Devotion 18 - Shield of Faith
Eph.6:16 - “Above all, taking the shield of faith with which, you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”
1 Thess.5:8 – “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.”
In spiritual warfare against the forces of darkness, Paul says that the shield of faith can practically cancel all the capabilities of the enemy and render his weapons obsolete. The shield is the first line of defence. Faith is what will protect us when missiles are coming at us. Faith is what will help us advance even when we are under attack. If we are going to survive the attacks that are coming at us, then we need faith. Hence, we need to put on the breastplate and be equipped with the shield of faith daily to protect us from the wiles, schemes, methods, and fiery darts of the evil one.
What is the Shield or Breastplate of Faith?
Gen.15:1 - “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
Deut.33:29 – “Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of
your help and the sword of your majesty…”
2 Sam.22:31- “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”
2 Sam.22:3 – “The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation…”
Psa.91:4 – “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”
From the above scriptures, it is very clear that God Himself is our shield. We find this same idea throughout the entire Old Testament. Repeatedly, God in whom we place our trust, is described as our shield and fortress, the One who protects us from the enemy. So, when Paul exhorts us to take up the shield of faith or to put on the breastplate of faith, he is basically calling us to put our trust in God and His Word.
Rom.3:4 – “Let God be true but every man a liar…”
Living by faith is taking God at His Word and acting upon it even when it makes no sense to the rest of the world. And if God is our shield, we have nothing to fear from Satan, or wicked men, or future events.
Rom.8:31- “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
The only way we get wounded is when we do not put on or take up the breastplate of faith. We have let down our guard, we have dropped the shield. Faith is clinging to the truth amid fear and uncertainty. Taking up the shield of faith means being convinced we can trust God completely despite all circumstances. We trust what He says in His Word. We trust Him to love us, provide for us and protect us. We trust Him to make all things work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Psa.28:7 – “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped…”
To take up the shield of faith is to mindfully fix our eyes on the promises of God. We need to be so persuaded that God will make good on his promises that we are willing to stand fast no matter what happens. Faith is what gives us the unshakable resolve to follow Christ no matter what doubts, anxieties, accusations, or temptations might come against us. Actively trusting in the promises of God is what keeps us on course throughout our Christian life, being fully persuaded that God will perform that which He has promised.
It is not just mental assent to truths. It is a heartfelt valuing and treasuring of all that God promises to be for us in Jesus. It is laying hold of what God says is true of us and living out of that reality - all His promises and resources, along with who He says we are in Jesus.
The enemy wants us to keep our eyes focused on our problems, so that he can successfully attack us with his fiery darts of despair, distress, anxiety, fear, etc. He wants us to constantly look to ourselves for the resources needed to get through today. And he wants us to worry about the resources we are going to need tomorrow. No matter what kind of arrow the enemy shoots at you, the way you deflect it is to place an active, deliberate faith in the promises of God. The armour of God is the practical application of the gospel in our daily lives. Thus, it really has to do with our obedience and our appropriation of the gospel to our lives. Faith is basically our souled response to the truth of the scripture. Mediate on the Scripture and learn to preach the gospel to yourself. Give conscious awareness and prayerful attention to the Word.
Fight a good Fight of Faith
1 Tim.6:12 - “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life…”
2 Tim.4:7 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Jn.16:33 – “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Jesus has said that in this life we will have trouble. But he has also promised that just as he overcame the world, so will we. While victory is sure and it has already been won by Christ, we still must fight.
Satan is a lying murderer who would love to devour us. He wants to destroy us, and he will use any means possible to do so. Satan will try to inject falsehood and pervert the truth and get us to believe false doctrine. He will provoke contention, sow controversy and discord to create division and strife to destroy unity in the body of Christ. He will attempt to create doubts, tempting us to wallow in guilt, shame and condemnation. We are under attack all the time. In other words, the flaming darts of the evil one, are coming our way every single day. For that reason, we need to be equipped with the breastplate and shield of faith daily by leaning on God’s truth.
Read the Scripture daily and be mindful of God’s truth. Put on the breastplate and be equipped with the shield of faith by resting our whole weight on what we know to be true about God.
The Bible is not going to be rewritten in heaven; it never needs to be rewritten for it is truth, and truth never needs to change. But one thing will happen to it. There are certain sections of it that will be extended because they are not yet finished -- the book of Acts, for instance, and the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. God is still calling men and women to live by faith, and to join this parade in the unfinished chapter. Would you like you name to be added to this parade of the heroes of faith, and be men and women who have a walk that is truly pleasing to Him?