And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION,…Ephesians
6:17
The word "helmet" carries a very
descriptive meaning. In the original, it means "circle the head." And
that's how the helmet functioned. It encircled the soldier's entire head (except
for the face, of course) preventing injury to that vital part of the body.
In our scripture for today the helmet
refers to the mind controlled by God. It is too bad that many Christians have
the idea that the intellect is not important, when in reality it plays a vital
role in Christian growth, service, and victory.Satan wants to attack the mind, the way he
defeated Eve (Gen. 3; 2 Cor. 11:1–3). When
God controls the mind, Satan cannot lead the believer astray. The Christian
who studies his Bible and learns the meaning of Bible doctrines is not going to
be led astray too easily by Satan. We need to be “taught by Him as the truth is
in Jesus” (Eph. 4:21). We are to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Wherever Paul ministered, he
taught the new converts the truths of the Word of God, and this helmet
protected them from Satan’s lies. Read
the following story about one church-going man who was snatched away by the
enemy when his mind was not protected with the helmet of salvation:
One Sunday afternoon, I visited a man who had been a deacon in a
local church, but was at that time involved in a false cult. We sat at the
table with open Bibles, and I tried to show him the truth of God’s Word, but it
seemed his mind was blinded by lies. “How did you happen to turn away from a
Bible-preaching church and get involved in this belief?” I asked, and his reply
stunned me.
“Preacher, I blame the church. I didn’t know anything about the
Bible, and they didn’t teach me much more. I wanted to study the Bible, but
nobody told me how. Then they made me a deacon, and I wasn’t ready for it. It
was too much for me. I heard this man preaching the Bible over the radio and it
sounded as if he knew something. I started reading his magazine and studying
his books, and now I’m convinced he’s right.”
What a tragedy that when his local church
took him in, they failed to fit him with the helmet of salvation. Had they
practiced the truth found in 2 Timothy 2:2, this man might not have been a
casualty in the battle.
Heads
up!
The head covers our minds, and as we have
already talked about in this series, our minds are the battlefield where war
rages. This is what the enemy attacks most ferociously. He fills our minds with lies such as asking
me why I sacrifice the pleasures of life that are so tempting. Why try when I constantly fail? It is hopeless so why not just give in and
enjoy it once? He also offers half
truths like "God understands you are weak. Even if you fall, he will forgive
you. After all he loves you so much. So why do you try so hard to be
good?" At times, especially in weaker moments, the temptation to
buy into his lies is enormous. He fills our heads with doubts, fears, low
self-esteem, false doctrines, and he can take away our confidence. He can fill our heads with lies and make us
believe that we are not worthy of God’s love and mercy. He can trick us in to believing that we are
not capable of doing the work that God has planned for us. He can deceive us into becoming
non-productive for the kingdom of God and that is his goal. He chips away one soldier at a time trying to
cripple the Army of God. This is why we must protect our minds from his attacks
with the Helmet of Salvation – the knowledge that God has saved us and the
battle is already won.
Satan is the great deceiver but all that
he offers is short-lived. What God
promises is for all eternity and He has our best interest at heart.
Scripture to
Claim:
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on ... the hope of salvation as a helmet. 1 Thessalonians 5:8
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on ... the hope of salvation as a helmet. 1 Thessalonians 5:8
