Weekly Devotional: The Armor of God – Shield of Faith
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13)
The fourth piece of armor Paul discusses in Ephesians 6 is the shield of faith. He tells us to take up the shield of faith in order to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
For a Roman soldier, a shield was used as a form of protection. It was worn strapped to one’s arm and, at any time, it could be held up to deflect attacks. In addition, it could be used as an offensive weapon to knock enemies over with force.
What does it mean to have faith, and how can this be related to a shield?
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Faith is more than just a feeling. To have faith is to believe God created the world and sent His only Son to die for our sins so we might have eternal life.
As Christians, the faith we have in Christ is based in reality. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Even though we cannot physically see God, He has manifested Himself through creation. Therefore, our faith in Him is based on this truth.
If we have faith in Christ, this will influence the way we live. Our faith can guard us during trials in the same way a shield would during battle. For example, when doubt creeps in and our beliefs are questioned, our faith in Christ will protect us. We can stand firm in knowing what we believe.
In addition, our faith can protect us when we experience anxiety and fear. Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” If we have faith in God’s promises, we do not need to fear.
It is important to realize that doubt, fear and anxiety are attacks from the enemy. Taking up the shield of faith will protect us and allow us to fight back against these attacks. In addition, as the body of Christ, we can help each other to grow stronger in our faith by living in community.
I encourage you to apply the concept of the shield of faith to your life. Remember that when we put our faith in Christ, we are unstoppable.
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