Eph 6.; Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
The shield of faith is the fourth piece of the armor in the Ephesians 6. It should be written like this according to the original grammar; “in all, having taken up the shield of faith…” The shield of faith is the first movable piece of the armor mentioned, and is the piece that protects everything else. That’s why Paul says “in all” take up the shield of faith. Just to remind you again, the armor is Jesus, and these different pieces are simply different aspects of him that we are in union with that we must be conscious of in times of battle. As I said earlier, the shield is imperative because it protects every other piece of armor. In light of the fact that the armor of God is Jesus and our union with him, then this shield of faith is His faith. Let me quote a few verses for you that speak about living by His faith.
“I have been crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, but not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God who love me and gave himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
“… In whom we have boldness and confident access through his faith.” (Eph. 3:9)
In both of these verses, and in many others the faith of Christ, or the faith of God is referred to. True faith is simply resting in the faith that Jesus has for something. This is what it means to enter into God’s rest. To believe what he believes, or trust what He trusts in light of who he is, and to experience how he feels in light of what he believes, is truly to enter into his rest. The Scriptures don’t say that we are to enter into rest; instead, it says that we are to enter into His rest, which is something totally different. I love what 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we believe not, He abides faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” There are times when I feel like I have no faith for certain things, and then I am reminded that the only thing that matters is if Jesus has faith for it or not, and if he has faith for it, then I can rest in His faith. You see He cannot deny himself. He is confident in his own ability and his own faithfulness. We are called to live by the faith of the son of God. This is the shield that will extinguish all the fiery darts that the enemy fires between your two ears, (that’s where the battle rages) in this cosmic conflict that you and I were baptized into. Sometimes those thoughts that come against our mind sets our mind on fire. It is those times that I’m so grateful that I don’t have to reason myself into a place of faith; instead, I can simply rest back into His faith, and His faith quenches the fire. I don’t even need an explanation from as to what He is going to do, or how, as long as He has confidence in His own plan, and ability. Remember, faith never starts with what you believe; it always starts with what He believes, and faith is just saying yes, and thank you to what He believes.