A piece of the armor of God
The Shield of Faith
The Roman soldier carried a large rectangular shield, big enough to cover the whole body. Its wood and leather could be soaked with water so that flaming arrows sank in and went out on impact. Paul calls faith this shield, raised above everything else, quenching the burning missiles the enemy launches at the soul.
“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”Ephesians 6:16
What this piece is
The shield of faith is active trust in God that intercepts the enemy's fiery darts before they can lodge and burn. Those darts are the sudden assaults that catch a believer off guard, a flash of lust, a spike of doubt, a wave of despair, a blasphemous thought, a temptation that seems to come from nowhere. Left unchecked, each one smolders and spreads. Faith meets them not by arguing but by trusting, lifting God's character and promises between the soul and the attack. Paul says this shield is taken up above all, held out in front so it protects everything else. A soldier who lowered his shield exposed the rest of his armor. Faith raised keeps the fire from ever reaching the heart.
How to put it on
Put on the shield by treating God's promises as real enough to hide behind. When a fiery thought lands, do not entertain it or debate it, lift a specific truth about God in its place and trust Him. Memorize promises so the shield is ready before the attack, not fumbled for after. Grow faith the way it is grown, by hearing the word and remembering what God has already done. Stand shoulder to shoulder with other believers, since Roman shields locked together into a wall. Faith is strengthened in company, and a raised shield in one hand steadies the whole line.
How Christ is your armor
Faith is only as strong as its object, and the object of this faith is Christ. He is the one you hide behind, and He is unbreakable. On the cross He absorbed the full fury of every dart the enemy could throw, and He came out victorious, so the promises you trust are guaranteed by His finished work and His endless life. Jesus is called the author and finisher of faith, which means even your trusting is sustained by Him. When your grip on the shield weakens, His grip on you does not. To take up the shield of faith is to take refuge in the crucified and risen Lord, and no fiery dart survives contact with Him.
Questions people ask
what are the fiery darts of the wicked in ephesians 6
They picture the enemy's sudden, inflaming assaults on the mind, a flash of lust, a spike of doubt, a wave of despair, an intrusive blasphemous or accusing thought. Like flaming arrows they are meant to land and smolder until they spread. Faith is the shield that catches them on impact and puts them out before they reach the heart.
why is the shield of faith described as above all
Paul lifts it above the other pieces because a shield is held out in front and covers everything else. Faith protects the truth, righteousness, and peace you are already wearing. A soldier who dropped his shield exposed all his armor at once, so faith raised over the whole life is what keeps the enemy's fire from ever reaching the rest.