According to Blue Letter Bible Commentary author, David Guzik, “The shield Paul describes is the large, oblong shield that could protect the whole body. In ancient warfare, these fiery darts were launched in great number at the beginning of an attack. The idea was not only to injure the enemy, but to shoot at him at all sides with a massive number of darts, and thus confuse and panic the enemy. Thoughts, feelings, imaginations, fears, lies – all of these can be hurled at us by Satan as fiery darts. Faith turns them back.”

Let’s look at some of the ways God’s Word talks about faith:

Heb 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

2 Cor 5: 7 For we live by faith, not by sight.

Living by sight is limiting our understanding to what we can plainly see. Living by faith is going to God’s living Word for His view on our circumstances. The enemy will overwhelm us with rapid fire attacks or a huge insurmountable wall. Jesus says that with God, all things are possible (Matt 19:26b) We need to keep seeking His will and His way.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

The Hall of Faith in Hebrews Chapter 11 shows us how the people of God had done things at God’s say-so that made them look silly, that earned their peer’s mockery and persecution among other things. But they held fast to their faith and pleased God by their obedience resulting from their faith in Him.

We can follow the apostles’ example during challenging times:
Luke 17:5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

2Cor4: For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Lord, indeed we trust You will give us the faith we need to not give up because of the discouraging situation our eyes can see but have faith that You are greater than any circumstance we face, that Your spiritual reality is greater than the physical reality we are limited by, that You will let us be victorious over our circumstances in Jesus’s name, amen.