Welcome back again to our series on Your Spiritual Weapons. Last time we examined the Breastplate of Righteousness, and saw how being secure in Christ and your new identity in Him protects your heart; a vital piece of armor to be sure.
Now today we continue on to the Shield of Faith— a piece of armor with a specific purpose… let’s go!
Defense Against Fiery Attacks
Now, as mentioned, the shield of faith is one piece of God’s armor that has a specific purpose called out. Let’s read the text, and then we’ll dive in. Ephesians 6:16:
“Above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”
Notice that the text starts off with the words Above all; that’s quite a statement! As vital as the other pieces of the armor are, the shield of faith is considered the most crucial, because without the shield of faith, the fiery attacks of the enemy can and will overwhelm us.
However, good news, the verse is very explicit that with the shield of faith equipped you are able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Not some, not half, not three-quarters— all of them.
So what do these fiery attacks look like?
Examples of Fiery Arrows
The scripture describes at least two kinds of darts; deception and judgment.
In Proverbs 26:18-19, it says:
“18 As a mad man who casts firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 So is the man that deceives his neighbor, and said, Am not I in sport?”
And in Exodus 19:12-13 we can read this:
“12 And you shall set bounds to the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that you go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whoever touches the mount shall be surely put to death:
13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mount.”
So we see two examples of arrows, but what about the fire? To understand this better we need to get more insight into the imagery being used here.
The deception and judgment on display on these verses has to do with thoughts and emotions, and considering that thoughts and emotions are connected, it makes sense; after all, emotions simply allow you to feel whatever you’re thinking. Have you noticed that? You can change your emotions by changing your thoughts. If you think negatively, you will feel worse… if you think positively, you will feel better. Your emotions of the moment are simply extensions of your current thoughts. And the deceptions and judgment arrows are aimed at these same areas; our thoughts and emotions.
Deceptions may try to tell you that you are unloved, or still a sinful, wretched thing, Deceptions may suggest that God just doesn’t care, or couldn’t possibly want to help you. And the fiery arrows of judgment often feed into this same line. For example, a thought might tell you that because of what you did this morning, you’re now dirty again, or somehow less righteous. Or a thought suggests that you need to work harder to please God.
Make no mistake, these kinds of thoughts are attacks, and these fiery arrows strike at the very heart of your identity in Christ.
Take careful notice that the mountain being spoken of in Exodus 19, is Mount Sinai. The mountain where the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses was introduced.
The verses mention that you shall not go into the mountain, nor shall your hand touch it. God doesn’t want us to “go into it” The Law of Moses should not be our shelter.
Also notice that the verses do not say that God is the one who puts a person to death, or shoots the arrows. He’s the one warning us about those things!
Defending Against Attacks
As we look at the verse of Ephesians 6:16, the shield of faith doesn’t just block or deflect the enemy’s fiery attacks, the shield of faith quenches or extinguishes them. It puts the fire out.
Some historical records show that Roman soldiers would soak their shields in water to extinguish flaming arrows.
Likewise, shield of faith should be soaked in the water of the holy spirit (John 4:10-14, John 7:37-39)
Why?
Because not only is faith one of the fruit of the Spirit, but also in Romans 8:15-16:
“15For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God”
It is this identity as children of God, which serves as a solid foundation for extinguishing the flames of deception and condemnation. When doubts come, saying that you are unloved, unworthy, or forgotten, then you have a direct unchangeable word from God eradicating those lies.
Remember, what faith actually is; faith is a noun, belief is a verb. Faith is the information that we have about God, His character, what He has accomplished, and who we are in Him. Belief is what we do with that information. So our shield of faith is a shield of information, one telling us all that God has said and done, including our redemption and new identity in Christ Jesus.
So when a fiery arrow comes at you saying that you’re unworthy, your shield of faith quenches it with the information that Jesus has made you eternally worthy. (Hebrews 10:10, 2nd Corinthians 5:21)
This is your shield of faith, given by God. Take it.
Be blessed.
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