Shield of Faith

Ephesians 6:16 In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

I was flipping through the channels on TV the other day and came across an old cartoon. In it the main character was being chased by some sort of tribesman and at one point they are shooting arrows at him. He holds up a small shield and miraculously the multitude of arrows all land on the shield, keeping him unharmed; typical cartoon behavior.

Don’t get me wrong… I loved watching Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry and many more just like them when I was a child. You know, way back when cartoons were only shown on Saturday mornings. I’m still getting used to the fact that cartoons are now shown 24/7 on multiple channels. These kids are missing out on the Saturday Morning experience!

Now the whole scene from this episode reminded me of the verse in the Book of Ephesians:

Ephesians 6:16 “In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

In my small human mind, I often picture the shield of faith as a small shield, just like that cartoon; one that barely covers my body. But what does that passage really say? It says that with the shield of faith, we are not just protected, but we are able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Wow… now that is not your average shield. An average shield will deflect the arrows, but not extinguish them. This shield of faith must be something much more than what my mind’s eye pictures. And yet, as I always tend to do, I have diminished this picture of a shield to a small size that I can understand.

It is time to embrace my shield of faith as what it really is… not just a defense, but as a weapon. I have spent far too long deflecting the many flaming arrows that the enemy has been shooting at me. It is exhausting! Always keeping my eye peeled for the next one that may come my way, and making sure that I am ready to put up my shield in defense. It is physically and emotionally draining for sure. This was never God’s intention for my shield of faith… I have been using it all wrong. God is telling me right there in Ephesians that this shield of faith is a weapon and will extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. It never says I have to deflect them at all. I believe this weapon of faith will extinguish them and render the arrows of the enemy useless, so I don’t need to play defense. 

And it takes no effort on my part, except to believe. Praise God!

How are you using your shield of faith?

I pray that your shield of faith will become a weapon in your life, not just an exhausting defense mechanism. I believe this truth will set you free from many struggles as it has done for me.