Our next spiritual weapon and our battle armor is the 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;” Ephesians 6:16

Defining faith.

Here is what Webster says:

1 a: allegiance to duty or a person: loyalty

b(1): fidelity to one’s promises

(2) sincerity of intentions acted in good faith

2a(1): belief and trust in and loyalty to God

(2) belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion

b(1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof

(2): complete trust

3: something that is believed especially with strong conviction: a system of religious beliefs

Christiany.com describes it as:

The Bible’s closest to offering an exact definition is Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” From this particular passage, we see that the central feature of faith—is confidence or trust. In the Bible, the object of faith is God and his promises. Thus, faith means trusting God and having confidence that he will fulfill his promises.

The shield design.

The Roman soldier had two Shields. One shield, smaller than the one used for battle and was very beautiful, with engravings and intricate etchings on the front and used for ceremonies and parades.

The shield the soldier used in battle was massive. Made from six layers of thick leather, specifically tanned and woven together, and covered the soldier like a door.

To keep his shield in working order, the soldier would rub oil on it daily to keep it soft and pliable. If he did not do this, his shield would become hard and brittle and fail him in battle.

Another design element of the shield was it needed to put out the fire from a fiery dart the enemy launched at him. So, the soldier would place his shield in a tub of water and let it become saturated. Then, when he went into battle, the fiery darts would be snuffed out when they hit his shield.

Carrying our shield.

In Romans 12:3 it says. Each according to the measure of faith that God assigned. God has given us enough faith to cover us from head to toe, and his shield is more than adequate to cover every need we will ever face.

But we must take care of our shields just as the soldiers took care of theirs. Just as the soldier oiled his shield daily, we must oil ours with daily anointing’s of the Holy Spirit.

The shield rested on a small clip on the soldier’s belt, which means our shield of faith is attached to the Belt of Truth. We must know the truth and God’s Word to build our faith.

When we allow the Holy Spirit to anoint our faith through His Word, it will also saturate it, and the water of His Word will extinguish every fiery dart of the enemy.

Examples of shield in action.

God has given us many examples of faith in His Word, starting with Abraham and continuing through the prophets in the Old Testament. Each of them faced great trials. But because of their faith, they overcame it and now teach us how to use our Shields.

We read about the children of Israel in Exodus and how they faced their slavery in Egypt and when God told Moses about the final plague and how to prepare for it so that they would not be harmed.

When Daniel faced the king’s decree and if he didn’t obey the king, they threw him into the lion’s den. Then, we read how God protected Daniel because he believed in God more than the king.

In Joshua, Rahab believed God was the true God, hid the spies from the authorities, and helped them escape. Then, when the day came, the spies went to Rahab and saved her and her family.

In these Old Testament stories, we see faith put into action. Our heroes believed God could save them and would protect them even though they could not see him or see him at work. They just knew things would be OK.

Take up the shield.

And all circumstances take up the shield of faith. So far, we have put on all our armor. But for our shield, we take it up. We must take up the shield at the first sense of a fiery dart heading our way.

The enemy always knows when we are called to step out in faith and starts his fiery dart attack. But when we take our shield, we are protected, and all his darts fizzle and fall to the ground.

Building our faith.

“The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Luke 17:5-6

Jesus had been teaching his disciples about forgiveness, and they knew that they would fail, so they asked Jesus to help them. Jesus told them that even if their faith was as tiny as a mustard seed, it was all they needed because it was rooted in Him.

Another way to build faith is to share what God is doing in your life with others. Testifying about what God has done for you is powerful. Remembering how He saved or provided for you in hard times will strengthen your faith.

Faith in God’s Word.

Our faith is built as we read, study, and meditate on God’s Word. God’s Word and faith are inseparable.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

God gave His Word to convict, teach, guide, and lead us because He knew our enemy was waiting to launch fiery darts at us. His Word protects shields and extinguishes anything the enemy throws at us. But it only works if we pick it up and use it.

Now, let us strengthen our faith by sharing something good God has done for us this week. Reply below in the comments, and encourage each other!

Have a great week, and if no one has told you today.

YOU ARE LOVED!

For more reading:

Exodus 11:4-7

Exodus 12:7,13

Daniel 6:7-10, 16-23

Joshua 2:8-21

Joshua 6:24-25

Hebrews 11

Check out my last post about the shoes of peace!

Recourses:

https://www.bible.com/bible/59/EPH.6.16

https://www.bible.com/bible/59/LUK.17.5-6

https://www.bible.com/bible/59/ROM.10.17

What does faith mean? – Grace Theological Seminary. https://seminary.grace.edu/what-does-faith-mean/