The Full Armor of God: Helmet of Salvation – Part 6

Helmet of Salvation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Put on salvation as your helmet...” – Ephesians 6:17a NLT

 

This week we continue our Full Armor of God series, learning about the Helmet of Salvation – its purpose and importance. This is the fifth piece of the spiritual armor that Apostle Paul instructs every Christian to wear. It’s a piece of armor that, just like the rest that we have previously studied, must never be taken for granted, never misunderstood, never neglected, and must be worn – at all times.

Purpose of the Helmet

The Roman soldier never went into battle without his helmet on. It was to protect him from having his head severely gashed or severed, resulting from the swing of the enemy’s sword. Back then, the most common and most effective hand-to-hand combat was accompanied by either the broadsword or dagger(s). When the enemy charged, they would do so either on foot or on horseback. As they would swing their swords, the main objective was to eliminate their opponent with one blow resulting in decapitation – stopping them in their tracks. Without the helmet, as the old adage would suggest, that soldier’s head would be like a sitting duck.

The human head is a very vital and most important part of the human anatomy; it’s irreplaceable. There are people who are amputees – due to health and medical complications resulting in the loss of one, two, or all limbs. There are those who were born into this world missing limbs. There are those who have received organ (heart, lung, kidney, liver, etc.) transplants, as well as limbs reattached (in some cases); after receiving a transplant or reattachment, many have lived a long and full life by the grace of God. However, the human head (or brain) cannot be transplanted or reattached (even though doctors and scientists continue to try.) Without the head attached or a functioning brain operating properly, life will cease to exist in the human body (of course the soul lives on). 

The human head contains the brain – the most vital organ in regards to telling what the other body parts are supposed to do. It is likened unto a mainframe computer. It is the central command center that keeps the body functioning. Not only does it tell other organs and limbs how to behave, it is capable of learning new things every millisecond. The brain is where the mind resides; where memories are stored and where thoughts are continuously processed. It is said that a person is capable of processing 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day – consciously and subconsciously. This is where actions stem from. This is where emotional highs and lows flow from. This is where the personality resides. Without the human head attached or a functioning brain operating, the body will lie motionless; lifeless; and become nothing more than a corpse. A life support machine may keep a body functioning, but the brain is what keeps the person functioning.

What is Salvation?

We can have the assurance that we are saved when we accept Christ Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. It is nothing that we can earn by our works, but it is given to us freely as a gift from God – because of His love, grace, and mercy (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8-9). The moment we believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ; place our faith in His finished work on the Cross; believe He was raised on the third day; believe that He is alive and well and sitting on the right hand of God the Father – we receive salvation (Hebrews 10:19-23, Acts 4:12, Romans 10:9-13, Luke 22:69, Acts 2:33, Acts 7:55-56, Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:20).

Salvation is ongoing by faith – meaning, we must continue to believe in Him; we should never doubt and turn away. Apostle Paul writes to the Philippians in Philippians 2:12 that they should work out their own soul salvation with fear and trembling. He stressed that not only should they do it while he was there, but it was most importantly to do so while he was gone. They should have a deep reverence for God and continued obedience to Him at all times. Those same instructions stand true for us today, as well. Continued faith in Christ and what He has done for us, will show by how we live and our obedience to His commandments (James 2:17).

Why the Helmet of Salvation Should Be Worn

From the moment a person receives salvation, Satan and his demonic army comes, swinging the sword of doubt and discouragement. As we have discussed in previous lessons, the mind is where he attacks. Even in the Garden of Eden, he convinced Eve to doubt what God had instructed Adam in regards to the forbidden fruit (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-6). Satan will try to oppress each of us with doubt in hopes we will quit believing and standing on the Promises of God. He wants us to quit looking for the blessed hope (Titus 2:13). He wants us to be convinced that God is a liar just as he convinced Eve. He wants us to rebel against God. Ultimately, he wants us to believe that God does not exist.

