The shield of Faith - I want to call your attention to this one piece of the armor carried by the blood bought. The shield that Paul had in mind here is not the small, round dish looking thing, but the oblong, door-like shield, measuring 4' x 2 ', curved to the shape of the body and carried by the Greek and Roman soldiers. When joined together, these large shields formed a wall behind which a body of troops could hide themselves from the rain of the enemy's missiles.
These military shields were made of wood, covered on the out side with thick leather, which not only deadened the shock of the missile, but protected the frame of the shield from the fire-tipped darts used in the artillery of the ancients.
Contrary to popular teaching, faith is not mental delusion, behavior replacement or presumption and it is not evidenced by self-bolstering surface sucess, but a work of the Holy Spirit from the inside out. Roots to fruits.