What is the Shield of Faith?

You are probably very familiar with the "armor of God" if you grew up going to church.  You've heard it a million times, and you might have committed it to memory before.  This morning after reading my devotional, the "shield of faith" became more than just a cheesy metaphor. 

 Ephesians 6:13-18 (NIV)

¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

My devotional was about verse sixteen in particular, but here is what struck me that I really didn't notice before: God is our protector. Faith in Him alone shields our souls. I can guarantee you this: If you trust in other stuff, you will feel the pain. Do it again, you’ll feel the shame.

It shields our souls.  It isn't just a grandiose metaphor to express your faith; your faith literally guards your soul from the lies of the world, the enemy that rules the earth.  Are you there yet? A place in your life where you don't want what the world wants because you've realized what pain it has caused you?  Have you come to a place where God has revealed the condition of your hardened heart? A heart hardened by sticky insults or innocent jabs, moral compromise that was supposed to bring you "happiness," good intentions, judgmental ideology born after success or being proven right?  The ruins of alcohol, desensitized mind, new experience turned addiction, discrimination towards the likeness of those who hurt you? Stored anger, deeply hidden fears, incessant worrying?  

Faith in God will slowly remove these layers as He reveals what the world has done to you.  Your heart becomes more aware and sensitive.  Once you realize what Truth is versus the lies, you don't want the things of the world anymore.  You don't obey God out of moral obligation or a need to be a good person.  You are spiritually willingly submitted to God because you know what joy and freedom there is in His presence, His will.

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.  Romans 1:25

Pray that God will reveal the lies of the world to you; where your heart has been hardened; pray that He show you what can be undone.  Pray that he show you truth in order to stop Satan's attacks.