Our Faith Shield

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

~John 17:15 NIV

Jesus prayed and God provided the shield of faith because we have an adversary.

In the beginning, Satan, the evil one, slithered into the Garden to steal from Adam and Eve, and he succeeded in deceiving them. Since the Cross, however, we have an advocate, Jesus Christ, who restored us to our God-given place of victory.

These are the facts of life on planet earth. Until the return of Christ, we must contend with Satan. Contend, but not be victims.

The Battle

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Ephesians 6:16 NIV

Evidence of the battle confronts us daily. Every believer has felt the flaming arrows of accusation, doubt, confusing thoughts, or the temptation to sin. With lies and deception, Satan seeks to maintain or expand his control. If we become occupied with guilt, shame, fear or the pursuit of our own pleasures, our ability to share the Light of Christ with those who are trapped in darkness is lessened. By stealing our joy and intimacy with God, Christ’s light in us is dimmed.

Jesus understood what those he left behind would face. Indeed, every believer has felt the flaming arrows of accusation, doubt, confusing thoughts, or the temptation to sin. These “arrows” of the Enemy seek to draw us away from enjoying God’s love, peace, devotion, and hope.

Our Defensive Shield

Having lived with opposition inspired by the Enemy throughout his ministry, the Apostle Paul described the various aspects of our protection as armor we must use. One important piece of our armor is a defensive shield that blocks the enemy arrows and extinguishes their fire. Faith is that shield. Let’s review the power of our faith by remembering its foundation.

Christ’s death on the cross included God’s judgement for our sins. His death cleansed us and made us as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). Therefore, we have right standing before our Father (Romans 8:30 NLV). We can come to His throne of grace with confidence to receive help for any issue the fiery arrows stir up (Hebrews 4:16 NIV).

We can be confident that we please our Father, not because our behavior is perfect but because of our faith in Jesus Christ. By exercising that faith, we can live in trust and obey Him without interference.

What good news! Our enemy has lost the ability to intimidate us when we use this piece of armor called faith. From behind our shield of faith in what Jesus did, we are freed to extinguish all harassment by the evil one.

Are you ready to use the shield of faith and its protection over your life?

Dear Father, thank you for all that Jesus has done for me. I now stand firm in faith and refuse to agree with anything the Enemy fires to accuse or distract me. Thank you for this powerful provision In Jesus’ Name. Amen.