Monday, November 2, 2026
Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. Ephesians 6:14-18 CSB
In our current series on Spiritual Warfare called, Stand: Equipped for the Battle, we are learning about the enemy, his tactics, and how we can dress for battle in the full armor of God - special armor from God to protect us against the enemy. As Christians every day we are on the battleground of a war that wages all around us unseen – a spiritual battle. Satan is our enemy and we have learned about his tactics. He distracts us with falsehoods to steer us off the course of God’s plan for us. These tactics weaken us in the battle and create vulnerability in our heart and mind.
We have learned about the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Sandals of Peace, and yesterday the Shield of Faith.
What is the Shield of Faith? For a Roman soldier, the shield they carried protected them from and deflected the arrows of their enemies. Our shield of faith is our trust and confidence in God that protects us from and deflects the spiritual attacks of Satan.
Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is not something we can see or touch. It is something we learn about and experience ourselves. It is something we see in the lives of others. When we read God’s word, we see over and over again how faithful God was in those stories. When he said he would do something he always did. This account of his faithfulness through all ages helps our faith in him to grow. We also have examples of his faithfulness in our own lives and the lives of our friends and loved ones. We remember all the ways he has been faithful in our lives.
This faith we have protects us when we take up the shield of faith. We know and believe that the same spirit that raised Jesus from the grave dwells in us also. Our shield of faith protects and covers us all over – above, below, side to side, and front to back.
Pastor Jim said it this way Sunday: Faith is a reasoned confidence in God’s ability to protect and provide for us in all matters of life, from salvation, to sanctification, to glorification.
Four key truths about faith:
Faith comes from God. Faith is a gift from God that comes from a relationship with him, not a one-time transaction.
We can only approach God by faith. We can only come before a holy God when we have faith that he has redeemed us and justified us to come to him.
We are saved by grace through faith. We cannot save ourselves. Only our belief and acceptance of the gift salvation from God saves us.
We are to live by faith. Faith requires action in our daily lives. Every day in every way we step where he says to step and trust his guidance in our lives.
The Weapon of Faith
Pastor Jim gave us five ways we can take up the shield of faith and stand against the attacks of the enemy:
- Be assured of your faith in Jesus. This assurance strengthens our faith.
- Grow in your faith through knowledge of God’s Word. Keep learning and growing as much as you can.
- Practice faith by obeying God’s Word and trusting in His understanding over yours. Faith in action.
- When the enemy attacks, look to Jesus, the author (pioneer) and perfecter (completer) of your faith, to protect you and sustain you and to work for your good and His glory. Keep your eyes on him at all times.
- Give praise and thanks to God for His faithfulness to you in the midst of the battle. Even in the losses and covered in scars give praise and thanks to God always for his faithfulness.
Like the shot-up shield we saw yesterday in the service, our shield should be shot to pieces when we stand before God in heaven. There is no way we are getting through this life without the flaming arrows of the evil one coming for us. His whole goal is to take us out and keep us off the battlefield.
Our shield of faith quenches the flaming arrows of Satan. When his flaming arrow strikes the shield of faith and sticks there, the fire will just burn out. It will be quenched instead of catching us on fire. Thus the fire would not spread. Really what this means is that whatever your flaming arrow is that can bring you down – it may be drugs, pornography, alcohol, lust, anger, whatever it is - cannot get in when we use the shield of faith. If you let it, it can take over your thinking, emotions, mind, and spirit. It can be like a fire out of control so we must be vigilant with our shields and deflect every flaming arrow the enemy sends our way. The rest of the armor stays in one place but the shield moves to confront the arrows. The shield of faith – our faith – moves to where the attack is.
In whom or what are you placing your trust?
Are they worthy of your faith and allegiance?
Will they protect you in the battles you face every day?
