The Shield of Faith

Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Ephesians 6:16 (ESV)

Illustration by Paul Agner

In the past, soldiers used their shields to detect attacks from the enemy and, sometimes, to push the enemy backward.

Faith is believing in God and trusting His Word even though we can’t see Him (Hebrews 11:1). When we take up the shield of faith, we are firm in our beliefs about God based on His Word, and we can detect all the arrows (like these d-darts) our Enemy throws at us.

• Discouragement (“Does God really love me?” Yes! See Romans 5:8, 8:38–39; 1 John 3:1)
• Doing wrong (“Can I really know the right thing to do?” Yes! See Psalm 119:9; 2 Timothy 3:16–17)
• Doubt (“Can I really trust God’s Word?” Yes! See 2 Timothy 3:15–17)
• Deception (“Can I really know what is true?” Yes! See Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 25:5, 25:10, 119:151; John 14:6)
• Destruction (“Can I really stand strong in this battle?” Yes! See 1 Corinthians 10:13; Revelation 2:7, 3:5; Matthew 25:46; John 10:27–29)