The Shield of Faith & The Sword of the Spirit

In an age sceptical of the spiritual, I aim to challenge the dismissal of unseen forces. This essay explores faith as a tangible defence and the Holy Spirit as a potent weapon for spiritual warfare. I urge readers, especially those who have not come from a religious background, to shed their scepticism and open both mind and heart to the truth I am about to share. It must be understood that the spiritual battles I will speak of, often manifest subtly. The devil himself may not appear to you and demons may not assault you in your sleep. However, you may struggle with anxious thoughts, addictions, anger, greed and other afflictions. These are also the manifestations of spiritual attacks, and battling against these things is the essence of spiritual warfare. We will now examine the weapons God has provided for us, to fight back against the enemy. 

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” - Ephesians 6:16-17 

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” - 1 Peter 5:8 

FAITH IS A SHIELD  

Faith is a shield. When Satan rises against a believer in the form of an attack, the first line of defence is that believer's faith. If that believer's faith is weak, Satan gains easy access to dismantle, destroy and uproot whatever God has planted or instilled inside of that believer. But when the believer's faith is strong, they are able to resist the devil and push back against his advances. Faith is like a force-field, it is a protective measure which protects the life and purpose of the believer, preserving what God has spoken over their life. Without the shield of faith, the believer is vulnerable to attacks. One way to think about how faith protects us is to consider the roof of a house. When it rains, water runs off the roof and cannot penetrate the house, keeping whatever is inside the house safe and dry. However, if the roof is taken off, the same rain now has direct access to drench whoever and whatever is inside the house.  

It is important to note that the rain will fall regardless of whether the house is protected by a roof or not. Likewise, we should understand that simply believing in God and having faith, does not mean the storms of life will not come against us. Being born again does not mean being free from trials or hardship, being born again means you now have the knowledge, power and spiritual strength to weather any storm. This is why the devil’s number one concern is to eradicate faith in God from the people of the world. It gives him free reign and easy access. As soon as the full strength of a believer’s faith is activated, Satan loses power over the soul of an individual who was once subject to him. Though he may continue to pursue that individual, by reason of their strong faith, they shall be protected against his advances, and no attack will penetrate their soul. 

““No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.” - Isaiah 54:17 

THE SPIRIT IS A SWORD 

The Spirit of God is a sword. It is a supernatural weapon one can arm themselves with to actively fight spiritual battles. The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit, who is also called the Spirit of truth and power. The Holy Spirit/Spirit of God, is also synonymous with the Word of God, as Jesus says in John 6:63: “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” Jesus also likens the Word (which is the Spirit of God) to a sword, stating that the Word is in fact, “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart”, (Hebrews 4:12). This deadly spiritual weapon has been given to us for the purpose of fending off spiritual attacks by actively engaging in warfare with the enemy. Unlike the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit is not primarily defensive (although it can be used defensively), but it is instead, an offensive weapon. It is designed to be used by one who has a desire not only to stand their ground against an attack, but to advance and pursue the enemy. It is a weapon for inflicting harm and doing damage, as opposed to being mainly for protection and preservation, like the shield of faith. 

When the devil attacks, the first thing a believer should do is raise the shield of faith against him. You may do this by making a declaration of hope and trust in Jesus despite your situation. For example, you have sinned, and the devil is trying to make you feel condemned, sending you anxious thoughts and causing you to doubt that God will still be able to love you in your sin. You have two choices now. One is to allow your faith to be weakened and succumb to the lie that God cannot love you anymore. Or, two, you choose to believe in God’s character as a loving and forgiving Father. You hold onto the promise of His everlasting mercy, and you stand on His Word. In doing so, you have strengthened your faith against the devil’s attack, and successfully raised the shield of faith against him.

Now, this will keep the devil/demons at bay, but it will not get rid of them. After you have defended yourself through faith, the next step is to raise the sword of the spirit by speaking the word of God. Having bolstered your faith, you may now quote scripture. You can speak into your situation and tell the devil that as it is written in Romans 8:1 “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”, therefore as a born-again believer in Christ, having repented, you are now free forever from condemnation. You should also back these actions up with prayer. Ultimately, with the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit, we are equipped spiritually with both defensive and offensive weapons to assist us in our struggle against the devil, his demons and the realm of darkness as a whole. 

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” - Ephesians 6:12 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, may You continue to give us the wisdom and understanding to use these spiritual weapons accordingly, so that we may never be overcome by the enemy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.