Learning from Baseball: Defense First!

In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Ephesians 6:16 (NLT)

There are nine innings in the typical baseball game and there are two halves in every inning. The first half of every inning begins with the visiting team playing offense and the home team playing defense.

Offense is played from the batter’s box by one team member at a time.

Defense is played on the field by all nine players in the lineup.

Offense is the only way for a team to score runs; runs are needed to win the game.

Defense is the only way to prevent the opposing team from scoring.

Offense is played with a bat.

Defense is played with a glove.

Three weeks ago, we took a quick look at the four pieces of God’s armor meant to be worn by every Jesus-follower. We compared the physical and spiritual places of our lives those pieces of armor protect (when worn).

Today, we’re looking at the shield of faith. A shield is not worn; a shield is held. It is mobile and controlled by the one holding it.

The shield of faith has one purpose in the life of a believer. Defense! From what? The fiery arrows of the devil. These are spiritual arrows aimed at the exposed and vulnerable places in our lives. Why? Our enemy wants us to fall back into our old ways of doing.

The sole purpose of fiery arrows is to create doubt in the One we’re following and send us running back to the ease of complacency and the misery of living to please ourselves.

Fiery arrows burn deep into our souls and kill us from the inside out.

Fiery arrows are dipped in defeat, discouragement, and depression.

Fiery arrows are meant to prevent us from holding on to the progress we’ve already made in following Jesus.

So, how do we hold up our shield of faith?

Easy answer? By choosing to consistently seek and do what pleases God in every decision; obedience to the words and ways of God. If we’re doing this, there will be evidence of Holy Spirit fruit in our lives.

First century Ephesians were familiar with the Roman shield. It was called a scutum and designed for use as a unit. One soldier alone was not protected. That’s right! The scutum was useless unless the soldiers came together with their scutum to create a barrier. They would form a tortoise shell curve with the front line holding their shields up in front and the following lines holding their shields overhead. This barrier was a defense for both the entire unit and each individual soldier in the unit.  

Okay, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never understood this truth before now. Holding up the shield of faith is not just about me. It’s about every other Jesus-follower, too!

I’ve learned something new about the sword of a Roman soldier too! I’m excited about how it relates to us as believers, but let’s save the sword for next week.

Between Then and Now…

1 Read your Bible. I would challenge you to read the entire book of Ephesians. There are only six chapters, so one a day will not be too much for even the busiest of schedules. Remember to ask Holy Spirit to give you understanding of the words you read before you start reading.

2 Exercise your arms. We need strong arms to hold up our shields, so find a couple of arm exercises you can do. This will remind you to hold up your shield.

3 Pray! Ask Jesus to open your eyes to any areas of your life you’ve allowed your shield to drop. Those places where you are not being truly obedient to His words and ways. Those places where you are excusing your choices. These are the vulnerable places in your life; the places where our enemy can hurt you and others. Apply 1 John 1:9 immediately!

I’m praying for you! Yes, each one of you. I’m also praying for myself. LORD, may we not turn our eyes from the places where we have lowered our shields and allowed the enemy to compromise our choices. May we seek You and Your ways and faithfully follow You. May we be strong in Your mighty power. Give us the desire and the strength to do the hard work of holding up our shields and making new choices. May we no longer carry out the desires of the flesh when they are contrary to the words and ways of Jesus!

Digging Deeper:

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)

Did you know Paul wrote the letter we now call the Book of Ephesians to the church in Ephesus while he was under house arrest in Rome? Did you know he wrote it for the sole purpose of encouraging them to not grow weary in their faith?

The first half of his letter was to remind them Jesus is our firm foundation. The second half of his letter was practical help on how to live faithfully by…

…living in unity with other Jesus-followers

…keeping the LORD first in every relationship

…recognizing and standing firm against the schemes of our enemy

If you have not yet met Jesus, you can meet Him today. He created you. He loves you. He wants you to be a part of His family. I encourage you to step into the life He created you to live. You will still have the troubles of this world, but you will no longer be facing them alone. I’m praying for you! https://peacewithgod.net/mobile/?utm_source=Microsoft&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=HowToGoToHeaven&utm_campaign=USPWGMobileSearchMic

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.