Faith Part 3: The Shield Of Faith
Scripture: Ephesians 6:16
Introduction
“In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16
In my previous messages on faith, I told you what faith was as Paul defined it and how assurance leads to expectation as it pertained to your faith. I shared with you the importance of knowing what you believe historically from Scripture and how your faith is based on your assurance in what you believe. When you know that you know that you know (assurance), you will begin to expect God to do what He has promised to do. This morning I want to continue this series by discussing what Paul calls our shield of faith. In Ephesians the sixth chapter, Paul discusses the whole armor of God, the spiritual armor that we should be wearing every day. One piece of the armor is the shield of faith. A shield is used for protection when you are in battle with an enemy. This is what Paul describes as one of the primary purposes of faith, to enable us to handle what the devil brings our way. Our faith is our shield and without it we are exposed to our enemy. Paul uses the Roman shield to give his readers a literal example of the purpose of faith. There were two shields that the Roman soldiers used; the first shield was one used in ceremonies and parades while the second “real” shield was used in battle.
I. The Ceremonial Roman Shield
The first Roman shield that we will look at is one that was used only for public parades and ceremonies. This shield was a small round shield that was primarily a decorative piece of equipment. It was decorated with all kinds of etchings, engravings and was beautiful to see. Although this shield was very beautiful to see, it was never used in battle for it was just too small. This shield offered little to no protection for the soldiers who carried them. They were not designed for battle but for show. Although this was not the shield that Paul was referring to when he talks about the shield of faith, this is the shield that many Christians are toting around for protection.
There are many Christians whose faith shield is decorated with many engravings of their “works” and paraded around for all to see. They parade their faith around in the safety of the walls of the camp, the Church, while the enemy is on the outside of the walls. While they are in Church their faith is high and on display for all to see, yet when they get into battle they realize that their faith is not what they pretend it is. This is similar to the Roman soldier who sat around in the camp bragging about what he would do when the battle started but died immediately because he did not have the right equipment. Let me give you a biblical example for your reference. Remember the disciple Peter? Peter is a good example of where many of us are today or have been at some point in our lives. Peter was always ready to act while he walked with Christ. He walked in faith, performing miracles while being at Christ side. He even bragged to Christ in Luke chapter 22 that he was willing to go to jail and die with Him. During this time in his walk with Christ, he was toting a ceremonial faith shield. Why do I say this? Because when Christ was arrested, Peter’s response demonstrated that his faith was not as strong as even he had thought it was. The faith that he had was not able to protect him and he ended up denying that he even knew Christ. After going through such a humiliating situation, we know that Peter did acquire the right shield of faith and was able to go into battle being fully protected by his shield. The ceremonial shield of faith that is displayed during Church service and bible study is not the shield of faith that enables us to withstand the attacks of the enemy. When you consider your shield of faith, are you carrying a ceremonial shield? When you are under attack, are you able to withstand the enemy or do you crumble when the battle gets hot? If you find yourself not being able to stand in the midst of your battle, maybe you have the wrong shield.
II. The Battle Prepared Roman Shield
The second kind of shield is the shield that Paul was referring to when he talks about our faith. This shield was wide in width and long in length. The shields that the Roman soldiers carried into battle were actually shaped like doors. They were much larger that the shields that were used in parades and ceremonies. This shield completely covered the man. The battle readied shield attached to a small clip on his loin belt when it was not in use. This is an important point for you to remember, the shield clipped on to the belt that the soldier wore around his waist. This kept the shield readily at hand in case he needed it quickly. The shield was composed of multiple layers (usually six) of thick animal hide that had been tightly woven together. They were woven together so tightly that they became almost as strong as steel. These shields were extremely tough and exceptionally durable. Because the Roman soldier’s shields were made of leather, it was important for the soldiers to take good care of them. To keep the shields in good shape, the soldiers were given a daily schedule to maintain the excellent condition of their shields. Each morning when the soldier was awakened, he would reach for his shield, and would also reach for a small vial of oil. After saturating a piece of cloth with oil, he would begin to rub a heavy ointment of oil into the leather portion of the shield to keep it soft, supple and pliable. If a soldier failed to provide this type of care for his shield, it could mean certain death in battle for the shield would dry out become hard, stiff and brittle. The other thing that the soldiers did to protect the shield (and themselves) was to soak their shields in water before going on the battlefield, another reason the shields were made from animal hide. They soaked their shields in water until the shields were completely saturated with the water. The reason they did this was because their enemies would shoot arrows that carried fire. By saturating the shields with water, even if those dangerous flaming arrows hit, they were extinguished upon impact by the wet surface of the Roman shield. So it was very important that the shield was taken care of. The shield provided protection for the whole body of the soldier. This is crucial for our understanding of our shield of faith. Our shields should be able to cover all of our exposed body during our battles just as the Roman’s shields did.
