: For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our FAITH (1Jh.5:4).

When blazing missiles of fear fly at you day and night; when attacks from the evil one invade relentlessly, that is the time to lift up the shield of faith and extinguish those flaming arrows. The Spirit of God is saying: “Do not hide from fear or pretend it isn’t there. Do not hide anxieties in the recesses of your heart. Bring Me all those feelings of fear, anxiety and insecurity. Bring every anxiety out into the Light of My Presence; let’s deal with them together. Cast all your cares upon Me, for I care for you. Affirm your trust in My Word, regardless of how you feel. Concentrate on trusting Me, and fear will lose its grip from your heart. Persist, and your feelings will gradually submit to your faith. The emissaries of evil shall no longer plague you.”

Faith is acting on the Word of God. The Lord gave you His Armor – including the shield of faith – to be put to effective use. Instead of being crippled in fear, you must raise your shield of faith and fend off the enemy’s persistent onslaughts. What are you afraid of today? God longs to be your strength and your song. Take the shield of faith and put fear to flight.