We continued our series on spiritual warfare at Gateway in Austin.
The enemy throws flaming lies and doubts…faith blocks them, and your mind must be guarded by salvation’s truth.
Digging Deeper:
Work through this bonus Bible study with your roommates, family, or community group:
Message Video with Justin McCarty:
Message Audio with Justin McCarty:
Message Notes from Carlos Ortiz, Jr.:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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. – Ephesians 6:10 – 18
Thank you _ for reading today! We want to get right into the passage today, so let’s re-read our focused verses for today:
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.
So far we’ve given the why behind the armor, and we dove into the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the gospel shoes of peace…today we’re going after the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation.
The Shield of Faith — Protecting the Heart
What Is the Shield of Faith?
The shield in the Roman world was not a tiny buckler. It was large — four feet tall, two and a half feet wide. It could protect the whole body. It was made to interlock with other shields. This is not just individual protection — it is communal. It’s faith, yes, but a corporate faith, a lived trust in God that holds fast under pressure.
Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Faith is not a vague optimism or spiritual wishful thinking. It is a settled confidence in the character of God. Not faith in faith. Not faith in good outcomes. But faith in the God who entered history and bled for us.
Faith is leaning your whole weight on what Christ has done, is doing, and will do.
Why Is It Important?
Paul says this shield “extinguishes all the flaming darts of the evil one.” What are those darts?
Because Faith is not a message in a bottle and crossing your fingers that God gets it. Faith is anchoring ourselves in the person, character, and promises of God.
Psalm 91 ties beautifully in with our text for this series, and specifically with this understanding of our shield. In 2nd temple Judaism (in the time of Jesus), Psalm 91 was used as a psalm of ritual protection against evil spirits, demons, and illnesses. Early Christians carried this over and used it as a proclamation of God’s divine protection from supernatural evil. In fact if you recall from several weeks ago, this is the Psalm that Satan uses, by taking it out of context and twisting it, to tempt Jesus to throw Himself from the temple. Which suggests its protective reputation was already well known.
Look at what it says, Psalm 91:4-6 NIV:
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
Why does this matter? It shows us that the shield of faith is not a shield of self-actualization. It is not a shield of New Age manifesting- that if I just think enough good thoughts and declare good vibes I will attract good things and repel bad things. That’s a demonic trap to make you think you can control your world and be the center of your world.
No, what this Psalm teaches us and what the shield of faith is, is not just a WHAT but a WHO. That I put my faith in the all-powerful one. And because of HIS word, and HIS promises, and HIS victory the flaming arrows/darts can be extinguished.
The dart of accusation: “You’re a fraud. God could never really love someone like you.”
The dart of doubt: “Is God even good? If He was, why would He allow this?”
The dart of fear: “You have to control everything — if you let go, everything will fall apart.”
The dart of comparison: “Look at them — they’re further along, more blessed, more loved.”
These are not harmless lies — they are flaming. They burn. They spread. They can consume your emotional and spiritual life if they aren’t dealt with. John 8:44 calls our enemy the “father of lies” and according to Peter we are called to…
1 Peter 5:8-9 – 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
How Do I Take Up the Shield?
Preach the Gospel to Yourself Daily – Remind your heart: “I am accepted, not because of my performance, but because of Christ’s perfection.”
It grieves me when I hear good intentioned people talk about outgrowing the gospel by wanting to go “deeper” into what God desires. I’m going to say this as kindly and truthfully as possible…We do not outgrow The Gospel. It changes us daily, and in our maturity we then help others to become like Christ…to be disciples who follow His way.
Live in Community – Shields interlock. Share your doubts, let others carry your burdens.
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:1-2
You live differently when you are accountable to others. That is what separates followers of Jesus from the world. That we bear with one another. We are accountable to one another. We call each other higher. We see where there are chinks in our armor or gaps in our shield.
And you can normally tell someone’s spiritual and emotional maturity when you see how they respond to correction. Are you defensive? Or do you take it as constructive awareness knowing we all have blind spots and gaps.
I think some of what people call “Church Hurt” was people actually being held accountable. See, together we need our interlocking shields because we don’t battle alone.
Respond to Lies with Truth – Don’t just feel your faith. Use your faith. Speak the truth back to the lies.
Imagine you’re in a trial, and the prosecutor lays out every failure you’ve committed. And just when you expect condemnation, your defense attorney stands up. It’s Jesus. And He doesn’t say you’re innocent. He says, ‘The penalty has already been paid.’ That’s the shield. Not denial. But substitution.”
The Helmet of Salvation — Guarding the Mind
What Is the Helmet of Salvation?
The helmet is for your head — your mind, your thoughts, your worldview. Salvation is not just about forgiveness. It’s about a new identity. It changes how you think about everything — suffering, success, love, death.
1 Thessalonians 5:8-9 – since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Note Paul’s emphasis: hope of salvation. This is not wishful thinking. It’s certainty. A helmet of assured hope. Put on the mindset of someone who knows how the story ends.
