Shield of Faith

How many times have you heard about the shield of faith that quenches the fiery darts of the evil one? Do you ever wonder why those fiery darts still seem to get past the shield and get you?

How big is your shield? In the time this was written the shields were large, very very large. They were made of wood with wet animal hides stretched over them. The shield was so large that the warrior was completely shielded. Is your shield large enough to completely hide behind it?

Are you stepping behind the shield? It won't do you any good to stand next to it or peek out. Are your hands securely holding it up? The enemy can shoot a whole lot of flaming arrows at one time and if you just lean against your shield it could fall over. You must hold onto it firmly.

Are you wearing the rest of the armor of God? You need the entire armor to be ready for battle against the enemy. This is a spiritual battle.

What is your faith based on? It must be based on the Word of God. The devil loves it when we discount God's word or doubt that what He says is absolute truth. The devil likes to confuse and twist truths until they are no longer truths but lies. He wants us to be confused and give up. There is no source of absolute truth other than God's Word. Your faith must have a solid foundation or it is just like the smoke from a fire, turning and drifting whichever way the breeze blows.

Let's get practical.
What do I need to do about this shield of faith?

I need to stay grounded in God's Word. Every day I need to be reading and meditating in the Bible. Meditating means thinking about it.

I need to check my own thoughts and motives against God's Word. Why am I doing what I am doing? Am I using my own intellect exclusively to reason my way through life? I am checking my conclusions with God's entire infallible Word to see if they line up?

I must remember that God cannot lie. He says I have a shield that will quench the fiery darts of the enemy. He also tells me that I have to pick it up and use it. It won't do me any good to leave it at home. I can't use another person's shield to protect me. I am responsible for the maintenance of my own shield. I am responsible to hold it up and stand firmly behind it.

Don't start looking around at other people's shields. Maybe their shield looks bigger or thicker than yours and you start to doubt if your shield can handle those fiery darts. Maybe they have bigger darts or more attacks coming. God says to pick up and use YOUR shield of faith. Jesus said that if you have the faith of a mustard seed you can move a mountain. Your shield is sufficient for you.

What do you think the soldiers in the battlefield did if they did get hit? Did they drop their shields and run away? I don't think so. I think they hunkered down behind their shield even more tightly and held on till someone came to help them. It happens.

We are not perfect and sometimes we get hit. We can learn from the hit. Don't drop your shield and run when the pain from a fiery dart hits you. Learn from it. Examine yourself for sin. Was there pride? Were you relying on God fully?

Don't allow the enemy to win or get you down. Get up the best you can and hunker down behind that shield and hold firm. Stand your ground. I can tell you that God didn't want you to get hit. He does not want to see you his precious child in pain. He will be there with you and for you. Ask for help while you heal. Learn to maintain your shield better. Find out what happened and use it to do better the next time.

There will be a next time. It's OK. Satan will continue to attack those whom the Lord loves and who obey His commandments. This is life on this fallen planet. You are the Lord's beloved and He will never leave you.

It's really pretty simple. Love God with all your heart, mind and soul. Put on that armor. Know that you are God's beloved child. Do it again tomorrow.