The Armor Of God: Faith

Alba 7-30-2023

THE ARMOR OF GOD: THE SHIELD OF FAITH

Ephesians 6:16

Among Gary Larsen’s “The Far Side” cartoons was one where two deer were standing upright in the forest. One deer is looking at his buddy who clearly has a target on his chest. And the one deer is saying, “Bummer of a birthmark, Hal!”

I think all of us have felt like Hal the deer at times. It seems like there’s a target on our chest and its hunting season. And the devil takes advantage of it. That's why we need the protection of the armor of God.

Each part of the armor adds another layer of protection in the spiritual battles we face each day. To win these battles we need the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness and feet grounded in the gospel of peace.

But the devil is clever and has ways of throwing things our way that can do serious damage. So Ephesians 6:16 says we should, “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

Scripture continues to use the armor that Roman soldiers used and compares it to our use as Christian soldiers. So what was the shield like that the Romans carried? Well, it was big!

One of the most dominating things you would see when you looked at a Roman soldier was the big shield that he carried. It was about the size of a door and it even resembled a door. There were smaller shields that were round and were used for parades. But our text does not use the word for that small shield. It uses the word that refers to the large shield used by a soldier in battle.

Their shield had a wood frame that had layers of leather that was pulled very tight over the frame. The soldier had the daily responsibility to anoint his shield with oil. The reason that he did this was so the leather would remain supple. A shield that had been neglected would deteriorate and the soldier could very easily lose his life because of it.

The soldier would also soak the leather with water. Because in those times armies would take their arrows, dip them in pitch, set them on fire and shoot them at their enemies. The wet leather would quench the fiery darts sent their way.

Armies had another tactic to try to defeat their foes. Sometimes they would dip the arrow in a poisonous fluid of some type so that it would poison the soldier that it hit. So the shield was a necessity.

The example of how battles were fought in those times gives us a clue how the devil works. And his attacks can be just as deadly. That's why temptations can be so hard to overcome.

The devil sends temptations that have a fiery quality about them. He will send temptations that try to draw us in his web.

There are things in each of us which the fiery darts target. There are desires, appetites, passions, lusts, which war against the soul, and which need only a touch of fire to ignite.

Our whole being is capable of being set on fire of hell.

Every day the devil is shooting arrows at us. These arrows that are shot by the devil have a wounding and killing nature to them. The devil hates us! We need to be aware that the devil trying to destroy us.

Do you ever feel under attack? The devil has a well-stocked arsenal of weapons to choose from--to wage war on us--and at times we feel bombarded, under siege. Then when we’re most vulnerable, we’re tempted to feel bitterness, despair, apathy, or self-pity.

That's when Satan whispers in our ears, evil thoughts, accusations, doubts (ever have any of these?). It is said that opportunity may knock once, but temptations and doubts seem to bang on our door forever.

Satan is the author of confusion; he aims to distract us from sound thinking. Without a shield, we will falter on the battlefield. With the shield of faith we can ward off attacks. Don’t let your shield down; it receives the blows meant for you.

If any sinner or backslider could ever understand that this world and the flesh does not love them, it would change the nature of the battle.

The only good thing about temptation is that it can drive us to our knees in prayer so that we may gain strength from the Lord in the midst of our spiritual battles. Temptations lose their power when Jesus is involved.

There is value that comes from being in the battle! We don't enjoy it when it bears down on us, but after the fact we may understand that God was working out things in our life to make us stronger as we continue to use the protection of the shield of faith.