The Shield of Faith has us first remembering that
“Flaming arrows" will come our way, swiftly and silently. Rarely do we receive an advance warning about them. We can simply wake up in the morning and be hit with a fiery dart from the Enemy. Has that ever happened to you? You’re just rubbing the sleep out of your eyes and are suddenly hit with an impure thought or a feeling of complete despair. You might find yourself gripped with intense fear or terror . . . Maybe it’s a thought of hatred toward someone. It even could be a blasphemous thought against God. You think, Where is that coming from? That was a flaming arrow directed at you. You need to get out the shield of faith, hold it up, and defend yourself. Deflect those arrows when they come your way.”
“Holding up the shield of faith means that we stand in the promises of God. Stand on what God has told us in His Word. He has made specific promises that will help us when we’re being attacked. We do not stand on our fluctuating feelings but rather on the solid foundation of God’s Word to us. . . Turn to Psalm 91, which promises God’s protection. When the lies come, the shield goes up. Again, the Bible does not tell us to stand firm in our feelings; it tells us to stand firm in our faith (see 1 Peter 5:9). When facing an opposing army, Romans soldiers often joined their shields together to form a barrier. So, our Shield of Faith is not only for our own protection, but for those we walk with (associate with) as well.