In listing the different pieces of the armor of God, Paul says, “Above all, . . . [take] the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” When Satan attacks with doubts, the shield of faith turns aside the blow. When temptations come, faith keeps us steadfast in following Jesus. We are able to withstand all the devil’s fiery darts, because we know whom we have believed.

Faith and Fiery Arrows…

• Use the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego as an example of how the shield of faith will protect us from the fiery arrows.
• What is faith? Hebrew 11:1
  1. Faith is, by definition, not some hazy emotion without any grounding in reality. It is the irrefutable truth. It is real.
  2. Though it is based on solid evidence, that doesn't mean faith comes naturally or easily. We must examine the evidence and see that God has proved Himself to be unchanging and consistent, and then we must firmly believe that He will fulfill His promises to us.
• Where does faith come from? Ephesians 2:8, Galatians 2:20, 2 Timothy 4:7
• What does a shield have to do with faith?
  1. A shield guards - Daniel 3:17-18
  2. A shield deflects - Ephesians 6:16
  3. A shield is the first line of defense - Matthew 14:28-31
  4. A shield incapacitates the enemy - Matthew 4:10-11
     1. The boss (the metal knob in the middle) on the Roman shields allowed soldiers to give their enemies a stun-inducing shove that would allow them to follow through with an attack. Our faith in God, as demonstrated by Christ, can also give Satan a good shove backwards and give us a chance to fight back by doing God's will and work

• When the faith of many comes together God does amazing things
  1. When the Roman army joined its shields together, it became an almost unstoppable force. And if we in God's Church join our shields—that is, strengthen each other with our faith, building up and serving within the Body as we are able—we will become an unstoppable force able to take on any challenge.