Faith, once planted, will continue to grow if it is cultivated and tended to. The same is true with doubt; if it is cultivated and tended to, it will continue to grow until unbelief has taken the place of belief. That is exactly what the enemy wants to happen. If he can ever get our focus off of Jesus and who we are in Him, then everything else is a piece of cake. As Christians, we must keep Jesus Christ head of our life at all times, our hearts and minds must meditate on the Word of God constantly – just like breathing, and we must live our lives in obedience to Christ and His commandments.

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14 KJV

Years ago, I played football when I was in high school. Each day we practiced we were either in full dress (with pads) or just our shorts and t-shirts. Regardless of what our attire was from the neck down, we always wore our helmets. The days that we just wore shorts and shirts, we never did much physical contact, but nevertheless, it was mandatory to wear our helmets. We were to never take them off. I must say, there were times that I am glad I never did. The football helmet is mandatory for every football player to help prevent concussions. Many have died from those injuries, but without the helmet on, many more deaths and injuries would occur. Even today, on my job, it is mandatory to wear hard hats to protect our heads from any unseen obstructions or from flying debris. In football or on the job site, a person may not always encounter situations that will put their head in danger, but in case they do, they will have their protective equipment on. It takes daily discipline. Damage to the head can be crucial and deadly; wearing the necessary protection at all times will help protect against the devastating and deadly blows when they come; they will most likely come when least expected. The same is true for our spiritual lives. The moment we take off our helmet of salvation, the enemy will try to deliver a devastating blow when we least expect it.

Conclusion

Keeping on the helmet of salvation will protect us from those deadly blows of doubt and discouragement. Keeping on the helmet of salvation is exercising our faith in Jesus Christ, Who is the Captain of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10). Keeping on the helmet of salvation will ensure that we will be overcomers in Christ Jesus. Christ said that for those who overcome, He would not blot out their names from the Book of Life and they will be able to sit with Him in His throne (Revelation 3:5, 21).

 

The helmet of salvation will continue to transform our minds, so we may consistently meditate on the Word of God instead of things of the world. 

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." - Romans 12:2 KJV

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:" - Philippians 2:5 KJV

So, my dear brothers and sisters, keep on your helmet of salvation so you may withstand the blows of discouragement and doubt. Keep on the helmet of salvation so you will continue to look for that blessed hope. Keep on your helmet of salvation so that you will remain sober and your meditations will be on the Word of God. Never take it off and leave yourself open to an attack like a sitting duck. Keep on the helmet of salvation so the same mind that was in Christ will also be in you.

Until next week, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

"I will delight myself in Thy statutes: I will not forget Thy Word." -Psalm 119:16 KJV

Next Week: The Full Armor of God: Sword of the Spirit - Part 7

The Full Armor of God: Shield of Faith – Part 5

The Shield of Faith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” – Ephesians 6:16 NLT 

      We continue our study this week learning about next piece of our spiritual armor – the Shield of Faith. When the word shield comes to my mind, I immediately think of ways to protect myself from something damaging. The Holy Spirit, through Apostle Paul, instructs us to wield the shield of faith in order to stop and protect ourselves against the fiery arrows that the enemy will try to destroy us with. We will learn about its importance, as well as the type of fiery arrows that try to destroy us.

      What is a shield? A shield was designed to protect soldiers while in battle. In ancient days, shields took on several forms throughout the years. We can browse history books and pore through archeology finds, and it would not take long to notice the similarities of shields throughout different cultures. The word shield is used often throughout the Bible. David made references to a shield at least fifteen (15) times in the Book of Psalms when he talked about the Lord being his and Israel’s protection.

 

      King David was a man of war; which means that he was very familiar with a shield and its purpose. He gave the Lord an attribute – among many descriptives in Psalm 18:2, 30 – which is a buckler. The Hebrew word for buckler is magen, which means a small round shield; in Greek it was called hoplon.  I looked into this a little bit, because my thoughts about a small round shield had me puzzled. What good would a small shield serve a soldier that was being attacked? Well, to my surprise, a magen served many purposes. It was not just for defensive maneuvers, but for offensive maneuvers as well. It was small enough to use during hand-to-hand combat for striking an effective blow, while at the same time defending against a sword or dagger attack. The following are some of the uses for the magen – or buckler: it was used to protect the sword-hand; effective for deflecting swords and daggers; could be used to hide the sword-hand while attacking – keeping his enemy from guessing his next move; could be used to directly attack by punching with the center part, or metal rim; could be used to bind the enemy’s shield and weapons to his body. As we can see, the magen – or buckler – was quite an important piece of armor.

