(Eph 6: 16-17) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked… and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Roman soldiers were famous for their fierce bravery, relentlessness in battle and their unwillingness to retreat. Historians say their resolve on the battlefield was due to their understanding of and trust in their weapons, tactics and training. Every soldier knew their sword and shield were vital to survival and victory, because the first person to turn and retreat left his backside unprotected.
Paul understood that the same is true for Christians; our survival and victory depend on our ability to effectively use our sword (the word of God) and “above all,” our shield (of faith). There are a few interesting Roman tactics that we can apply in our own lives today:
Roman soldiers lined up with shields side by side, creating a continuous barrier on the front line, and marched forward. Too many Christians today are debating doctrinal and denominational differences, wasting precious time and talents attacking those within their own ranks or worst of all, are not even aware they are in a war. Denominations must stop arguing with other denominations, churches must stop debating other churches, ministries must stop criticizing other ministries, and Christians must stop attacking each other and start joining our shields of faith together because, as Leviticus 26:8 tells us, our power increases exponentially when we join together. We must get trained up to use the weapons we’ve been given, and start moving forward, directing fire at the enemy where it belongs, not facing our shields at each other and letting the enemy walk right through our front lines.
The Roman soldier’s first move when he met the enemy was to use his shield to knock his enemy off balance. Our first move during an attack must be to put our faith in gear and raise it up as a shield, because it will quench ALL the fiery darts of the enemy. In other words, when we face the enemy with our faith, “no weapon formed against us shall prosper,” (Is 54:17) they have nothing that can harm us, or as I heard a preacher once say “All the weapons of the enemy are make-believe.” Just as the Roman soldiers knew their shield was their first line of defense, our first move must not be to turn and run, but to hold the line, consciously engage our faith and face the battle knowing we can only be victorious.
Once the enemy was off balance the soldier made quick, precise jabs with his sword. When we mention warriors we think of Conan the Barbarian who, armed with his oversized biceps and Austrian accent, swung a five foot long sword around over his head defeating twenty men at a time. Roman soldiers however, defeated their enemies with their tactics and skill rather than brute force. The Roman army’s campaigns lasted months or years and soldiers marched and fought every day, so they learned to use their time and resources efficiently, knowing they were in it for the long haul.
Jesus used the same strategy in his ministry: Matthew 4 tells us that in the wilderness He “jabbed” Satan three times with the words “It is written” and the devil left Him. Jesus didn’t go chasing demons looking for a fight; He was on a three year long rescue mission to spread the gospel, heal the sick and set the captive free. When He met resistance He simply used the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” to defeat whatever was in His way and kept moving forward.
Be a good soldier in God’s army. Study your weapons and tactics to show yourself approved, so you won’t be ashamed when you are under attack but will instead win the victory every time.
Author Resource:-
Todd Dawalt
Called by God to teach the fullness of the Holy Spirit
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