Paul encourages believers to hold up the shield of faith to protect themselves against the devil in Ephesians 6:16, “ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” A shield can be easily moved to stop the arrow depending on where the arrow moves. A shield can also be moved to protect the people surrounding you.
Think about an umbrella and what it does. When you hold it up, you shield yourself from the precipitation falling from the sky. You put your faith in that umbrella to keep you dry and safe. The shield of faith does the same. It protects us from the attacks of the enemy, shields us from the darkness. Faith is needed to walk through this Christian life.
An umbrella can also protect others. When we extend it out and offer to hold it over someone else’s head, we are saying, “I want to keep you from the rain, too.” The same can be said of the shield. We can extend it out to protect those around us as well. When we do, we are sharing our faith and showing the world that we care about their salvation.