“In additional to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16).
We are engaged in a spiritual war. Paul told Timothy, “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). He told the church in Corinth, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
In this war, we are fighting against the most powerful enemy known to man – the devil himself. Paul wrote, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:11-12).
However, despite the fact that we face a formidable foe, the Lord is greater. John wrote, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). In the book of Revelation, the battle against good and evil is described and the outcome is given: “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful” (Revelation 17:14). Therefore, we can have confidence in this fight. The Lord will be victorious.
However, the fact that the outcome is certain does not mean that there is nothing that we must do in the cause of Christ. We must still prepare to fight for Him. The wise man said, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the Lord” (Proverbs 21:31). God expects man to do what he can and God will handle what is beyond our ability.
Paul said we must “put on the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11). He then described this armor in more detail: “Therefore, take up the full armor of God… Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:13-17).
One piece of our armor is the “shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16). A shield is used to defend against attacks and, when used properly, is designed to protect the whole soldier.
Satan is always looking for one who is vulnerable to attack. Peter described him as “a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Peter warned about him, not so that we would consider our struggle hopeless and our defeat certain, but so that we would “be on the alert” and “resist him” (1 Peter 5:8-9). How do we resist the devil? Peter answered: “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world” (1 Peter 5:9). We need a firm faith if we are going to stand against Satan’s attacks.
The stronger our faith, the better we will be able to defend ourselves against the devil. We strengthen our faith through our knowledge of the word of God as it is the source of faith (Romans 10:17). Therefore, let us study the Scriptures that we might know them and use our faith to protect us from the enemy’s attacks.
