Ephesians 6:16:  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

The Greek word for “faith” is so much weightier - so much more substantial - than what the word has come to mean in the modern English language.  These days, we claim to “have faith” in a sports team, a reliable vehicle, or even in our favorite brand of deodorant.  However, the word Paul uses for “faith” in God means much more. It is to rely on Him completely; to place our entire confidence in Him; to be fully assured by His strength and power; to put the whole weight of our being on His shoulders.  That kind of faith takes passion, valor, and trust. That kind of faith requires a knowledge of and dependence upon the power of the Lord.

In the unseen spiritual realm, we have a very real enemy.  Sometimes he takes the form of things seen but often remains physically imperceptible. However, rest assured, he is there.  If you’re not sure, just read your Bible. Moses spoke of him[1], Job was tormented by him[2], Jesus testified to his existence[3], Judas served him[4], and Paul wrote about him[5].  He is very real, as is his agenda.  More than physical death and suffering, he longs to tear us away from his one true enemy, God. 

Over the years, he has accomplished this by convincing us to lean on our own strength and power instead of God’s.  He convinced Eve to attempt to become like God instead of relying on God to sustain and delight her.[6] He convinced David to rely on his own military strength rather than on the power of the Lord.[7] He was the one who fooled the Pharisees into thinking their righteousness was enough to stand in God’s presence[8], and he dangled material wealth in front of the rich man in order to distract him from the never-ending treasures of Christ[9].  In all these instances, we see people struggling to succeed by their own power. We see them consciously refusing their only real defense against evil, in order to fight bloody battles with their own feeble hands.

When we read these stories in our Bibles, we see them retrospectively and assume we know better.  However, every time we rely on our own strength instead of putting our entire confidence in the strength of the Lord, we set down our shield of faith.  Satan uses all sorts of flaming arrows in order to wound us, and he is stronger than we are.  However, the God we serve is far stronger than Satan[10]. When we place our full assurance in His strength and in His power and in the knowledge of His victory, we are fully protected. 

Our greatest temptation is to fight life’s battles on our own.  We resort to our own shallow understanding, our feeble will power, our clumsy human abilities.  However, our greatest strengths are pitiful and weak in comparison to the power of the Lord.  We wear ourselves out constantly striving to be merely conquerors, when we have been called to be more than that: We have been predestined. We are being justified, We will be glorified. And we are beloved![11]  So, pick that shield of faith up of the ground  and wrap your hands (and hearts) around the power and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It will send that fire-shooting pest on his way with his tail between his legs.