Brought To Life; Brought Together Spiritual Warfare: The Shield Of Faith Series

We are continuing our series in Ephesians, Brought to Life; Brought Together, looking at the spiritual battle we face in 6:10-20, which calls us to stand strong against Satan’s schemes by utilizing the armor of God (14). We are looking at the various pieces of armor and how it empowers us to stand against Satan. Our fight cannot be fought in human strength and God’s armor is the only way you are able to battle evil effectively (2 Cor 10:4). Our text today is 6:16 and our theme is The Shield of Faith.

Big Idea: Stand against Satan by faith, taking our thoughts captive to God’s word.

The Need for Spiritual Vigilance

The Christian life is described as a fight that is fought on a battle ground not a playground (1 Tim 6:12). In Ephesians 4, Paul described discipleship as fighting our own sinful propensities to walk in obedience to Christ and now in Ephesians 6, he describes discipleship as fighting Satan by standing against Him. The apostle Peter describes the fight this way. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith (1 Pet 5:8-9).” Is your faith firm? To ignore your spiritual growth, encouraging your faith in God daily is to drift toward spiritual suicide. The Roman military made healthy food a priority for their soldiers. Every soldier carried days of rations to remain strong, healthy, and alert for battle. This priority was such that Roman soldiers who survived battle had a longer life expectancy than civilians. To neglect spiritual growth is drift toward spiritual suicide. You cannot stand against Satan unless your faith is firm.

The Shield of Faith

Paul instructs us to take up the shield of faith in all circumstances. The picture is of flaming arrows flying overhead so we must protect ourselves by taking up our shield. Roman soldiers used two types of shields. A small one for hand to hand combat but Paul is referring to the larger one. It was four feet by two feet and made of two layers of wood, glued together. It was curved with layers of fabric first and then leather and secured to shield with iron. The made this large to protect a soldier’s body from a frontal or overhead attack. A method of warfare was to take arrows, wrap the tips in fabric and then dip them in tar and light them and then shoot them overhead. Because of this, the shields were soaked in water. Soldiers would lift up their shields overhead to protect themselves from getting hit and when the arrows struck the shield, the moisture would extinguish the flame.

Firm faith makes us sober minded and watchful so we see arrows coming. Faith gives us eyes to see spiritual arrows that we cannot see with our physical eyes. You can never let your shield down because Satan is always prowling around, looking for vulnerabilities. The shield of faith protects us from the flaming arrows of Satan. The Old Testament frequently describes a shield as a metaphor for God’s protection of his people who trust him (Gen 15:1; Ps 18:2-3; 115:9-11). The shield is a metaphor for faith in God which protects, extinguishes, the flaming arrows. Faith finds its power in the object of our faith, God. Faith is like a shield that protects us from Satan’s arrows. Look at v 16, take up the shield of faith by which you are able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one (11, 13). The armor is what makes you able to extinguish the flames of the arrows but does not keep the arrows from coming. It is only as you stand strong in the Lord or in the strength, firm in your faith, that you are able to walk in the victory Christ has secured for you.

The Flaming Arrows

What are the flaming arrows? The text does not tell us so we cannot be certain but there are some clues. What we know is that the source of the arrows is Satan and that they are deadly. I think the arrows, like the schemes, are Satan’s attempts to draw us away from being devoted to Christ (2 Cor 11:3). That fight always starts in the mind so Paul tells us elsewhere that “we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor 10:5).” Paul pictures spiritual warfare centered primarily on our minds, the way we think and our thoughts at any given moment. Satan’s arrows are extinguished when we think and live obediently to Christ by faith. Remember, we are seated in the heavenlies and that reality means Satan has been defeated in your life and your victory is secured but you still have to live that out in daily battle to be devoted to Christ as we trust his promises and heed his warnings. The arrows are Satan bombarding our minds with thoughts, images, or ideas that are contrary to God and his truth. The arrows can be sudden impulses to think or act in way that shocks you or feels defiling and they may come out of the blue. Or the arrows can be seeming innocent or benign thoughts in and of themselves but if you follow through with them your actions over time will lead you away from Christ. Or the arrows can be desires that seem good in the moment but are deceived (Eph 4:22-23) and whose design is to lead you away from Christ. So, when those thoughts come that are contrary to truth, take up shield, which is faith by rejecting those thoughts and trusting God, his promises and heeding his warnings. God in Jesus Christ is your shield and your protector. Look to him for protection when the arrows from Satan come.