Take Up the Shield of Faith Every Day

Introduction

Paul ends his description of the Christian's armor with a particular object: the shield of faith. In Ephesians 6:16, he writes: "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." Thierry opens up this text by pausing on two concrete realities (the shield and the flaming arrows), to help you understand why this piece of armor must be taken up every day, not just stored on a wall like a decorative display.

Message Outline

1. A shield that covers you from head to toe

• The Greek phalanx shield (the aspis) was round, wide, and weighed about 8 kg, it's the one you see in movies.
• Paul, however, doesn't use that term: he chooses thureos, a long, oval (sometimes rectangular) shield that protects the whole body of the fighter.
• The etymology of thureos comes from "stone" or "door", the large long stone that closed off caves. In German, we can still recognize the word Tür (door).
• This is not a shield that protects only the head or the torso: it covers you over your entire height.

2. The flaming arrows of the evil one

• The Greek term belos can be translated as "arrow," "dart," or "projectile." The Second translation renders it "flaming arrows."
• At the time, arrows were dipped in pitch, set alight, and then shot to set fire to the shield and the enemy.
• "The evil one" (poneros in Greek) designates the wicked one, the malicious one, it is the devil, the accuser (Ephesians 6:11).
• As the book The Screwtape Letters (C.S. Lewis) reminds us: the enemy seeks either to make people believe he doesn't exist so he can act freely, or to pass himself off as all-powerful. Neither is true.

3. Faith is the trust placed in God

• The Greek word pistis is translated as "faith" but also as "trust."
• Paul is not talking about self-confidence: he is talking about trust placed in God. Otherwise it would be "the faith of failure."
• The Old Testament already used this image: the psalmist says "my shield is in God" (Psalm 7:11). It is not the shield that protects, it is God in whom the fighter places his trust.
• David goes further in 2 Samuel 22: it is God himself who is his shield, his solid rock, his savior.

4. Jesus is your shield

• Jesus is the door (John 10:9), the same root as thureos. He protects the entrance.
• He is the slain Lamb whose blood, placed on the doorposts, protects as on the night of the Passover in Egypt (Exodus 12).
• The apostle John speaks in Revelation of those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14).
• Placing your faith in Jesus means covering the entryway of your thoughts, your heart, your soul.

5. Take it up every day, not just on Sundays

• Paul does not say "have" the shield, he says "take up" the shield. A display piece set on a temple column serves no purpose.
• It must be taken up every day, not just on Sundays or from time to time.
• Like David in 2 Samuel 22: in times of scarcity, job searching, relational difficulties, or circumstances that seem to overwhelm you, you can read these passages to revive your soul.
• Like the psalmist of Psalm 42, you can speak to your soul: "Why are you cast down, O my soul? Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God."
• Mark with a stone the actions of God in your life, as the people of Israel set up memorial stones to remember. A note, a sticky note, a notebook that reminds you: "God has already acted."

Key Takeaways

• Paul's shield (thureos) is not a small round disc: it covers you over your entire height, from head to toe.
• The faith that protects is the trust placed in God, not confidence in yourself.
• Jesus is your shield; his blood covers the entryway of your mind, your heart, your thoughts.
• The armor is of no use to you if it stays put away: Paul asks you to take it up, not just to possess it.
• Remembering past deliverances (yours, David's, the people of Israel's), nourishes your faith when the enemy comes to tell you: "Where is your God?"

Personal Application

1. What are, this week, the "flaming arrows" that the enemy is shooting at you, thoughts of accusation, discouragement, doubt?
2. Where do you tend to place your trust first: in yourself, in your resources, in others, or in God?
3. At what moment of your day can you form the concrete habit of "taking up" the shield of faith?
4. Which Bible texts are becoming, for you, resource texts to open when you feel downcast?
5. What past deliverances can you write down in a notebook to remember when your memory fails you?

Verses Cited

• Ephesians 6:10-18 · The armor of God
• Ephesians 6:16 · The shield of faith
• Psalm 7:11 · My shield is in God
• 2 Samuel 22 · Song of David delivered
• Psalm 42 · Why are you cast down, O my soul?
• Exodus 12 · The blood of the lamb on the doorposts
• Revelation 7:14 · Washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb

Further reading

• What Is Christian Fellowship?
• What Is Spiritual Maturity?
• What Is Christian Discipleship?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Paul speak of a long shield and not the round shield of the Greek soldiers?

The Greek word used by Paul is thureos and not aspis. The thureos is a long shield, oval or rectangular, that protects the whole body of the fighter over its entire height. Paul chooses this term because faith in God does not protect only one part of your life, it covers you entirely, from head to toe.

What exactly are the "flaming arrows" of the evil one?

In Roman times, flaming arrows were projectiles dipped in pitch and lit before being shot at the enemy to set fire to his shield or to the fighter himself. Spiritually, these are the attacks of the devil that seek to consume you: thoughts of accusation, discouragement, doubt, lies about who God is or who you are in Christ.

How do you "take up" the shield of faith on a daily basis?

Paul uses an active verb: it is not a decorative piece set on a wall. Taking up the shield means placing your trust in God every day through prayer, making his Word your own (resource texts like 2 Samuel 22 or Psalm 42), and concretely remembering past deliverances, even writing them down in a notebook, as the people of Israel set up memorial stones so as not to forget.