Shield of faith
The shield of faith, the final piece of defensive armor. We fight the good fight by actively choosing faith in Jesus daily. We know the enemy is real and that he comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. The enemy's tactics aren’t unique or unknown, yet we fall for them repeatedly. If the enemy can get you to doubt that God is real, God is good, and that God has a personal plan for your life that is far more fulfilling than anything else, then you will find yourself with your joy stolen, your peace killed, and your purpose destroyed. Ephesians 6:16 tells us that the “flaming arrows of the evil one” will indeed find us, and it’s up to us to take up the shield of faith, to fight fire with belief in the one true King.
All other armor Paul conveys in Ephesians 6, apart from the sword of truth, are strapped to your body. You have to choose to put them on. However, unlike these armor pieces, the shield differs because you still have to put it on, but you must choose to use it. Passivity leads to defeat if the shield isn’t engaged and held in the soldier’s hand. Having doubts isn’t bad, so long as you actively fight to find truth for the areas of disbelief in your life. You especially need to walk through doubts with others; the shield is a piece of your armor that a friend can pick up on your behalf. This isn’t to say that if you believe Jesus is Lord for yourself and your family, they will be saved since we know that believing in Jesus personally brings salvation. However, when doubt and lies are the loudest sounds in your mind, those with faith around you can shield you by believing that God is good, kind, and intentional, even when you can’t see it or believe it for yourself.
Theologian John Piper says, “Wielding the shield of faith is saying to Satan that you do not believe” in the counterfeit promises of the enemy of our souls. Faith believes in the promises of God, faith believes in the power of God seen in the resurrection, and that very resurrection power that defeated death is in us, through the Holy Spirit, as we engage in warfare. Fiery arrows of the evil one can look like fame, wealth, terminal diseases, bankruptcy, slander, and the like, many of which may sound like good things, but the lies the evil one wraps them in bring deceit and can make you believe you don’t need God, that adoration of others is fulfilling, and that a life solely about yourself and what others can do for you is satisfying - the shield of faith distinguishes and protects us from the devices and schemes of Satan.
Faith believes that Jesus truly died for you two thousand years ago, paying the debt of our sin with His perfection and power, something we could never do on our own yet need so desperately. Faith is choosing to believe each day that God created you intricately, knows you personally, and cares deeply about you, asking Him to help your disbelief when it arises. Faith is trusting that what Jesus did on the cross is enough for you and believing that He is real, even when the world tries to convince you otherwise. Faith is embracing the realness of God in our lives despite not being able to see Him tangibly (2 Corinthians 5:7). Through our belief in Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us, fighting on our behalf, empowering us to do the things God has called us to, and communicating our deepest cries to our Father. Do you believe that? Do you fight passively or wield the shield actively?
