The Shield of Faith
Written by: Kathy Towers, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
What is the recourse of the believer’s troubled soul when being assaulted by arrows aimed at the underbelly of his being?
That great adversary, Satan, can cause the believer to be called into a spiritual conflict. At our new birth, we are assigned to be engaged in a spiritual battle in which, although we do not die, we can be grievously wounded. This invisible enemy has the power to pursue relentlessly.
The battle is real, but the good news is that our Lord has provided everything necessary to stand firm against this enemy. In Ephesians 6:10, we are told to have no confidence in one’s flesh and to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” Ephesians 6:11 says we are “to put on the whole armor of God, that you may withstand the evil day, and having done all, stand firm.” The believer has the confidence that he is not alone but wrapped in the arms of the protection of our Father. This brings the believer to the requirement of leaning on his faith: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). The discerning believer must dig deeply into a body of unseen evidence where it truly matters what one believes. This step requires recognizing these unseen things as true, and affirming them as such, then leads one back to more confidence in God’s word.
When the believer picks up the shield of Faith, he is called for his faithfulness front and center. We have numerous examples in Hebrews 11 of individuals who did just that. Taking up this shield of Faith sometimes means trusting and obeying when things do not make sense to the rational mind. In Letter 8 of The Screwtape Letters a secular writer, C. S. Lewis, sheds some light on the subject from the devil’s perspective. The character Uncle Screwtape is giving the character Nephew Wormwood (a devil’s advocate) advice on how to compromise a patient (a believer): “Wormwood, our cause (the devil’s) is never more in danger than when a human no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s (God’s) will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and yet still obeys”.
Our faith is only as good as the object that it is placed in, the eternal word of God. C.S. Lewis has more to say about this in Mere Christianity: “...recognize that while our moods change the object of our faith does not. Regularly rehearse some of the main doctrines of our faith: go to church, fellowship, being with those of like-minded faith.”
This assault of the mind can cause the believer to question his salvation or if he is worthy, consequently making him feel discouraged and defeated. The saved man must stay focused on Christ and his mission. With faith we have an unshakable belief in the promises of God and of the spiritual armaments in Ephesians 6; we can take up the shield. This shield allows us to defend ourselves and consequently overcome the evil of this world. And, while the unsaved man who receives these darts may also fight extravagance, indulgence, self-centeredness, and pleasure in worldliness for a while, he will eventually come to believe in his own immortality, and focused on earthly values, he will stay in the devil’s clutches.
Jesus had faith in the promises of God and overcame the forces of temptation that were pressed upon Him. This shield is offered to us and allows us to participate with fellow believers to collectively shield each other. Paul expanded on this thought when he spoke of the body of Christ to be joined together in Ephesians 4:16: “...from whom the whole body joined together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
The shield is effective only when raised and ineffective when lowered. We need our fellow soldiers to make the formation. This is where we band together attending to the gospel, raise one another up, and collectively pray and follow in Christ’s teachings. We need to make sure both our young in age, and young in the faith, know of this protection as they are particularly vulnerable to the evil one. It must be pressed upon them to know of this protection to prevent the devil from culling them out, and we must warn them about his force to make them feel alone and without hope so that they are unable to withstand the temptations of this world. The evil one is a master, but Paul the apostle reveals through God’s word there is relief from such a wily adversary. It would behoove us to remember that Jesus said, “...I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).