When life gets tough, do you fight or flee? Get up or give up?
Apostle Paul uses the imagery of a Roman soldier to help us grasp what he meant about defending our faith and shedding off the attacks of our spiritual adversary. The "shield" used by the Roman soldiers was wide and long, completely covering the Roman soldier. Like a Roman shield, Paul is telling us that God has given us enough faith to make certain we are completely covered for every situation!
Roman soldiers kept their shields out in front of them to defend them from deadly attacks and blows from their enemies. Like a shield, our faith is supposed to be out in front where it can completely cover us and protects us from harm, as we march forward to take new ground for the Kingdom of God!
Roman soldiers would also gather to form a wall on all sides of their bodies even their heads. They shielded up together! It is so important to pick up our shields and stand together side by side to be victorious!
God is our Shield and Defender (Psalm 18:1-3), but our faith is also a shield for the believer! When we stand and stand together with our shields, we find hope and victory AND we shine for Jesus Christ as we keep going!
When life gets tough and you want to give up, DON'T! Protect yourself with armor and pick up that shield of faith! Stand next to your brothers and sisters in Christ!
