Day 9: The Shield of Faith

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-18:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ 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 firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 

I’ve never been a roller‑coaster person. The speed, the drops, that moment when your stomach drops right out of you (Ugg!). After one ride, I’m ready to throw up and call it a day (or at least find the kiddy rides). Yes, I’ve conceded defeat to the iron track monster. I’m guessing though that a lot of Christians feel the same way spiritually. Highs and lows. Confidence and collapse. Victory and defeat. One day you feel strong in the Lord, and the next you’re wondering how you fell so fast. Maybe yesterday you resisted temptation, but today you caved in seconds. Maybe you woke up determined to pray, but by lunchtime you’ve forgotten God entirely. Maybe you promised yourself you wouldn’t lose your temper again, and then you did, before breakfast or even before you left the church parking lot.

And when those moments pile up, doubt slips in quietly. You start thinking, “Maybe I’m not cut out for this. Maybe God is tired of me. Maybe I don’t really have what it takes to stand firm. Maybe the victory everyone talks about is for them and not me.”

But these are the “Saturday” lies. They are those whispers that come in the space between what God has promised and what you feel in the moment. They tell you that your failure is final, that your weakness disqualifies you, that your inconsistency proves God has stepped back from you.

For many believers, the armor of God becomes tangled up in those doubts. We imagine God handing us spiritual equipment and then stepping back, waiting to see if we’ll use it correctly. If we fall into sin, we assume we didn’t “wear it” well enough. If we struggle, we assume we’re missing a piece. And before long, the armor becomes something we fear we’re failing at rather than something God has given for our protection.

But the resurrection of Jesus destroys that kind of doubt. The empty tomb is God’s declaration that the battle is not riding on your strength, your consistency, or your flawless performance. Christ wore the armor first. Christ faced the enemy you could never defeat. Christ stood firm when you couldn’t. And because He rose, your failures are not final, your weakness is not fatal, and your doubts do not get the last word. Therefore, the armor of God isn’t a technique to master. No, it’s a victory to stand in.

I believe this perspective changes how we approach spiritual warfare and our fight against sin. It’s Jesus who won the victory, not you. It’s Jesus who obtained our salvation and who is working to make us more like Him. It’s Jesus who is working in you in just the way He wants, to bring you to be pure as He wants. Because of Jesus’ victory, you can stand firm in victory as well, because He has achieved it for you.

But I also know some of you have quietly given up hope, and no one else knows. You’ve given up hope that you’ll ever overcome that one sin that keeps coming back. You’ve given up hope that your future could look any different than your past. You’ve given up hope that this season of suffering could possibly end in anything good. You’ve given up hope for the relationship to improve or change.

Those are the doubts that whisper in the dark. Those are the “Saturday” lies that tell you the story is over before God has finished writing it. But the resurrection of Jesus silences every one of them. His victory over Satan and every power of darkness guarantees that Satan does not get the final say. Your sin does not get the final say. Your weakness does not get the final say. Jesus has the final say.

Yes, it’s true that in this spiritual battle we fight hard. We wrestle. We get dirty and bleed. We are engaged with Satan in a life-or-death struggle. We cry over the pain from his blows, and groan from the hits we take. But we keep trying, because Jesus has won, and covers us in His armor.

I’m sure some of us are wondering why it doesn’t always seem like we are victorious in fighting Satan and our sin. If we have Christ’s armor because of our union with Him, then why do we struggle so much?  See, God wants us to see that we have no strength in ourselves. Our only strength is in Him. Unless God gives us His power and enables us to stand, we can’t. And strangely, mercifully, He often teaches us this through our failures.

The “school of failure” is not God abandoning you, even if that’s what your mind says. No, it’s God training you. It’s where you learn how strong the enemy is, how weak you are, and how faithful the Spirit is even in your lowest moments. If you never struggled, if you never felt overwhelmed, if you never faced a sin that brought you to your knees, would you ever truly see your need for a Savior who rose from the dead to fight for you?

The fourth piece of the armor is faith, pictured as a shield. Paul says this shield extinguishes the flaming arrows of the evil one. You know, those sudden, burning attacks that come in the form of temptation, accusation, fear, or despair. In ancient warfare, shields were essential. A good shield could turn aside swords, spears, and ordinary arrows. But fiery arrows were different. The heat would dry out the leather, weaken the frame, and eventually set the whole shield on fire. A soldier with a burning shield is a soldier in trouble.

God’s people need a shield that does not turn aside the blazing threats of some of the arrows. Would you want to be in a gunfight with a bullet proof vest that could only stop some of the bullets? Would you want to drive in a car where the brakes and airbags worked when they felt like it? Of course not. We need a shield that does more than turn away Satan’s fiery arrows. We need a shield that can extinguish all the fiery arrows of Satan. This requires a supernatural shield, Christ himself.

Throughout the Bible, God describes himself as a shield. He tells Abraham, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield;” in Gen. 15:1. Other places that mention God as a shield include Ps. 5:12; 18:2; 28:7; and 33:20. Psalm 91 especially uses the metaphor of the shield with God. Even in the midst of difficulty and attack, God will protect. What is this shield? Faith.

What does Paul mean when he says the shield is faith? Faith is not wishful thinking. It’s not a leap into the dark. It’s not a warm feeling that something might be true. Biblical faith is confidence in a God who has proven Himself trustworthy, especially in the resurrection of Jesus. Faith is like a hand that we are placing ours in. A hand that will not let go or hurt us in any way.

Faith itself is not the power. I could have all the faith in the world that I could go to the lake outside right now and ice skate. But that faith, no matter how great or much it is, isn’t going to stop me from crashing through the ice and getting wet. Faith is what allows us to access God’s power and protection.

So how does this shield actually work in your life? Not by you straining harder, but by God drawing your heart back again and again to what is already true. For example, Jesus reminds you that God’s promises hold, even when your emotions don’t. Jesus reminds you that He is working for your good even when you can’t see or feel it. Jesus reminds you that His love, as He has proven at the cross, is stronger than your worst days or even your worst fears. And the Spirit tells you that your story is written and filled with resurrection hope, which is better than any personal performance or achievement you could have included.

And what are Satan’s flaming arrows? They come in many forms: temptation, fear, despair, false teaching, shame from sins long forgiven, or the lie that your failure defines you. I’ve seen believers tormented by doubts about their salvation because of guilt from their past—even though they’ve sought God’s forgiveness. I’ve seen others convinced that “failure” is their identity, as if Satan gets to name them.

Christian, those arrows are real. Yes, but they are not final. So, lift the shield of faith. Cling to Christ. He has gone before you, faced the enemy, and extinguished every arrow at the cross and the empty tomb. His victory is your protection.

Christian, you are not holding the shield alone. Christ surrounds you. Christ covers you. Christ stands between you and every arrow. Keep looking to Him, the One who has already faced the enemy, and extinguished every flame.

What arrows right now are causing the most pain? Are you ready to extinguish them through Christ and His strength?

Pastor Josh

1. Where do you most often feel the “flaming arrows” of the enemy, and how does remembering Christ’s resurrection speak directly to that place of doubt?
2. When you think about the armor of God, do you tend to view it as something you must achieve or something Christ has already secured for you? How does that perspective shape the way you respond to spiritual struggle?
3. Can you recall a time when your weakness or failure actually drove you deeper into dependence on God? How might that experience help you reinterpret your current battles through the lens of resurrection hope?