ARMOUR OF GOD – The Shield of Faith
During World War I, British Admiral, Lord David Beatty discovered that there was a major flaw in the British ships, which caused many of them to sink quickly. It was discovered that although the British ships had heavily armoured hulls, their wooden decks offered almost no protection against long-range artillery shells that dropped from overhead. Only after the British began to armour their ships on top as well as on the sides did their ships stop sinking.
That reminds me of the next piece of armour in our Lockdown Lookup devotional series on the armour of God. Let’s look at the shield of faith which protects us from long-range enemy attack.
“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
Ephesians 6:16
Paul switches gear here. He has looked at the first three pieces of armour – the belt, the breastplate, the shoes and now he says: “in addition to all this” and begins to speak about the last three pieces of armour. I believe there is a difference between the first three pieces of armour and the last three.
What are the two different categories of armour?
= armour that you have vs armour that you take!
The first three pieces of armour are things that you already have. You have already put them on and they are fixed to your body. They are the basic preparation for the battle. So yes, it’s true, we need the armour of what God has done for us in the past, but we also need armour for the present. The last three pieces of armour are things that you take up in each instance of battle.
That is why Paul now says: take the shield of faith; take the helmet of salvation; take the sword of the Spirit – you do not fix these things to your body; they are something separate from you. They speak of activity!
Picture a Roman soldier waiting in the barracks. When the alarm is sounded, he doesn’t only then put on his armour! It would waste too much time! Even a Roman soldier who is not actively engaged in battle is still in uniform! But when the call to battle comes, he takes up his shield, puts on his helmet, and picks up his sword.
What is the Shield?
It wasn’t a small shield, but a large, oblong door-shaped shield (about 1.2m tall). You could hide your whole body behind it so that you could advance safely against the enemy. The first three pieces of armour are backup, but the shield is primary (it’s out in front), able to be flexed, angled and moved. It was the first line of defence against long-range enemy attack. A whole lot of shields, if placed together, could form a solid line of defence against the enemy. The shield could be covered in either a thin layer of metal or leather. The leather could also be soaked in water to extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy.
What are the flaming arrows?
They are darts or arrows which could be dipped in a kind of tar and set alight. When those arrows hit a target, the tar would explode and shower flames of fire in every direction. The flaming arrows were often the first line of attack from the enemy, designed to send confusion and panic to their enemy. The flaming arrows prepared the way for a mass attack as troops ran in and got up-close and personal!
Satan fires these flaming darts at God’s children. Sometimes there are even seasons when the flaming arrows are flying fast & furiously! Don’t underestimate the evil power of Satan – he is a defeated foe, but he won’t go quietly. You don’t know what any day will bring. Sometimes you can have had a great day of blessing but the next day you are assaulted from all sides.
- we’ll be busy praying – wham! Suddenly we are filled with doubt or a lustful thought or with anger towards someone!
- we’ll be reading God’s Word – wham! Suddenly there are hundred other tasks on our to-do list screaming for our attention!
- we’ll be busy serving God & others – wham! Suddenly we hear a whisper: “ who do you think you are to serve God – you’re not good enough!”
- we’ll be busy worshipping – wham! Suddenly we will doubt if God even exists and whether our worship makes any difference at all!
The flaming arrows can be darts of doubt, evil thoughts, accusing questions, confusion, animosity towards God, negativity, worry, sudden fear, laziness, self-absorption, lusts, temptations, our imagination fantasizing about evil, picturing scenarios (“Maybe I would be better off if I wasn’t a Christian”), etc. These darts can often be delivered through persecution, sickness or suffering.
How come Satan never fights against us watching our favourite TV show with a good bowl of popcorn? But let us try and pray or open a Bible and he sends a barrage of flaming arrows our way! How come our minds can meditate for hours on making money, but when trying to focus on God we have a grasshopper-mind that jumps all over the place! Some of the greatest heroes of the faith in history have even had blasphemous thoughts about God right when they least expected it!
