What Does the Shield of Faith Actually Do?

My friend Kristi is an international worker. She had the opportunity to go on a retreat to study Ephesians, a wonderful time to get in the Word and enjoy a time of refreshing.

But the retreat was not daily life. Here’s what she wrote after she got back.

I have to laugh (choosing this option) at how many issues we had to deal with, in the midst of God doing amazing things. One after another, we were attacked with bed bugs, stomach bugs, exposure to symptoms that resembled Coronavirus (and resulting concern), deep heart issues with the boys, bad sleep, etc. Talk about distractions! It’s so frustrating when you’re seeing and hearing amazing things and you have to keep fighting the urge to Google “bed bugs”! There were moments when the enemy had his way, I’m afraid. But there were other moments of victory. The battle was definitely raging.

During my week away we meditated on Ephesians. The armor of God is a topic that has come up again and again over the last year, so I was looking forward to looking at it with fresh eyes. The first time I (re)read about the “shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,” I was kind of angry! I thought, “Lord, is my faith not strong enough? The arrows are flying around us like mad! What am I doing wrong? Where are You in this? Where is the victory?”

But He patiently and so tenderly quieted my heart and I felt Him say, “Take another look.”

So I read it again, and I noticed that it does not say that the shield of faith STOPS the arrows, nor prevents them! No!

It EXTINGUISHES them. If you need an extinguisher, that means there’s a fire or flame of some kind. The arrow has hit, has had some effect, and has probably caused some kind of damage. That’s when the shield of faith comes in, to extinguish those fires ... so we can keep going.

I know that the Word promises trials and suffering for His children, so no amount of faith on our part will be able to keep the enemy’s arrows away.

Faith gets us through those trials and fights the enemy’s work. Faith is a gift, a weapon, we’ve been given.

Lord, increase our faith!

Our family still feels the battle raging. We’re all dealing with different health issues. We’re fighting loneliness, stress, fear, and different sin issues. But by His grace, we are not alone. We are armed for battle. We have truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, the Word of God, prayer, and FAITH!

Such a good reminder! Be encouraged!

Lord God, thank you that though a flaming arrow strike, it need not consume. Thank you that you give us all we need to walk with you in this world. Teach us to be attentive to your teaching and your voice.

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory,

Amy Joy

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