One of the most famous German army officers during WWII was Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox.” During the war an Allied military commander wrote the following order to his subordinates:
“There exists a real danger that our friend Rommel is becoming a king or magician or boogeyman to our troops, who are talking far too much about him. He is by no means a superman, although he is undoubtedly very energetic and able. Even if he were a superman, it would still be highly undesirable that our men should credit him with supernatural powers.
“I wish to dispel by all possible means the idea that Rommel represents something more than the ordinary. The more important thing now is to see that we do not always talk of Rommel when we mean the enemy in Libya. We must refer to ‘the Germans’ or ‘the Axis powers’ or ‘the enemy’ and not always be harping.
“Please ensure that this order is put into immediate effect, and impress upon all commanders that, from a psychological point of view, it is a matter of the highest importance.”
Applying this to our struggle with the “prince of darkness,” we’ve got to put and keep things in perspective: “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”
Our focus, our preoccupation, must be the greatness of Christ and the joy of serving Him. Before James ever says “Resist the devil” he says “Submit to God!” (James 4:7) When we are challenged or opposed by the evil one, we need to respond and not retreat. We’re learning how to do this from Paul’s instructions in Ephesians 6.
Using the analogy of a Roman soldier’s armor, Paul talks about the armor of God — defensive and offensive equipment designed for effective use against the devil.
We have said the belt of truth (v.14) is growing knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures and how they apply to life. The breastplate of righteousness (v.14) is knowing who we are in Christ and resisting Satan with that truth when he attacks our identity in Christ. The gospel of peace (v.15) is overcoming worry with the promises of God (Isaiah 26:3).
Today’s study concerns the shield of faith: “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (v. 16)
A Roman soldier’s shield was about four feet long and two feet wide, made of wood, and covered with tough leather. Holding it before him, the soldier was protected from spears, arrows, and “flaming arrows.”
These “flaming arrows” were arrows dipped in a flammable substance, ignited, and then shot directly at the enemy.
Notice that Paul says “take up” (lit. lift up; get into position) the shield of faith.” What is faith? It’s an attitude; a mindset; a resolution that “God is not going to let me down; I don’t care how big, how relentless the enemy/problem is, God will get me through it! I’m going to make it!” With that attitude, we’re acting on the promises and believing in the power of God — “Shields up!”
The gospel of peace is anchoring our spiritual feet in God’s promises; the shield of faith is deflecting specific assaults of the devil, what Paul calls “flaming arrows.” With shields up, we’re staying in the fight!
You can see that the “gospel of peace” and the “shield of faith” are therefore interrelated. In fact, every piece of armor is a different aspect of the Word of God! What’s the promise to those who have the shield of faith in position? Every flaming arrow of the evil one will be extinguished. I’m convinced the “shield of faith” is simply
Believing that God is faithful in every circumstance
What about these flaming arrows? What are they? They are spiritual arrows, shot at us by the devil, with names on them:
• Fear
• Doomed to fail
• Doubt
• Worry
• Shame
• Panic
• Lust
• Guilt
• Superstition
• Temptation
It is Satan’s hope these arrows will hit their target (the heart/mind), light a fire within, and consume us. With the shield of faith in place, we can quench these arrows, one by one.
Again, the shield of faith is an attitude, a resolution. It says “I don’t have to think these thoughts. They’re not of God. He has said…”
It’s identifying the lie we’re hearing then deflecting it before it hits its mark. With our shield up we’re saying “Sure this problem is big, but God is bigger! I’m going to make it!”
An unusual evergreen is the lodgepole pine that grows prolifically in some of our National Parks — such as Yellowstone National Park. The cones of this pine often hang for years and years on the trees yet never open. Even when they fall to the ground they remain closed. These cones can only be opened when they come in contact with intense heat.
This, of course, is God’s deliberate design: When a forest fire rages through our parks and forests all the trees are destroyed. At the same time, however, the heat of the fire opens the cones of the lodgepole pine; and these pines are often the first tree to grow in an area that has been burned out by the fire.
What’s your “fiery trial”? What flaming arrows has Satan been launching at you? God has His reasons for allowing such intense heat. One of them is to help you see the condition of your faith and provide an opportunity for it to grow as you hold up your shield, stand your ground, and eventually see God’s redemption.
The “shield of faith” is believing that God is faithful in every circumstance. This will prove to be true in your situation — but you’ll need to lift up and keep in position the shield of faith, persevering until the fire passes.
