“Above All, Taking the Shield of Faith”
“Above all” - that is how the text begins instruction concerning taking up our shield of faith. “Chiefly”, more necessary than any other thing in overcoming the fiery darts of the wicked one. Faith is all and all to us in the battle with temptation. While other parts of our armor are stationary and fastened to protect our vital organs, the shield can be turned in every direction. John tells us in 1 John 5:4, “this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” Faith and belief are words that are many times used interchangeably. Nelson’s Bible Dictionary defines faith as “a belief in or confident attitude toward God, involving commitment to his will for one’s life.” Nelson also says, “belief is to place one’s trust in God’s truth.”
It is faith then, our belief in "the evidence of things not seen, and the substance of things hoped for”, the deep and abiding belief in the truth of God’s promises and warnings, seen and unseen, that is manifest in our ability to withstand temptation, pray with fervor, do good when weary, hunger for righteousness, and fight with zeal. It is a universal defense against the fiery darts that the wicked one hurls without care and in hopes of making us partners of wickedness with him.
I wondered if I could write this article without going to the obvious place – Hebrews 11. But why would I want to do that? For, it is the ultimate guide and owner’s manual for our shield. The features of what our shield can do are outlined in this chapter. Faith produces in us the ability to “offer” to God our most excellent sacrifices as Abel. We are told that without faith, it would have been impossible for Enoch to please God. Faith produced in Noah “movement" and activity, in Godly fear, that saved his household. It was faith that brought about “obedience” to the many hard and unthinkable instructions God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Faith produced in Sarah the heart to believe the unthinkable. In Joseph, faith “provided assurance” of things that he would not see in his own lifetime and could not fully comprehend. Faith produces in us the ability and desire to forsake this world and its pleasures, choosing rather to be people of God as Moses did. By faith, the walls of Jericho came down – against all the worldly wisdoms of warfare. Our shield of faith has characteristics that “subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, made strength out of weakness, provided valiance in battle.”
And so, our shield, if carried well, if used correctly, if positioned right, has powerful qualities and great life-long abilities to protect us against the fiery darts that are constantly being hurled at us. It is the fundamental piece of armor that arms us to ward off temptations before they reach the armor we wear. The shield is the first line of defense; it is used so that the other pieces of armor are untouched. It is our core, the deep and abiding belief system of our lives, the anchor, the mobile and movable, first line of defense.
My father used to say that there are no agnostics in the world – there is no such thing. He would tell us that all people live their lives as if they believe something. What we believe, truly believe, is what we trust, and that trust will dictate whether the darts thrown will reach the armor fastened to our spiritual bodies.
David expresses this fundamental protection repeatedly in scripture. He sings, after defeating the Philistines in 2 Samuel 22:3 of “The God of my strength, in whom I trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation.” References too numerous to mention in Psalms are sung by David of his trust in the Lord and His promises. Battles, both spiritual and physical throughout David’s life were won only through his faith in God. Paul prays for the same depth of understanding and faith for the saints in Ephesus: ”For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:14-19).
In our lives, a deep and abiding faith is the movable shield, the first line of defense. And, in some ways, on a day-to-day basis, for some darts – there is little movement needed for defense. At this point in my life, I am not forced to reason through the scientific theories of creation and evolution each time I encounter that conversation, for my shield is secure. It’s not often that I am forced to reconsider my daily activities, my forms of entertainment, parties, drinking, companionship, and moral decisions, for my habits and life at this point have been guarded by that shield for many years. My shield has kept me, through the years, from leaving the assemblies of the saints, it has provided me distance from the harsh realities of this world, and my deep and abiding belief in heaven has been the shield that ever guides my eyes upward and has provided an assurance of a promise that remains well maintained.
But, having said all that, the darts still come; different darts, unexpected darts, darts that interrupt my assurances and force me to use my shield more than ever. And what a lousy soldier I would be if I pretended that my shield never slipped. What an unwise servant I would be if I did not know to rely on the shields of my brothers and sisters, which at times are raised on my behalf. And so, we, as an army, remain vigilant with our shields securely anchored, and we watch and wait – prepared for battle with a wise and introspective shield of faith; watching for the arrows of pride, laziness, bitterness, weariness, betrayal, broken relationships, disappointments that come because of me and others. We are armed with a quick and steady shield to defend ourselves against darts that are produced from uncertainties and unknowns, arrows hurled by loss and sadness, by injustices and unrighteousness, even among our brothers and sisters. Our lives will require true belief and deep faith in a God who can defend and protect, and that protection will come by “above all, taking up the shield of faith.”