Shield of Faith

Look at this picture of a soldier. In his hand is a large piece of metal called a shield.

A shield is used mainly for protection. A soldier holds his shield up when arrows, darts, or weapons are aimed at him. The shield deflects the object sent his way, saving the soldier from harm.

Ancient time is not the only time in history where shields were used. Soldiers and police officers have shields they can use for protection today.

 

In the last few weeks, I shared my thoughts on The Armor of God and you can view these lessons by clicking on the one you want:     Belt of Truth  
Breastplate of righteousness   Protective Foot Gear

Our next verse in the Armor of God passage in Ephesians says we should use the shield of faith.  The shield is of top important piece of equipment. Read what the Bible says about the shield of faith: Ephesians 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. When we trusted Jesus as our Savior we were given the Shield of Faith. Just like all the armor, the Shield of Faith is part of our equipment. God the Father gave each piece to us at the time of salvation. Faith is very important. When you put your faith in the Lord’s protection and believe in how He sees you, that faith will protect you from the attacks from Satan. Satan wants to cause you harm. He sends invisible darts of temptations, bad thoughts, and sometimes mean words from others that can hurt you. Satan hopes you will get discouraged and not be a strong Christian. He sends thoughts to discourage you and stop you from being the person the Lord wants you to be.

Those thought may be things like: you are not good enough, smart enough, pretty, tall, handsome, or have the right abilities. Satan could shoot darts of self-pity or arrogance at you, making you not as productive in the Christian fight. A dart might possibly be fear, laziness, or an unconcerned attitude toward others. He may send a dart telling you not to like someone or even yourself. He is tricky and his darts can come at any moment. We need to be ready with our shield up.

The Shield of Faith needs to be at hand, ready for battle. We get our shield ready by studying our Bibles and praying. This strengthens our faith. Our trust in God and His word is vital to the strength of our Shield of Faith. The verses list the first three pieces of armor, and then say: above all taking the shield of faith. That means it is very important.

Our fight is not against people, it is against the evil one, the devil, Satan. He has many names and uses many different fiery darts. Are you ready? Is your Shield of Faith up and ready to protect you?

If a bad thought comes or someone says something hurtful—remember your shield. Visualize your shield and hold it up. Pray about what just happened and the Lord will help you overcome the fiery dart.

My invisible shield is large because I want complete protection. Fiery darts attack me also and I use my shield and I pray. I grab my shield at night too when I am having trouble sleeping. Sometimes I have bad dreams or thoughts and when this happens I visualize my shield covering me completely. Knowing my shield covers me helps me sleep. The next time you are having trouble sleeping picture your shield, grab it, cover yourself, and pray.

 

How are you coming on memorizing this passage? Ephesians 6:13-18 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

 

Verses in NKJV unless otherwise stated.