“In addition…take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” – Ephesians 6:16 (NIV)
In the annals of the history of military battles during medieval times, mention is made of the effectiveness of the Romans’s iconic shields that were used in battle against their enemies. The shield was 3.5 feet tall, 1.4 feet wide, and 2.3 inches thick. The Roman writer Vegetius in ‘De Re Militari’ wrote that “The name of each soldier was written on his shield, together with the number of the cohort and century to which he belongs”. When the Roman soldiers marched up to the fort in a Testudo formation, not one soldier received any injury because the shields fitted so closely together that they formed one unbroken surface without any gaps between them.
On the frontal part of the shield were colours and designs. The red represented a symbol of power, the eagle wings – the symbol of the Roman Army, and the lightning bolts represented Jupiter, king of the Roman gods. It must be noted that the shield could be used as a battering weapon at close quarters. It was also highly effective in protecting against incoming enemy projectiles falling from above, such as arrows, spears, or objects thrown by defenders atop walls.
Beloved, our faith can guard us during the trials in the same way this shield would during battle. For example, when doubt creeps in and our beliefs are questioned, our faith in Christ will protect us. We can stand firm knowing what we believe. Unlike the Romans, our shields are not regulated to one size, and the colour red represents the omnipotent power of the blood of Jesus. We are soldiers of the cross of Jesus Christ, and our collective shield of faith, like the Roman soldiers, is impenetrable when we move in a Testudo formation into the enemy territories.
In spiritual warfare, the flaming arrows of the enemy that are released towards us methodically, craftily, and periodically occur when we are most vulnerable and/or when we are about to experience a breakthrough. Arrows of character assassination, deception, marginalisation, victimisation, and stagnation are designed to cause frustration, depression, self-pity, and a feeling of poor self-esteem. Arrows of sicknesses and diseases, demonic spells, incantations, hexes, and curses are thrown by satanic emissaries. Be encouraged; it is the shield of faith that will protect us from the onslaught of the enemy.
The shield of our faith is based upon our relationship with God, and as we advance onward and upward into the high places where God ordained us to be, we will be sorely tested. Remember, we cannot carry out the Commission alone. It is a “we thing”. Therefore, we need to move in a Testudo all-for-one and one-for-all formation to defeat the wiles of the enemy.
Read: Exodus 15:2; Isaiah 12:2
Bible Reading Guide: Psalms 119:33-40; 2 Thessalonians 2; Jeremiah 29:24-32; Jeremiah 30; Jeremiah 31:1-14
