24 May The Secret of the Shield

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:13-17 (NIV)

God, through His apostle Paul, gave us an amazing gift in Ephesians 6. Using the armor of a Roman soldier as a metaphor, Paul illustrates all the weapons God puts at our disposal to protect us from Satan. Most commentators argue that all but one of these weapons, the sword of the Spirit, are defensive weapons. The Word of God is seen as an offensive weapon that we can take to the enemy. I am among those who think they are missing something.

When Paul says the shield can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one, he’s talking about the lies Satan uses to attack our minds. But it can also be used offensively. You see, the shield that Paul refers to was designed to be interlocked with other shields. So, soldiers could advance together, the combined shields allowing them to move toward the enemy and push them back. We can do the same thing when we have a strong relationship with the church body.

When we are in close community with other believers, we can support each other, encourage each other, and perhaps most importantly, pray for each other. The enemy may attack us individually, but we can fight back with the strength of a church family powered by the Spirit of God.

When you see a brother or sister struggling, rally the troops of the church family to lock shields. When it’s you, be humble enough to let the family know that they need to do that for you. It’s often said that God plus one is an army. That is absolutely true. It’s also true that God designed the church body in a way that believers can strengthen one another against the “many flaming arrows of the evil one.” It’s the secret of the shield that every believer should learn. Why not share it by either telling someone about it or deploying on their behalf today!

Pastor Jerry Bader