My shield

above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. – Ephesians 6.16

Despite our efforts at peace it is not going to be easy. The enemy doesn’t want peace. He wants to destroy us so he is constantly taking shots at us. Anyone who has been saved any amount of time know exactly what 'the fiery darts of the wicked one' are. It doesn't need any explanation.

So The Lord provides us with a shield. The shield is a primary defensive weapon. Shields have certainly changed and adapted and morphed through the centuries. From my limited knowledge of 1st century Roman armour understand that these shields were tough leather shield perhaps studded with metal. Shields have been made put of all kinds of material. Some have been made of wood or various metals or plastics or carbon fibres But no matter what they are made of their purpose is to protect from weapons or from projectiles.

Here Paul talks about protection from projectiles, specifically from the fiery darts of the wicked one. Just yesterday, despite the fact that we had a good day at church and were blessed and challenged by a missionary presentation on Mongolia by the time church was over I was in was what could best be described as a spiritual funk which lasted most of the day. I allowed a fiery dart to sneak through my armour because my shield of faith was not properly in place.

If my faith shield is not in place I am always open to those kinds of attacks and more. It might be a dart of discouragement. It might be a dart of lust. It might be a dart of selfishness or a dart of pride or a dart of fear. It may even be, as I found out yesterday, a dart of funkiness.

When I get in this kind of state part of the reason why is because I am not using the shield of faith that God has provided. Fear comes in when faith is absent.

Father, thank you for my shield – by your grace may I learn to exercise it always.