Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
— Ephesians 6:16

Would you like to extinguish every flaming dart the devil ever tries to shoot in your direction? Does that proposal sound too good to be true? Well, Ephesians 6:16 assures you that if you have your shield of faith lifted high in front of you, you will be supernaturally empowered to defend yourself against the fiery darts of the enemy. But more than that, you will be able to literally extinguish every single fiery dart the devil will ever try to send your way!

This makes our shield of faith very important! Therefore, let’s look at Ephesians 6:16 to see exactly what it says about us being able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the enemy. It says, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

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Today I would like to draw your attention to several very important points in this verse. First, I want you to notice the phrase “…wherewith ye shall be able….” The first part of this Greek phrase would be better translated by which. For the words “ye shall be able,” the Greek word used here is the word dunamis, which denotes explosive power or dynamic power and is where we get the word “dynamite.” When these Greek words and phrases are used together as they are in Ephesians 6:16, it could actually be translated, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, by which you will be dynamically empowered.…”

Paul uses these Greek words to explain the supernatural empowerment that occurs when a believer uses his shield of faith. When a believer lifts his shield high and holds it out in front of him where it belongs, that shield divinely energizes the believer to stand bravely against every assault of the devil. That shield of faith becomes dynamically and supernaturally empowered to act as an impenetrable wall of defense against the enemy’s tactics. In other words, faith is a shield to the believer!

The shield of faith is so powerful that it makes you fortified, invulnerable, and armed to the teeth! It equips you to hold an ironclad position. It turns you into a spiritual tank so you have the ability to move your position forward without taking any losses yourself. This doesn’t mean the devil won’t try to stop you, but when the shield of faith is held out in front of you as it ought to be, you become divinely empowered “…to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

The word “quench” in this verse is the Greek word sbennumi, which means to quench by dousing or to extinguish by drowning in water. It refers to the water-soaked shield of Roman soldiers. You see, before Roman soldiers went out to battle, they purposely soaked their shields in water until they were completely water-saturated. The soldiers did this because they knew the enemy would be shooting fire-bearing arrows in their direction. If a shield was dry, it was possible for it to be set on fire when struck. But if this vital piece of armor was water-soaked, the flames would be extinguished even if an arrow penetrated its heavily saturated surface.

How does this apply to us as believers? Well, Romans 10:17 says that our faith is increased by hearing the Word of God. In Ephesians 5:26, the Word of God is likened to water. So as we regularly submit ourselves to the Word of God, we soak our faith with the Word just as a Roman soldier soaked his shield with water. And when our faith becomes Word-saturated or Word-soaked, it becomes just like the soldier’s water-saturated shield. In other words, it will be so heavily inundated with the water of God’s Word that even if a fiery dart pierces our shield, the huge amount of Word in us will extinguish the flames and put out a potentially damaging situation!

The words “fiery darts” are from the Greek word belos. It referred to an arrow with its tip wrapped with fabric soaked in flammable fluids so it would burn with hot and angry flames. The famous Greek writer Thycidides used this Greek word belos to depict specially-made, long, slender arrows that outwardly looked harmless; however, the hollow interior of the arrow was filled with flammable fluids that, upon impact, exploded into a raging fire. This last arrow is most likely the picture that Paul had in his mind when he wrote about the “…fiery darts of the wicked.”

Often when the devil strikes, his attack looks inconsequential at first, like harmless little arrows that can do little damage. But when those arrows strike into the heart or emotions, they often explode and set human passions aflame, causing a minor issue to develop into a fierce, flaming situation. The damage done in such a moment is very serious — and all of it could have been avoided if the shield of faith had been held high and regularly doused in the water of the Word!

There is no doubt that the devil will try to shoot his arrows in your direction. But having a shield of faith that is soaked in the Word of God gives you double protection against these attacks. It guarantees that the enemy’s fiery darts will have little or no effect, even if they get close enough to strike your heart, mind, or emotions in the midst of the situations you find yourself facing today.

So I urge you today to take the time to soak your faith in the Word of God. Let the water of the Word so saturate your faith that if the enemy tries to launch a surprise attack on you — your health, your finances, your marriage, your children, your family, your church, your business, or your job — he will find that his fiery darts have no impact on your Word-soaked faith shield!

Refuse to let yourself become the devil’s victim! Hold your Word-doused shield of faith high in front of you so it completely covers your life. Then rest assured that no fiery dart of the enemy will make any serious impact on you. That faith shield will protect you from anything the enemy throws at you through the dynamic, explosive power of God!

My Prayer for Today

Lord, thank You for giving me the shield of faith. Help me to be brave and bold and to hold my shield high in front of me to stop every attack of the enemy. After reading today’s Sparkling Gem, I understand that I have a responsibility to soak my faith in Your Word so it can extinguish each and every flaming arrow the devil tries to shoot into my life. I ask You to help me be sincerely committed to making Your Word the top priority in my life — soaking my faith with that Word until it becomes an impenetrable wall of defense against the enemy’s attacks!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

My Confession for Today

I confess that my faith is saturated with the Word of God! The devil may try to attack me, but my faith is held out high in front of me, covering my life completely and extinguishing every flaming arrow the devil attempts to shoot in my direction. My faith is supernaturally energized, and I am empowered to stand against every assault the devil tries to make on my life!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

Questions to Answer

1. Are you spending enough time in the Word to see that your shield of faith is soaked and saturated with the water of God’s Word? Or is your faith so parched from a lack of the Word that your shield isn’t working anymore?

2. Can you remember a time when a fiery dart struck that would have normally set everything ablaze with negative emotions and destruction — but because your faith was Word-soaked and in place, that attack had very little impact in your life? What was that situation?

3. Have you ever seen a fiery dart from the enemy that released a blaze of destruction when it struck? When you saw it happen, did you realize that the success of the devil’s attack was due to a lack of time in God’s Word?