I'm going to sit in for Rob at TC Alpha tonight talking about "How can I have Faith?" I've been praying and thinking deeply about this event for some time, the Lord brought me back to Christian Code of Conduct for the Church Militant and something obvious just jumped out at me. 612 is my area code, Ephesians 6:12, begins to tell us about the battle we are in and it's not against people but "spiritual forces." Force of shame, guilt, anger, lust, sorrow, regret can bring us into a season of despair and comes out sideways in addiction and broken relationships. So God willing I'll be able to share the hope I have with double the normal attenders because of a delicious tray of cookies. I'm excited to witness that God precedes those who follow his way
Ephesians 6:16 — 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."
Faith Protects Against the Devil's Attack
The Roman scutum — a large, curved body shield — was soaked in water before battle to extinguish fire-tipped arrows. Faith functions the same way: it doesn't merely deflect temptation, accusation, and doubt; it extinguishes them before they take hold.
- Satan's primary weapon is deception and accusation — faith in God's truth neutralizes both (1 Peter 5:8-9; Revelation 12:10-11)
- What we believe about God determines how we stand when attacked (Isaiah 7:9 — "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all")
- Faith is not passive; it is an active, deliberate taking up — a posture of trust maintained under fire (1 John 5:4; James 1:2-4)
- The shield works best in formation — corporate faith strengthens individual faith (Hebrews 10:24-25; Ecclesiastes 4:12)
Faith Is Knowing God and Relying on His Promises
(Hebrews 11:1; Matthew 21:22; Romans 10:17; Hebrews 11:6; Mark 11:22-24; Luke 1:37; Ephesians 2:8-9)
Faith is not optimism or willpower — it is a relational trust rooted in the character and promises of God:
- It has an object — God Himself: "Have faith in God" (Mark 11:22). Faith derives its power not from its intensity but from its object (Psalm 62:8; Proverbs 3:5-6)
- It is substantive, not speculative: Faith gives present assurance of future realities (Hebrews 11:1; Romans 8:24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:7)
- It comes through hearing the Word: Faith is not self-generated — it is birthed by exposure to God's revealed truth (Romans 10:17; Psalm 119:105; John 17:17)
- It pleases God and draws us near: Without faith it is impossible to please Him — faith assumes God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6; Jeremiah 29:13; James 4:8)
- It prays with expectation: Ask believing, and it will be given (Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24; John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15)
- It rests on God's unlimited power: "Nothing is impossible with God" — the anchor of faith under impossible circumstances (Luke 1:37; Genesis 18:14; Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 46:10)
- It is entirely a gift: Salvation by grace through faith removes all boasting — even the faith itself is God's gift (Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 1:29; 2 Peter 1:1)
Our Faith Is a Response to — and Sustained by — God's Faithfulness
This is the crucial foundation: we do not manufacture faith; we respond to a faithful God.
- God's faithfulness is the bedrock — His character makes faith rational (Lamentations 3:22-23; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Timothy 2:13 — "If we are faithless, He remains faithful")
- He who calls is faithful — He will bring it to completion (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Philippians 1:6)
- The author and perfecter of faith is Christ Himself — He originates and sustains our trust (Hebrews 12:2)
- Abraham's faith is paradigmatic: he believed "the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not" — faith anchored in God's creative power, not visible circumstances (Romans 4:17-21)
- Faith grows through trial — the testing of faith produces steadfastness, which matures faith further (James 1:3; 1 Peter 1:6-7; Romans 5:3-4)
- The Spirit Himself intercedes and strengthens faith from within (Romans 8:26-27; Galatians 5:22 — faithfulness as a fruit of the Spirit; Jude 20 — praying in the Spirit builds up faith)
Key Takeaway: The shield of faith is effective precisely because it is not our faith in faith — it is our faith in a faithful God. The flaming arrows of doubt, accusation, and temptation are extinguished when we hold up what we know to be true about who God is and what He has promised.
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