III. The Shield of Faith
As we compare the shield of faith to the Roman shield, let’s look at what Paul tells us. Paul said, “In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (Eph. 6:16) Paul said in addition to everything else you have put on; you must put on the shield of faith. The shield of faith is your protection against the enemy and should be with you everywhere you go. When Paul begins to list the pieces of our spiritual armor, he starts with the loin belt. He says in verse 14, “Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth…” This was the belt to which all of the other equipment could be attached. Remember I told you earlier that the soldiers would attach their shields to their loin belt? Paul understood this when he was led of the Holy Spirit to give us this analogy of our faith. Spiritually, based on Paul’s description, our shield of faith is attached to our loin belt which is the Word of God, the bible. Attached to the Word of God is your shield of faith. As we discussed last week, when you become sure about something, you begin to expect something. This is your faith in action. The only way to become sure about what God will do for you is through your understanding of His Word.
Your faith is attached to the Word of God. Your faith and its strength is directly tied to your knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. This is why Paul calls it the shield of faith instead of the loin belt of faith. The Word of God is not attached to our faith; our faith is attached to God’s Word. If we fail to give God’s Word a place of priority our lives it is only a matter of time before our faith will begin to fail. The presence of or absence of faith is determined by the presence of or absence of God’s Word in our lives. This is why Paul said in Romans 10:17 that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” God’s Word and faith are so tied together that where there is no Word, there is no faith. And where there is no faith it is because the Word of God is absent. Our shields must be designed and capable of sustaining us during battle. Strong faith (shields) is determined by the presence or absence of God’s Word in your life.
The next thing you need to understand is that your faith has already been given to you; all you need to do is learn to use it and take care of it. When I enlisted into the Air Force, I was issued all of the equipment I needed in order to do my job. Everything I needed for the battlefield was issued to me. It was my responsibility to take care of each item entrusted to me. One piece of equipment that I was issued (trained on) was the M-16 rifle. I had to learn to use it and take care of it (cleaning it, etc). This required classroom lessons and practice on the firing range. I could not graduate from basic training without passing this crucial test of learning to use a weapon. This was also true with the Roman soldiers. When they enlisted into the military, they were issued everything that they needed for battle, including their shields. Once they received their shields, they had to learn to use them (balance was key since they were so large) and they had to learn to take care of it. The same is also true with you and me in reference to our faith. Each of us has already been issued our shields of faith. Paul tells us in Romans 12:3 that “…God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” God has given us our measure of faith. How much has He given us? Enough to ensure that we are covered in this life for all the battles we will go through. As with any equipment you receive, you must learn to use it and to take care of it. God gave us enough faith to do what we need to do, we just need to learn to use it and take care of it. I will talk about learning to use your faith later, but right now I want us to look at how to take care of it.
III. Taking Care of the Shield of Faith
I mentioned earlier that when the soldiers would rise from sleep early in the morning the first thing they would do was to oil down their shields in order to make sure they were ready for battle. This was a daily routine that ensured that the soldiers were protected when they went onto the battlefield. Remember, if they failed to do this on a routine basis, their shields could fail leading to them being killed in the battle. Because the shield is representative of our faith, it requires frequent anointing of the Holy Spirit. We all need a fresh touch of the Spirit’s power upon our lives to keep our faith from becoming hard, stiff and brittle. When we ignore our faith, allowing it to go undeveloped and never seeking a fresh anointing of the Spirit of God in our lives, when a challenge comes, our faith won’t be soft and pliable enough to stand up under the attack. Being in the Church for many years does not mean that your faith is developed enough for you to win your battles. You must take care of it. Our past experiences (victories), although beneficial, do not always guarantee that we will have future victories. Just as each battle on the battlefield is different, so are our spiritual battles. Our enemy changes his tactics as we continue to grow and lead how to use our armor. As we grow spiritually, the things that used to hinder us no longer have that power over us. Because of this, our enemy must change up his attacks. Do not make the assumption that our faith is always in top notch condition. Instead, play it safe and assume that your faith needs a fresh anointing. Taking this approach, you will always seek to do what is necessary to keep your faith alive, active and well.
Here is the last point that I want to stress. Remember I told you about the Roman soldiers soaking their shields in waters in order for their shields to put out the flaming arrows? The last part of Ephesians 6:16 Paul tells us why we needed the shield of faith, “…you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” We must keep our faith dipped into the “water of the Word” as referenced in Ephesians 5:26 in order to be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of our adversary. To keep our shields in its best condition, we must make certain that the Holy Spirit is anointing our lives in a fresh way, and we must be sure to saturate our faith with the “water of the Word”. Remember faith comes from the Word of God.
Next week I will continue this message by discussing in more detail the purpose of the shield of faith and the flaming arrows (fiery darts) of the adversary. May God continue to bless you.
Note: A good book that I used as a reference in this message (and part 2 next week) is “Dressed To Kill” by Rick Renner. It is a very enlightening book and one that I would recommend for your libraries.
