The Armor of God-The Shield of Faith

July 28, 2023

The Armor of God-The Shield of Faith

What is the Armor of God?

Whether you want to believe it or not, we are fighting a spiritual battle against spiritual forces of evil daily! Regardless if you are a believer or a non-believer it doesn’t exempt you from the warfare. The Apostle Paul exposes exactly what kind of enemy we are facing when he states, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places,” Ephesians 6:12. We are fighting an opponent that we cannot see with the naked eye.

Our battle is against a very militant and highly organized demonic kingdom led by Satan himself. He is a very powerful adversary and in our own power we are no match for him. In the spiritual realm there are two kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. They are consistently at odds with each other but they both have the same goal in mind, to win your soul.

The Lord’s Kingdom promises us eternal life with Him in heaven and life on Earth in abundance, John 10:10. The kingdom of darkness promises us eternal damnation and in complete separation from God. The enemy will make you think that you don’t have to live your daily life fully surrendered to Christ. He wants you to think that it is okay to live for Jesus and live in sin. That is one of his ultimate schemes. His mission is to take as many people to hell with him as he can.

Our problem is that we don’t take the time to learn our adversary or his spiritual and physical attacks. Life is completely spiritual and the first step to understanding the spiritual realm is acknowledging that it exists in the first place. One of the greatest deceptions that the devil uses over and over again on Christians is making us think that he isn’t real. If you don’t know that you are fighting a real and potent enemy, you’ve already lost the battle.

That is why the Apostle Paul makes it clear on the importance of putting on the full armor of God. Ephesians 6:13-17 lists all six pieces of armor when Paul states, “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.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Even though Paul is describing physical armor he is referring to spiritual pieces of protective covering which are our spiritual weapons.

We can never forget that spiritual warfare is an everyday reality and we are fighting the schemes of the devil daily. Just like any warrior going into combat, they need special attire so that they can be fully protected from the fiery darts of the enemy. God is providing us with His Armor because He knows that it is the only way that we will be able to stand a chance against our adversary the devil.

Make no mistake about it, he is strong and powerful and within our own strength we are not resilient enough to overcome him. However, with the Lord’s Armor properly fitted without any cracks in it, Satan doesn’t stand a chance against us! The most important thing is to have a clear understanding of what every piece in the whole armor of God is and how to accurately put on and keep on each piece.

In this article I am going to go over the fourth piece of armor that Paul mentions in the book of Ephesians verse 6:16, the Shield of Faith.

Shield of Faith

In the Apostle Paul’s time, the Roman soldier’s shield was meant to protect and cover almost the entire body against the weapons of their adversary. It was a shield so big that it was almost as big as a door. So when we analyze how significant the shield was for the Roman soldier in Paul’s day we can conclude that it was a vital piece of armor!

Now let’s take a look at the significant role that the shield of Faith plays when it comes to the armor of God. Ephesians 6:16 “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Here we can see that the Apostle Paul through the leading of the Holy Spirit is disclosing to us very vital information pertaining to how we are to combat the enemy using this type of shield.

A very significant part of this verse of Scripture is the word “all” being used. This word “all” is the Greek word “pas” which means: all things and everything. In other words it doesn’t matter what you are going through, in all circumstances the Lord is advising us to take up the shield of faith. That is what is going to get you through every difficult situation that threatens to take you out.

It is no doubt that the devil is coming to steal, kill, and destroy us by any means necessary. Your shield has the ability to cover your entire body, your purpose, and every one that is attached to you. Make no mistake about it, if the enemy cannot get his grasp on you, he will try to come against your family, your finances, your calling, and anything that you can use to help you progress in the kingdom of God.

Another word out of this passage of Scripture that we need to look at is the word “taking” which is the Greek word “analambanō” which means: to take up a thing in order to carry or use it. God is making it known that the shield of faith is not a piece of armor that is just going to activate itself, we must take it up and use it knowing that it has the ability to cover us and everything that pertains to us.

The Breastplate of righteousness which is also a piece of the armor of God has more to do with our faith in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The shield of faith is used more for protection and provision. God entrusts us with people that we are responsible for like our family. He is giving us this spiritual piece of armor that is big enough to protect anything and everything that is under it.

