Now the battle really begins
The Armor of God (Part 4)
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and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Ephesians 6:16 (NET)
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Okay, this is both a cool picture and a strange word choice.
Maybe it’s just me, but I like the cool imagery of using the large Roman shield to block flaming arrows.
But what’s with this extinguishing them?
Of course extinguishing fire usually requires water, so how is this giant wooden shield supposed to do that?
Well, maybe we can lean into the spiritual side of this metaphor a bit more.
After all, Jesus is the Living Water.
Faith in Him is what brings us salvation.
Perhaps a shield of faith?
We even see earlier in the letter to the Ephesians that Paul tells them their faith is a gift from God, not a result of their own good works so they cannot boast.
So, what’s really blocking the attacks of the Enemy?
We’re not doing it -- God is.
If we allow Him to.
We still need to hold our shield up and actually attempt to block the attacks. Meaning, we have to fight temptation and ask Him for help during temptation.
Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I don’t think so.
I think this is a solid picture of God defending us.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2026 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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