"...and take up the helmet of salvation..." Ephesians 6:17

“Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand… And take the helmet of salvation…”

(Ephesians 6:13&17)

Don’t forget your helmet. The soldier’s helmet protects and guards his head from injury. In our spiritual warfare, a guarded mind is just as important as a guarded heart. Notice the wording: “the helmet of salvation”. It is imperative that we guard our mind with the principles, precepts and promises of salvation. When we do this, we are assured of:

• A Faith-Based Confidence. Our confidence is predicated on the truths of God’s Word and all it says about our salvation. I John 5:13 says, “These things have I written unto you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” We can be confident of our salvation because we have chosen to believe and trust in Christ and His atoning work on the Cross. No matter how long we live for God, our adversary the devil, never stops trying to plant doubt in our mind regarding our relationship with God. Doubt always leads to defeat. Knowledge of the truths and promises of salvation form a protective helmet against fiery darts of doubt.

• A Word-Based Identity. In Judges 6:1-15, we read of Gideon…. a man that lost his identity. When Christian loses their identity, they no longer think and process things from a spiritual perspective but, from a fleshly perspective. Consequently, decisions are made on basis of fear rather than faith and based on the world, rather than the Word. You probably know individuals that have lost their identity and they don’t think right, talk right, or act right. Sometime… somewhere… they failed to put on the helmet of salvation and became unguarded in the way they thought and responded to situations and circumstances. God reminded Gideon who he was: The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor! People may think things and say things about you but, what matters is who GOD SAYS YOU ARE. You and I must choose to believe what God says about us.

• A Spirit-Sensitive Ear. The soldier’s helmet covers and guards his ears. It is imperative that a soldier hears his captain as he gives direction in battle. How we need to guard our spiritual hearing so we can hear the captain of our salvation - Jesus! Seven times in the book of Revelation the Lord said, “he that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith…”. It is now as it was in Paul’s day, some in the church are dull of hearing… they are hearing impaired as a result of not guarding their spiritual hearing.

Put on the helmet of salvation? What does that mean…. how is that done? We put on the helmet of salvation by reading and meditating on God’s Word. Psalms 119:11 says: "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against God”. Like David, we must internalize the Word of God. God’s Word then influences the way we think and respond to life. We can be thankful that God has provided His Word as a helmet… a protective covering for our mind…. don’t leave home without it.

For The Harvest,

Bob Wilburn