Helmet of Salvation (Part VI)...

May 18, 2009

Danielle Joyner Kelley

“TAKE THE HELMET OF SALVATION…”

This is the fourth piece of armor you must have with you. You won’t necessarily put it on until the battle begins, but you will always have it with you.

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17.

Soldiers would frequently carry their helmet and put it on right before battle, but it was always with them at all times. That is why the scripture tells us we are to “take” the Helmet of Salvation. You never leave it behind.

Your head is where you can suffer severe injury, similar to the heart. Your enemy loves to attack your head, and will frequently cause your own mind to become the battleground.

What is the Helmet of Salvation though? It is the helmet that protects your mind and your thoughts. Your enemy’s battle plan is specifically drawn to attack you here, so be prepared to protect your mind.

You must do everything you can. “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13. If your Shoes of Peace and Breastplate of Righteousness are on then your enemy cannot attack your chest or try to knock you off your feet. However, if he sees you without your Helmet of Salvation on that is exactly where he will strike you. Think of a solider charging against his opponent and riding a horse with a sword in his hand. He will ride up against his adversaries and swing at their heads.

HELMET OF SALVATION: What steps do you need to take to make sure the helmet is strong enough to protect you?

I. RESOLVE TO NEVER GIVE UP: From the beginning, even before you start, resolve that you will do everything you can, and never give up. Make sure that you have asked for forgiveness of your sins. “From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Matthew 4:17. No matter how hard things get, you keep walking in faith. Look to Jesus and the strength he showed for you. “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13.

II. THINK LIKE A CHRISTIAN SOLIDER: Make sure that you know God’s word and follow it. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105. Know His promises and assurance of victory. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18. Do not look back over your life and engage in regret, guilt, and self-pity while you are on a battlefield. If your enemy can get you to think backwards and worry about it then he doesn’t have to worry about you looking forward and being prepared for his attack. If you know God’s word then you know His promise of forgiveness. You have to believe in His word and live by faith in the promises He gives you.

III. TRANSFORM YOUR MIND: God wants your mind to be transformed. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2. Once you understand His word, you can transform your mind because you know what is true and untrue, and what His will is. Start to recognize what sin can do to you emotionally, and the hurt it causes you and others.

IV. TRANSFORM YOUR ACTIONS: Allow your transformed mind to change your actions. “But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8. Do not just think like a Christian Solider, act like one. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11.

V. AIM FOR COMPLETENESS: Do not allow yourself to fall victim to what others are telling you about what you should do to follow God. Go to Him directly, through His word and through His Spirit.

Often we worry about what others think, and when we act on something we seek confirmation from another person that what we did was appropriate. While it is entirely understandable for a believer to seek another Christian’s advice on an action, do not seek it without having talked to God about what He thinks first. If you do this you are telling Him that you do not have a good enough relationship with Him, so you are going to seek approval from someone who does. You need to work to have that complete relationship with Him.

If you are new to working on this relationship, it is easy to believe anyone who says they are a person of God. This is precisely why you need to make sure you have talked to God yourself. Some believers are focused on emotions only, and want to feel good all the time. However, we are often closest to God when we are in our darkest moments. Still some believers are the opposite and only focus on God’s will. They memorize everything, recite everything, but do not have the emotion connection. God wants us to love Him, and be on fire for Him. He would rather have you talking to Him directly and asking Him why this happened to you than he would have you not caring what He thinks at all. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16.

The truth is you need to work on completeness: the heart (emotions), the mind (learning His will through your relationship with Him and through His word), and the body (conforming your actions to His will and not your own desires). Remember, He wants you on fire for Him, so the heart, mind, and body must be working together to accomplish this. You are to hide His word in your heart, meditate on it in your mind, and then carry it out through your actions. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” Psalm 119:9-16.

VI. USE GOD’S TRUTH TO UNDERSTAND YOUR ENEMY: Use God’s truth to understand your enemy’s battle plan. “If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:10-11. And if you know God’s word you will know your enemy’s schemes, and you can prepare for his attacks.

There are three primary ways that your enemy seeks to attack your mind.

1) Your enemy uses doubt. He tries to cause you to doubt God. He wants you to focus on everything negative possible instead of trusting and having faith in God’s promise of victory.
Know you are victorious, and rely on God’s will for your life. “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:1-2.

You cannot have a doubtful mind and be victorious for many reasons. One, a doubtful mind is divided. “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Mark 3:24-25. Second, you cannot think clearly enough to understand God’s truth because you are filling your head with questions and doubts. Your mind has to be open to God, not doubting whether He can accomplish what you are asking for in prayer. This is more than just memorizing His word. This is your emotions and what you feel and know is true. Have faith in Him. Otherwise you are divided against yourself and you have let your enemy know that you are not even sure what you are fighting for. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” James 1:5-8.

Doubt is a lack of faith, and it creates worry and anxiety that can harm your faith even further because it will linger. God has told us not to worry. “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.” Luke 12:29.

God has also told us that if we truly believe we can do anything. Remember Peter did not fall when he was walking on the water and focused only on Jesus. He fell into the water when he saw the wind blowing and became afraid. And Jesus told him why he fell: doubt. “Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" Matthew 14:29-31.

