Protected by Faith

We are continuing our series about the armor of God, and this week we will focus on the shield of faith. The Bible says our faith serves as protection from the devil’s attacks. Let’s start with prayer before we consider this further.

Lord God, thank You for this new opportunity to spend time with You. Thank You for Your heart of protection and kindness toward me always. Help me to have an open heart and mind as I contemplate faith and its power, and may I deepen in my faith walk with You today.

1 Peter 1:3-9 (NLT)
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.


Several years ago, I went through a trial that felt like the floor had been ripped out from under me. It was absolutely unexpected, couldn’t have been prevented, and was completely out of my control. The God I had trusted all my life didn’t answer my prayer, and I was utterly heartbroken. The devil saw an opportunity to fire his arrows of doubt at me. I didn’t question whether God was all-powerful; I had encountered too much of Him to doubt that. But was He truly for me? Did He still love me, and want my good? If so, why was I going through such a hard thing?
Although it may be painful, take a moment to look back on your own life. When has doubt about God arisen? What questions did you ask of Him?

I still remember the moment I decided to pray this difficult but honest prayer: “Lord, I can’t see You through this darkness. I don’t understand why this is happening. But I am going to choose to believe that You are still who I knew You to be in the light. Please help me get through this, and help me hold on to my faith.” When we encounter deep troubles in life that threaten to upend our faith, the strongest temptation is to let go of the God we can’t see, and to give in to the sadness and despair we can see. But nothing hurts us more than distance from God. When we give in to doubt about God's character and His goodness, it gives way to the devil to sow distance, despair, and depression. When in your own life has the devil seized his opportunity to aim arrows of doubt at your heart? Are any still lingering there?

Faith, on the other hand, is much more than a vain hope. Faith is the currency of God’s kingdom! Faith calls on the God of the universe to move on our behalf, and pulls our hearts close to the Giver of life. Faith is a shield from the onslaught of the enemy, and it is “through your faith [that] God is protecting you by His power” (verse 5). Our faith gives God space to reign over our circumstance, and invites His goodness into our lives. Nothing hurts us more than distance from God, and our faith is our shield. Have you made the personal decision to trust Him with your heart and your life, through every circumstance?  

Trials will certainly come at us on this side of eternity, but when you hold your shield of faith at the ready, “these trials will show that your faith is genuine…. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (verse 7). The presence of faith doesn’t mean the absence of doubt, but a decision to love and trust Him until the day you get to meet Him face to face!

Take some time to sit in God’s presence with honesty. You can use the following prompts to help you.

Have you allowed recent trials to strengthen and purify your faith in God?

Have any arrows of doubt been festering in your heart? Hold your heart and your faith up to Him, and He will help you sift through it all with His unfathomable kindness.

May your faith be strengthened in the coming days as we contemplate it further, and may it be a strong shield for you as you walk through the trials and victories of life!