The final words that need to be highlighted are the words “to quench” which are the Greek word “sbennymi” which means: of fire or things on fire that are put out. Your shield is so powerful that it has the ability to completely extinguish the fiery darts that the enemy throws your direction. One of the devil’s greatest tactics is to attempt to diminish your faith because he knows that it will put you in a place of vulnerability. That is why trusting in God’s promises is so necessary.

One thing about your faith is that it will get tested in one way or another. Over and over again throughout the Word of God we can see people’s faith being tried and tested. It is no different today considering the fact that the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever, Hebrews 13:8.

What exactly is faith?

Faith is having complete assurance and confidence in the Word of God and His promises even when we cannot see them happen right away. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Another verse of Scripture that we need to look at is Romans 10:17 it says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The word “word” in this verse means “rhema” or the spoken word of God.

This can happen in many ways: a verse of Scripture will pop out at you, you may hear a message from a Pastor meant just for you, the Lord may give someone a word specifically for you, and many other ways that God speaks a Word explicitly for you. When you begin to see that spoken word and God’s plan for your life manifest, your Faith will naturally grow tremendously!

Hebrews 11:1 gives us a deeper revelation of what the Lord is trying to convey pertaining to faith. It states, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” He is showing us that the Word of God is the substance or currency of the things that we hope for.

When we are coming to God in our time of need hoping for a positive outcome, we need to make sure that we are approaching Him with what His Word tells us concerning that matter. The scriptures are filled with the promises of the Lord but the question is; are we standing on those promises as the absolute truth? Are we speaking His Words over our family, our children, and ourselves? They have so much power!

Some of the verses of Scripture pertaining to faith are

Hebrews 11:6

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

The Lord makes it abundantly clear what He thinks about having faith. As we look closer into this verse of scripture we can see that God is plainly letting us know that without faith (His Word which is Jesus Christ), there is no way that we can please Him.

Having faith is critical in your walk as a Christian; it helps you get through the storms of life because you know that no matter what it looks like, God is going to see you through. Unfortunately a lot of people say they have faith but it never really shows up unless it absolutely has to. We have to get to the point in our Christian life that we have the ability to take up our shield of faith in all circumstances.

2 Corinthians 5:7

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

This verse of Scripture is vital to every Christian because walking by faith and not by sight means that no matter what devices the enemy uses against you; your faith will not be moved. The devil loves to use adversity to cause doubt to be planted in your head. It is in those moments that you need to take up your shield of faith knowing that as long as you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can move mountains.

We will all go through challenging times in our lives and that is when we really need to activate our faith, or the Word of God. No matter what things look like, what do the scriptures say pertaining to your circumstance? This is how we build our faith; we remain planted on every Word that has proceeded out of the mouth of God, Matthew 4:4. When we can do that without any uncertainty in our hearts that is how we are able to walk by faith and not by sight.

God’s Word is filled with promises and when you begin to see those exact promises manifest in your life, your belief in Him will naturally strengthen. Once you establish your faith you won’t allow suffering, tribulation, or trials to cause you to question Who is going to be right by your side giving you the endurance to overcome them. We must make an intentional effort to pick up our shield of faith every single day choosing to trust and have confidence that whatever is happening in our lives at that moment is for our good, Romans 8:28.

Conclusion

Make no mistake about it; we are fighting a spiritual battle daily against a powerful adversary that one cannot see with the naked eye. That is why the Lord has given us His spiritual armor to wear every day. The fact is that He would not be adamant about providing us with protective gear if we didn’t need it. It is critical that we have an understanding how to wear each piece of spiritual armor. It is what is going to allow us to remain covered against the fiery arrows of the devil.

Often times, Christians will say they have faith in the Lord but do they really? It is one thing to say that you have faith but it is a completely different thing to live your life like you do. When you have the ability to put your entire life and everything attached to it in God’s hands fully surrendered, that is how you will know that you are properly taking up your shield of faith!

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

The Armor of God-The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

The Armor of God-The Belt of Truth

The Armor of God-The Breastplate of Righteousness

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent

Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds

What are Spiritual Strongholds?

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 2