These fiery darts are from the evil one. Satan wants us to think: “How can I even be a Christian if I have thoughts like this?” Satan always wants to attack our position in Christ? (Rev 12:10) To get us to focus on sinful-self, instead of Christ – to see the flaming arrows and to forget all about the shield of faith!
So how do you combat the flaming arrows?
You take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. You hold up the shield of faith and hide behind it!
The shield represents faith? Faith is the ability to quickly apply what we know and believe to be true. We need a quick answer to everything that Satan hurls at us from every direction and to move the shield of faith quickly into position. Faith is belief in action. If I believe that a chair can hold me, then what do I do? I sit on it. I entrust myself to it! Until I have acted on my belief I have not exercised faith. But my faith is only as good as the object of my faith. Faith always points to its object not to itself. This is God’s armour – not mine! The shield of faith is God’s shield.
“After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield,”
Genesis 15:1
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear ”
Psalm 46:1
Faith points to God’s promises, God’s power & God’s presence. So, hold up the shield of faith and say: “Lord, you’ve said it, I believe it, I’m going to act on it; I’m going to step out in faith on your promises, in your power and with your presence.” And when the flaming arrows come, hold up the shield of faith and shout: “Jesus died for me and rose again. He loves me! I am bought with a price! I am his!” Hold up the shield of faith to temptation and cry out: “I won’t believe a lie! Temptation (whatever your name, whoever you are) you will not bring me the happiness that only be found in Christ!” Hold up the shield of faith and declare: “I am not alone! Jesus is making intercession for me right now from the very throne room of heaven.”
Oh fellow soldier of Christ: you may not be able to stop the flaming arrow from being launched, but you can extinguish & nullify its damage. Even Jesus was tempted, just like you are; he too felt the flaming arrows, but those arrows never penetrated the force-field of faith that came from the truth of God’s Word. Resist the devil & he will flee, don’t retreat, stand your ground, trust God and step forward in faith and the gates of hell will not prevail against you!
Activity for kids
(Click on the bold, underlined text in the activities below to go to the online link.)
1. Have a fort sleepover:
Build a fort with your children, using blankets, pillows and furniture. You can play pretend and imagine you’re all on an adventure. What do you need shelter from? Discuss today’s devotion with your children, explaining how we need shelter from the enemy’s attacks. Explain that our faith is like a shield, or a fort, that protects us from the enemy. However, this is not because of the strength of our faith – it’s all because of the strength of the One we trust, Jesus!
2. Make your own shield – and aim…fire!
Let your children make their own shields, using cardboard, trays, dustbin lids or anything else they can find around the house. Determine the rules for your ‘war’ – let your children use straws and cotton balls, paper balls, or anything else you feel comfortable with to ‘shoot’ at each other, and use their shields as protection. Reinforce today’s devotion, and explain how faith in Jesus is like a shield that protects us from the enemy’s attacks. When we trust in Jesus, he protects us against the enemy. And he has already defeated and disarmed the enemy!
3. Blindfold treasure hunt:
Hide an object in the garden or the house. Blindfold your children and let them try to find the treasure following your voice and instructions. Do this for another round, letting them hide the object and guide you. Read Hebrews 11:1 with them: ‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see’. Explain that they couldn’t see you in the treasure hunt, but they had to trust you and go in the direction you led. Talk about how faith in Jesus is similar – faith means we trust him and follow where he leads us, even though we can’t see him. Discuss how we can take up the shield of faith in the battle against God’s enemy this week.
3. Big faith? No, BIG God:
Find various objects around the house and garden of various sizes, and let your child arrange them from the smallest to the largest. Talk about the shield of faith and explain what it means to have faith in Jesus. Explain now that our faith might be small (like some of the objects), but that it isn’t the size of our faith that matters. No, it’s all about God’s strength and how big he is! Explain that God is greater, stronger and mightier than anything or anyone else and that he fights for us and with us against the enemy.