All the pieces of the armor of God are vitally important, but I feel drawn to key in on the Shield of Faith. God continues to highlight aspects of faith to me, most recently reminding me of this revelation: applying faith to what we are up against takes a measure of effort each time. We can’t assume applying faith will happen automatically.
“In addition to all this [other pieces of spiritual armor], take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16).
A shield is a unique piece of the armor of God in that it is moved around in response to threat, unlike a helmet or breastplate which stays in place once put on. Before God lists the pieces of spiritual armor he makes available to us, he tells us the reason why we need them. He explains that our battles in life are not against flesh and blood, not against the things and people before us, but actually against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. That doesn’t mean we won’t struggle with difficult things in the natural realm — but it does mean there’s something bigger going on beyond what meets the eye.
We must TAKE UP faith. It’s a shield for us. We’ll burn to death without it. Flaming arrows being fired at us is not a surprising thought, if the reality is ever before us that we are in a raging battle in the spiritual realm. God forewarns us that we can expect these attacks. In the spiritual realm we are in a time of war, not a time of peace.
We must take the effort necessary to take up our shield and aim it against the arrows that come. Thrust it toward the arrow coming our way and place belief in God — belief in who he is, in what his Word says he will do, and in who he says we are.
We take up faith by proclaiming our steadfast commitment to believe, love, and serve God no matter what. The confidence we maintain toward Him is so substantial it becomes a substance, it becomes evidence.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
Faith is our ongoing call to take action. Be reminded today that applying faith is not a passive part of standing firm in Christ, it takes a measure of effort, and it works! Tsss, can you hear the sound of the enemy’s flaming arrow being extinguished as it hits your shield of faith?
Revised post. Originally published in 2022.
“In addition to all this [other pieces of spiritual armor], take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16).
A shield is a unique piece of the armor of God in that it is moved around in response to threat, unlike a helmet or breastplate which stays in place once put on. Before God lists the pieces of spiritual armor he makes available to us, he tells us the reason why we need them. He explains that our battles in life are not against flesh and blood, not against the things and people before us, but actually against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. That doesn’t mean we won’t struggle with difficult things in the natural realm — but it does mean there’s something bigger going on beyond what meets the eye.
We must TAKE UP faith. It’s a shield for us. We’ll burn to death without it. Flaming arrows being fired at us is not a surprising thought, if the reality is ever before us that we are in a raging battle in the spiritual realm. God forewarns us that we can expect these attacks. In the spiritual realm we are in a time of war, not a time of peace.
We must take the effort necessary to take up our shield and aim it against the arrows that come. Thrust it toward the arrow coming our way and place belief in God — belief in who he is, in what his Word says he will do, and in who he says we are.
We take up faith by proclaiming our steadfast commitment to believe, love, and serve God no matter what. The confidence we maintain toward Him is so substantial it becomes a substance, it becomes evidence.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
Faith is our ongoing call to take action. Be reminded today that applying faith is not a passive part of standing firm in Christ, it takes a measure of effort, and it works! Tsss, can you hear the sound of the enemy’s flaming arrow being extinguished as it hits your shield of faith?
Revised post. Originally published in 2022.
Posted in Pastors Blog
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