Hope in the biblical sense is not uncertainty. It’s certainty rooted in God’s character. If you know how the story ends — that God wins, justice reigns, and you are secure — it changes how you endure the middle chapters. (not sure who said this, but I’ve heard it before)
Salvation is not this one-time event. It is ongoing. That’s why Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13(NIV)- …continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
To “work out” means to put it into practice
Fear and trembling refers to us recognizing God is Holy and it is in us revering Him and being in awe of Him that we position ourselves with a posture of humility and obedience
Knowing and trusting He is already at work within us to help us make the right decisions
The enemy throws flaming lies and doubts…faith blocks them, and your mind must be guarded by salvation’s truth. There are three parts of salvation for us to hold our hope on to:
Past tense of salvation – the idea that what is past, and has passed is forgiven. It has no future for us.
Present tense of salvation – I am daily walking in the salvation afforded me by the work of Jesus on the cross. It wasn’t a decision I made in the past, it is the daily decision to follow Jesus, to line up my will to his ways.
Future tense of salvation – Jesus’ cross will continue to work on my behalf, there is no expiration date when we choose to daily be renewed in Christ. I have hope for a future in Him.
God has given us the symbol of Baptism that demonstrates all three of these. Baptism is a practice that Christ followers, dating back to the first century church, have participated in as a communal declaration of an individuals decision to give their life to Christ recognizing their need for a savior who made a path for us back to God.
In baptism we enter the water which represents chaos, sin, disorder and then we are placed under it demonstrating our death and helpless state to do anything about the sin and disorder in our own lives. The person baptizing us then lifts us up out of the water representing God’s past, present, and future salvation out of our sin into the New Life that is available to us in Christ!
If you have made the decision to follow Jesus, but haven’t taken the step to get baptized publicly declaring your surrender to God and alignment with His plans, we want to invite you to meet us in the lobby so that we can give you some next steps to connect with God daily and get signed up for our upcoming baptism class on Oct 26th.
Why Is It Important?
The battle is not just physical. It’s mental. If our spiritual enemy can’t ruin your soul, he’ll try to ruin your mind.
He wants to distort your perception of reality.
He wants you to forget who you are in Christ.
He wants to fill your thoughts with fear, pride, shame, or self-pity.
Romans 12:1-3 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
How Do I Put on the Helmet?
Meditate on Your Identity in Christ – You are not your past. You are not your performance. You are in Christ.
Colossians 3:3 says, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
That means your identity is secure. Untouchable. The helmet protects your thoughts from being hijacked by false identities.
Rest in the Future God Has Secured – The worst thing that can happen to you (death) has already been defeated.
Tim Keller once said, “Because Christ was thrown into the only fire that can truly destroy, you will only walk through fires that refine.” If your salvation is secure, nothing can destroy you. Not suffering. Not loss. Not even death.
Philippians 1:6 – “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Fill Your Mind With The Truth of Scripture – You can’t fight lies with silence. You fight lies with truth.
You may not know this, but I was raised by a former heroin addict. My dad left Puerto Rico for New York City when he was 13, and he started to live as a junkie on the lower east side of Manhattan. His journey with drugs eventually got him locked up, and through a few Christian programs, he was released at 18 to one of these programs to both kick his habit and serve his time. In one of these programs he came to know Jesus, and started to live a life he didn’t know he could live. A life of a junkie, raised by multiple stepfathers and physical abuse was not one that could just happen with will power. No, my dad tells stories of how God restored his mind. He only went to the 8th grade, but the restorative power of God allowed him to memorize scripture, and learn to preach, then he went off to college and got straight As and graduated top of his class. But before he got his education, he would tell you that memorizing scripture was his education.
You will never live a courageous life until your mind is gripped by a salvation that is already accomplished. It’s not “try hard and hope you’re good with God.” You are covered and have received salvation through Jesus, now live like it. When we live like this we start experiencing changes as we grow into maturity. And in this process of maturity, so much about how we see things changes drastically.
But, spiritual maturity isn’t just about new habits — it’s about a renewed mind. And that renewal begins when salvation becomes the lens through which you see everything.
Close: A Faith That Shields, a Salvation That Guards
Paul tells us: “In all circumstances…” take up the shield. Put on the helmet.
When the enemy comes with accusation, raise the shield.
When your thoughts spiral into fear, self-doubt, or despair, tighten the helmet.
When life is confusing, disappointing, or painful, remember the gospel.
Closing prayer together:
A life in Christ is not lived in the absence of battle, but in the presence of victory.
We don’t fight for God’s approval, we fight from it.
We don’t stand strong because we’re brave, we stand because we’re covered.
So take up the shield.
Put on the helmet.
The spiritual battle is real, but so is God’s armor.
The lies are loud, but the truth speaks louder.
I may feel pressed from every side, but I am not crushed.
I may be struck down, but by God’s grace I am not destroyed.
Our spiritual enemy is persistent, but Jesus is victorious.
The spiritual war is raging, but the outcome is secure.
Thanks be to God.
