The verses surrounding today’s verse mention a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, sandals of peace, and a helmet of salvation. All of these are things I put on once and wear around during a battle.
Today’s verse is different. A shield is something I can decide to pick up and wield or put down.
I have righteousness, salvation, truth, and peace through Jesus’s sacrifice. I put them on when I chose to accept that gift of salvation and eternal life.
Faith is a little more interactive. I choose faith every day. I choose to trust God with my daily life.
I can choose to pick up my shield of faith everyday, with the strength provided by God’s Spirit. Or I can choose to lay it down and walk away.
Today’s verse says if I lay down my faith and walk away, I am vulnerable to flaming arrows shot at me by the evil one. I will be wounded, and mortally so.
If I choose to pick up my shield of faith, I can not just block those arrows, but extinguish them. They will fizzle out before causing any real damage.
And unlike a belt or breastplate, a shield is mobile. I can swing it around to protect each area of my life: my finances, my job, my family, my marriage, my health…
Don’t get me wrong, the flaming arrows will still be shot at me. And they will look scary. I may struggle with finances in this life, lose a job, contract a disease, and lose a loved one whether I have faith or not. The evil one is persistent.
But by taking up my shield of faith, I can stand up to these onslaughts unscathed, knowing God’s will for me is unchanged, His love for me is unconditional, and His victory over the evil one is complete.
Dear God,
Thank you for providing me with everything I need to withstand the attacks of evil in this world. Remind me every day to pick up my shield of faith and trust you when the flaming arrows begin to fly at me. I know you love me, and your love is all I need.
CamDevo 