the shield of faith: Faith means trusting Christ as Savior or trusting God to meet needs during difficult times. Like a shield that protects a soldier from arrows, faith protects believers from fear, doubt, and the lies of the devil.
all the flaming arrows: Paul uses a strong picture to describe how temptation to sin can come suddenly and powerfully (compare Matthew 6:13; 26:41; 1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:12–15). In battle, arrows were sometimes dipped in pitch and set on fire before being shot. In the same way, the devil sends dangerous temptations, but faith in God can stop them.