      Over time, a larger shield came into existence called the scutum (Latin) or thyreos (Greek). This particular shield was much larger than the buckler – ah, yes, a large shield; that’s more my speed. The scutum – or thyreos – could hide the entire body while under attack. Like the bucklers, they went through metamorphosis stages throughout the years – which improved efficiency and effectiveness. One unique feature about the scutum was the way it was designed. A group of soldiers could overlay the edges of their shields on top of each other, overhead, to produce one massive shield that would protect the entire group from arrows and spears directed toward them. They were usually thick enough to prevent a sword, arrow, or spear from penetrating; yet, they were light enough and strong enough to ram through an adversary or barricade. As they marched, I visualize them taking the appearance likened unto a moving wall, as they hid behind their shields. While both the magen and scutum were equally important, they were different sizes and served different purposes. Nevertheless, both were very effective for defensive and offensive maneuvers.

      What is faith? “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1 NLT).” Confidence and assurance – two attributes just about every child has, that somehow tend to become lost as we grow older. I guess that could happen for various reasons and caused by various circumstances. A child, however, has no problem believing the impossible, attempting the unattainable, and daring to prove they can do just what they are told they can’t do. A child has no comprehension of what a ridiculous idea is; to them it is reality. I understand more and more why Jesus desires our faith to be like that of a child (Matthew 18: 2-4). A child, in their innocence and humbleness, boldly believes that ALL things are possible. That is where God wants each and every one of His children – to believe that ALL things are possible with Him (Mark 9:23, 10:27).

      When I was a child, I really enjoyed reading comic books; especially the ones about superheroes. Some of my favorites – and probably true for most boys that are into action comic books – were the ones with Superman. What boy, at the age of seven, would not want to be faster than a speeding bullet, leap tall buildings with a single bound, and stop locomotives? I really liked the part about where he could fly everywhere – how cool is that?! One day, I decided to take a bed sheet – that doubled as a cape – and went outside to do what I dreamed of doing – fly. I jumped and jumped and jumped, but I just could not seem to attain any distance between me and the ground – gravity just would not cooperate. I thought, maybe, if I jumped off of something; that will help. I climbed on top of the shed, worked up my courage, ran as fast as I could, and just like Superman, I went airborne – briefly, before gravity found me, pulling me down, causing me to hit the ground wide open. That was NOT what I had planned, nor how I thought it would turn out. In my mind, I believed that I could fly. Did that stop me? No, I tried again. Children don’t give up easily; especially when they really want something. They will ask and ask and ask and keep on asking, believing that the adult will finally say “Yes”. Confidence and assurance.

      Faith is believing God and trusting that anything is possible with Him – even when it seems ridiculous (Matthew 19:26). Abraham believed what God said; he took Him at His Word and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Galatians 3:6). He never saw God, never heard of God, and never heard God’s voice before that moment he was told to leave his country and kindred (Genesis 12). This was an idol worshipper, a pagan, a nomad that portrayed everything God is not – yet, he trusted Him. Faith believes that no matter what the current situation looks like, it will continue to trust in the unseen promises of God. Faith is living in the supernatural, where unseen things are just as much a reality and tangible as are physical things.

      How do we use the Shield of Faith? In our everyday walk, we are faced with forces that are unseen. For the child of God, attacks will come, calamities will often arise, and attempts to destroy our lives is the ultimate goal of satan. The shield of faith will help in guarding ourselves against these unseen forces.

