The Shield of Faith

I was thinking this morning about some of the imagery used in the Bible to describe the "Armor of God." More particularly, my attention was drawn to the "shield of faith" (Ephesians 6:16). I was pondering why, of all of the Christlike attributes that there are, was faith chosen to describe the shield. I thought, "in what way does faith act as a shield?" As I considered, the answer came.

Faith is an abiding trust in God. A belief that through the Atonement of Christ, we can find forgiveness of our sins, and quite literally be changed as we live the Gospel, or teachings of Jesus Christ. In my opinion, faith is being able to trust God enough to obey His commandments, even when it might not make perfect sense to us why we should. We trust that we will receive His promised blessings if we do so. And I know from personal experience that when we choose to keep the commandments of God, especially during those times when it is most difficult to do so, our character is changed for the better, we receive the blessings of God, and we are given spiritual strength and courage to continue to face the world. I know that through trusting in God and having faith in Him and in His Son, Jesus Christ, we can be changed.

Now, how does that form a shield? Well, I think that when we trust in God, we are able to deal with our fears and doubts more effectively. By that, I mean, that when thoughts of doubt, fear, or disbelief come, we are able to trust in what we have felt and experienced as a result of trusting in God and living His commandments. As we remember those feelings and impressions, we are able to quickly dispel those thoughts of temptation and doubt. And by striving to consistently obey God, we are able to have more experiences that give us those confirmations that we are doing what's right. That gives us more experiences to draw on during hardship. And so, I think, when we have the faith to trust in and obey God, we have a "shield" that protects us from the "fiery darts of the adversary," or in other words, the thoughts of doubt, fear and temptation that he throws at us.

I know that faith acts as a shield. It protects us from the misery and grief that always result when we disobey God's commandments. His plan is for us to be happy and successful. Hardships will come, but it is that opposition that allows us to grow, progress, and experience the full joy that the Gospel has to offer. I know that the Savior lives, and that it is only through His atoning sacrifice that we have the hope of changing and becoming like our Heavenly Father!