True, blind faith does not waiver. The Greek word for doubtful is “distazo” meaning waiver or doubt. We frequently waiver, never settling our minds on an issue, but this is a test of your faith. Resolve that God is your solution for everything and you will settle your mind on what He promises. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” Mark 11:23.

If you are struggling with your faith, God understands. He knows what your enemy is trying to do to you and He knows how hard it is for you, but He is waiting for you to come to Him with everything. That means if you are doubtful you do not seek to find your peace of mind from man, but from Him. He loves you enough to help you overcome your doubt. Talk to Him about every thing even if you think you are doing something wrong. You do not ever have to be too ashamed to come to Him. He knows your every thought, and He knows you are prone to sin. He wants you to have a relationship with Him and be able to trust Him to overcome any obstacle you are facing. “Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:24.

2) Your enemy deceives you. Remember always that all good things come from God. If it is confusion, worry, anxiety, and the like it is not from God. “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:33.

To look at how deceitful he is, look at two well known examples in the Bible. First, look at when the Devil was tempting Jesus in the desert. What did he tempt Him with? Scripture. “The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”. Luke 4:9-12.

The second example is from Genesis where Eve is in the Garden of Eden, and the Devil is tempting her to eat the apple. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' " "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:1-5.

In both examples notice two important points. First, your enemy knows God’s word also, and is aiming to deceive you with it. If you have not read it for yourself how will you be prepared to know the truth? Look at how Jesus handled the Devil. Although he quoted scripture from God’s word, so did Jesus. Key point here. You cannot just memorize scripture. You have to have a relationship with God and have a clear mind (not doubting or being deceived) to understand God’s word through the Holy Spirit. When you read His word you will understand it with the help of the Holy Spirit, and then you know the undeniable truth, no matter what your enemy or anyone else tells you.

Second, he uses it to play on your weaknesses. He mistakenly thought that Jesus would want to show him that He is the Son of God by jumping from the highest point of the temple. But Jesus was perfect in every way and knew that He was here to do His Father’s work, and that was all that mattered.

These examples show you how you should handle the temptation versus how you should not. Do not give in. Arm yourself with God’s truth and know that you cannot be deceived. If you do not, you are opening yourself up to falling for your enemy’s trick of luring you into his trap.

“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3. Here the Apostle Paul tells us that we can somehow be led “astray” from our “sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” “Sincere and pure” is a single-minded concept. When you doubt you open yourself up to being deceived because you have divided your mind between what is true and what is false, and you have clouded the truth with your own thoughts. Stay single-minded about your faith in God’s truth, sincerely and purely.

3) Your enemy discourages you. He tells you that you cannot win, that it will take too long, that you are waiting for nothing or God would have already acted by now, and that God is the one deceiving you. How does he get you to believe this?

First, he preys on your fear of failure. We are afraid of failure because it makes us ashamed and feel alone. But we need to remember that God is our strength, and we are never really alone. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6. When you are afraid to try again because you feel as if you failed, remember to go to God to renew you and give you the courage to go forward. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.

Second, he preys on your fatigue. When you are sick, tired, exhausted, or suffering and feel that you cannot put one foot in front of the other and that you cannot go any further, your enemy steps up to prey on those feelings of fatigue. He tries to cause you to see things as worse than they already are by telling you there is no way to overcome it. But God’s truth tells you that this is a lie. “But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. When you are weak and you keep your faith and trust in God, your enemy loses. And God steps in to show the world His power through you. He will take the weak and make them strong.

Third, he preys on your frustration. When you are feeling impatient and overwhelmed by the weight of the world, he will step in to tell you that you are doing everything wrong, or that others are. He will fuel your frustration until not only do you doubt yourself, but you doubt others as well. Remember that God’s timing is perfect. We are on His timing and not our own. Everything in your life reaches perfection on His watch. We may feel good about things we do in our own timing, but not half as good as we would feel if we would wait for God. He wants you to be still, remain faithful, and be patient. “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalm 37:7.

Fourth, he preys on your confusion. He will use believers and non-believers to discourage you by clouding your thoughts about each other. You will worry about what others think of you, and what you should or should not have done in a situation. He wants you to concentrate on fighting with someone because you both have mistruths about each other instead of trying to focus on the root of the problem. For example, if someone is acting out at work because they are upset about a problem going on behind the scenes at home, he will confuse you who that person really is inside. He will tell you that the person is horrible and fill you full of anger and resentment. Then you will lash out at them instead of trying to figure out what is causing them to act out and help them. God wants us to help each other, but your enemy will deliberately try to cause dissention in your own ranks and cause you to turn on your own army. That is not what God wants for us. His word tells us that we are all one in Christ. “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5.
Remember your enemy wants you to act contrary to God’s word. God’s word tells us that, “We live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7. He will prey on your thoughts and show you things to get you to walk by sight and not faith. That is how he seeks to discourage you: by what you see. But with full confidence in God what you see is not what you live by. The “unseen” is your compass. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1.

If you do not prepare yourself for your enemy’s attacks on your mind, your own defeat will come from within and not outside. Remember your own mind is the battleground. Jesus never gave up inside, and He never gave up on you.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7.