Attacks. Paul tells us that attacks will come by fiery arrows. Satan will shoot at us arrows of fear, doubt, low self-esteem, depression, temptations, etc. All of these types of arrows are pulled from a quiver of lies. Jesus tells us that satan is a liar and the father of lies; when he lies, it’s consistent with his character (John 8:44). The weaponry he uses is based on lies; it is counterfeit; and it holds no material realism or foundational truth. We read in Matthew chapter four about the temptations of Jesus. Satan came to Him after He had been fasting for forty days and nights. However, every lie satan would tempt Jesus with, Jesus replied with the truth by using the Word of God on him. Finally, He told satan to leave; so he did (Matthew 4: 10-11). We must not only be knowledgeable in the Word of God, but also believe what it says. Having faith in the Word of God will show by how we live our lives. We show our faith in what God says, by our continued obedience to His Word. James tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:20). If we are not living by His Word and walking in His statutes, we have no faith. The enemy will discern a person of faith from a person of unbelief. By using our shield of faith, we have the confidence and assurance in the Word of God – truth – and that will always extinguish the attack of lies.

Calamities. At some point in our lives we will be faced with calamities – also known as catastrophes, disasters, misfortune, etc. Christians are not exempt from these. Some may be external, and some internal. They may come through loss of loved ones; loss of everything in a fire; everything may seem to crumble around you; depression; oppression; and so forth. Even though these events may come, we can have faith – confidence and assurance – in the Word of God that Psalm 34:19 is true: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” KJV. As we learned in our previous lesson about the Breastplate of Righteousness, Job was a righteous man that God allowed satan to try – he was allowed to destroy anything he wanted but could not take Job’s life (Job 2:6). Even though Job had his questions, he still trusted God. Whatever calamities that may arise in our lives, we can have faith – confidence and assurance – that God will deliver us out of all our afflictions.

Attempts to destroy life. While having His Last Supper with His disciples hours before He was betrayed, Jesus turned to Peter and told him that satan desired to sift him as wheat, but He had already prayed for him, that his faith would not fail (Luke 22:31). Satan would love nothing more than to destroy the lives of Christians. It has nothing to do with us, but everything to do with God and satan’s rebellion and hatred toward Him. Jesus says in John 10:10 that the enemy came to do nothing but to steal, kill and destroy; however, by faith, we also have that confidence and assurance in knowing that Jesus came to do what He said He came to do in the latter part of that verse – to give us life and give it more abundantly. Even though our adversary is walking about the earth to and fro like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 4:8), we need to stand against him and remain strong in our faith (1 Peter 4:9) – the confidence and assurance – that satan can do no more than God allows. God is faithful and is our Protector. As King David would say – our Buckler! 

      So, as we can see, wielding the shield of faith constantly, consistently, with skill, will prove to be effective protection against the deception arrows of the enemy. We must not lay it aside at any time. We must maintain it by staying in the Word of God and walking in His Promises. We must continue to walk by faith – in the confidence and assurance of what God has promised us; and, not by sight – the circumstances that surround us. Until next week, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” – Hebrews 11:6 NLT

Next week – The Full Armor of God: Helmet of Salvation (Part 6)

The Full Armor of God: Shoes of the Gospel of Peace – Part 4

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared."- Ephesians 6:15 NLT

Several years ago, I had watched a film that had extensive footage of people who were rock climbers. That’s an adventure that has fascinated me, somewhat, since I was a child. However, I have never had the courage, nor physical attributes, to be that extreme adventurist to attain such a feat. As I watched with amazement, these climbers would sometimes dangle off the edge of a mountain side – often by one hand, their climbing rope, or maybe by a fingernail or two. I was in awe toward how they would, in the midst of their dangling, desperately try to secure their footing somewhere on the side of that rock wall, in hopes of stabilizing their balance as they climbed. They would swing back and forth until their foot made contact with the side of the wall – like lint to a piece of fabric. The contact was made due to the good Lord above, great coordinating skills, and the type of shoes they wore – climbing shoes. These special shoes are shoes designed specifically for climbing – that’s it. They have no padding, so they are definitely not made for hiking or walking; but for the avid rock climber, they help enable him or her to take advantage of the small footholds in the wall and use them effectively. They had the right shoe for the right job.

As we have been learning over the past few weeks, the Apostle Paul was relating the spiritual armor of the Christian to that of the Roman soldier’s armor; in doing this, we continue to watch him break it down accordingly by piece. So, why the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace? Why couldn’t it have been the Helmet of the Gospel of Peace? After all, the mind is what seems to be in so much confusion and turmoil at times, right? We will attempt to understand the importance of what the Holy Spirit is saying through Paul to the Ephesians, as well as all Christians.

