A Safety Shield
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. – Ephesians 6:16
In the course of doing some remodeling at our church in Grants Pass, Oregon, it became necessary for us to put a gas
line into the storage building next to the church. The utility company would not install a gas meter for the building until we passed a building safety
code inspection.
We failed the first two inspections. When I asked for details on what it would take to pass the third time around, the specifications given to us included
installing a safety shield of 16-gauge steel around, over, and above the flexible steel tubing of the gas line. This would prevent anything from damaging
the line if, for example, someone were to drive a nail into the wall that was covering the line. After following the instructions for shielding the
pipe, we passed the test with flying colors. The gas line is now not only hidden, but it is also protected.
The thought came to me: What a picture this is of the protection God offers us! We, too, need a layer of protection to prevent anything from harming us,
but ours is a shield of faith. Without it, we will find that our spiritual lives are vulnerable—they can be damaged by the fiery darts of the
enemy. When we take care to be sure our faith encompasses the “line” that connects us to God, that connection will be preserved from damage.
Attacks will come—assaults of Satan in the form of setbacks, temptations, and trials—but when we have built according to God’s safety code,
the Word of God is hidden safely in our hearts. The shield of faith protects us from Satan’s attacks, and we can look beyond our circumstances and
know that ultimate victory is ours. If you have been going through a spiritual struggle, ask God to increase your faith and put all your trust in Him.
Our faith is the key to overcoming!