Ephesians 6:16 A Shield of Faith

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.  Ephesians 6:16, ESV.
 
The shield to which Paul refers is a large, heavy, oblong shield. It was the soldier’s primary means of defense in battle. By likening this shield to the believer’s faith, Paul reminds us in two ways why this is such an important piece of armor in the battle against our spiritual foe:
 
We need the shield of faith “in all circumstances.” It is all too easy to live our lives as though there is a time when we need to exercise faith and a time when we are simply fine without it. We get a weekly dose of Jesus on Sunday, pray at breakfast, bedtime, and when we get unwelcome news, and we post some Bible verses on social media. And then we live the other 140 or so hours a week as though we can handle life on our own, without Christ. Paul warns us against such foolishness. It is time to live every moment of our lives knowing that, “I need thee every hour, most precious Lord.”
 
The shield of faith is effective against “all the flaming darts of the evil one.” The prophet put it this way to the people of Israel: “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 54:17). When we consider Isaiah’s words together with Paul’s, we understand that this promise to the “servants of the LORD” is a promise to those who live by faith. In a day when the devil seems to have a bottomless quiver, we need to walk each moment by faith. What you need in days like this is to continually “Turn your eyes upon Jesus.”
 
May faith be your constant companion today and may all the arrows of the evil one glance off your shield to no effect.
 
Pastor Don