The Roman soldiers, like today’s soldiers, did an extensive amount of walking. The terrain was rocky in vast amounts of the areas in which they marched. They would come into geographical conditions that could cause them to lose their footing, thus falling. Not only would that look bad for the most powerful army at the time, but it was dangerous and could have led to their defeat if they came under attack – due to clumsiness. Just as we learned earlier about the right shoes for the rock climber to have in order to climb effectively, the Roman soldiers needed the right shoes to maintain balance, to keep from sliding on loose gravel, and to be able to withstand an attack (as well as attack) during battle. So, the type of shoes they wore had small spikes which protruded out of the soles. This would help the soldier grip the ground, helping him maintain balance. Golfers, football players, and soccer players (to name a few), wear cleats that work the same way. These types of shoes were designed to help maintain footing while focusing attention on the task at hand.

The Christian should wear and maintain proper footwear at all times. Wearing the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace help us focus on the battle at hand so we can use our weapons effectively to withstand an attack as well as attack back. If we focus more on our feet, then, that could most likely lead to defeat. I remember back when I was a child. As most children do that live in the country, I ran around barefooted. I ran all over the place without a care in the world; until that moment I stepped on a rock and it brought me to my knees in pain and agony. From then on, I was cautious about walking around barefooted with my mind constantly on my feet. When I wear shoes, I don’t even think about stepping on gravel, in mud, on glass, etc. – it comes naturally with no fear (as I’m sure it is with most of us). Same way with the Christian; we need to wear the proper footwear and not be afraid to step where God leads us.

Why are they called Shoes of the Gospel of Peace? We should be ready to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ at all times, at all costs. The Greek word for Gospel is euaggelion which means “good tidings or good news”. That is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is – Good News. Peace is just one attribute of the Gospel. Peace comes with the Gospel. Jesus sent His Disciples out to minister in twos. In Matthew chapter 10: 13-14, Jesus told them that every house that they came to that would hear the Good News and received it, peace would come upon the house as they blessed it. However, for the households that would not listen and receive the Good News, they were to turn around, shake the dust from their feet, leave, and keep it moving.

Christians should bring peace that comes with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Right now, in today’s world, we need peace unlike ever before. We should be the “light of the world” and “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13-14). We should be the peacemakers- after all; Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), Who’s peace passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). He said blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9). Essentially, peace should be with us everywhere we go; which only comes by being rooted and grounded in the Word of God – the Gospel.

How do we get the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace? By faith. We must have faith as we read the Word of God and allow the Holy Spirit to engrave it on the tablets of our hearts, in our minds, and in our spirits. By wearing this part of our spiritual armor, we will be able to stand firm in faith (1 Corinthians 16:13, 1 Peter 5:9), and have a peace that simply makes no sense during our most rockiest and troublesome times. We should keep our shoes on at all times, because every person we come in contact with is an opportunity to share the Good News and spread peace. By wearing them always, every attack the enemy comes against us with will be countered and we will still be standing on the Word, after the dust settles.

How do we maintain the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace? By not compromising. Many Christians have slipped and fallen into the snares of the world by compromising the Gospel with the world’s message. By doing so, slippery times will surely come with no shoes to stand. The moment that the enemy can catch us barefooted, his attacks will be overwhelming and our faith in the Gospel can potentially become shakened. We will find ourselves compromising with sin, a little bit more, each and every day. By staying in the Word of God and continuing to share it with others along the way, our joy will continue to be replenished, our faith strengthened, and our wills will remain surrendered unto God – there will be no room for compromise.

Remember this, just as wearing the proper shoes in the natural are important, so is wearing the proper shoes in our spiritual. Just as we have learned about the importance of the other pieces of armor in the past weeks, this piece of our armor is equally important. We must not take these shoes lightly and we must treat them with the utmost respect, by properly maintaining them, as we continue to walk this straight and narrow path.

Never let the enemy catch you barefooted! Until next week, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

 

 

Next week- The Full Armor of God: Shield of Faith (Part 5)