The Shield of Faith

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Ephesians 6:16


On the surface, I first thought that the shield of faith didn't need much thought.  I mean, it seems pretty obvious what Paul wants us to do!  He wants us to protect ourselves from the slings of the enemy by having faith.

Ah, but it can be so easy to talk about faith.  And so difficult to put such action to our faith as to make it a weapon.

So, to me, it's worth a little digging.  

According to wikipedia (and when have you ever known wikipedia to be wrong?), shields were not only used for protection, they would also be painted with a design that would be used for identification - whose "side" this particular soldier was on.

Ah . . .

I see.

My shield of faith doesn't just protect me.  It identifies me with Christ!  In Galatians 2:20, Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

My faith protects me.  It protects my heart.  My mind.  My body.  My faith identifies me.  It identifies me as a daughter of the King.  The Ruler of the Universe.  The Alpha and Omega.  The Beginning and the End.  The Faithful and True.

It sounds to me that for our faith to protect us, it must be strong.  For our faith to identify us, it must be real.  For our faith to be real, we must get it from the Source!!

So how is our faith?  How strong is your faith?  Are you like me, really wanting to have a strong faith but afraid God will put me to the test?  (That's me being real with you!)  Or maybe your faith has been put to the test, and you're coming out on the other side, stronger, truer.

There are all kinds of ways our faith is tested; you don't have to be a missionary to be on the front lines of a spiritual battle!  Our faith is developed daily - when we believe God loves us, takes care of us, has a plan for us. 

Praying that your faith is a strong shield for you!