Like any high quality helmet can protect the high powered crunch of an incoming football opponent -
or the onslaught of your adversaries on the ice as you guard your goal -
Without a helmet on,, we leave ourselves exposed for real danger and damage.
In the many years of being a student minister, I have tried to speak and teach in a way that is right out of their lives, things they can relate to, to help understand things in a spiritual sense.
Jesus like Jesus did - He loved teaching through life parables and life experience visuals to try to help His audience.
The football and hockey images with their attacking opponents were visuals to help you understand why God tells us to put on the Helmet of Salavation.
What is the Helmet of Salvation and why is it important?
In Ephesians 6:10-18, we are told of several "Tools of Faith," or as God would call them - "Weapons."
Why would God tell us to use weapons if He is a loving God?
That is the very reason He tells to use weapons, because He knows we have an enemy always ready to attack us.
Just like in those sports I mentioned - a good opponent is always looking for a weak spot, an open area, and a way to distract their opponent or trip them up to score against them - and sometimes they play dirty.
That is way God tells us:
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."
I last spoke about how we need to arm ourselves with the "Sword of the Spirit."
The reason I started with that weapon first is because it can absolutely save your life knowing God's word.
Everything we believe and think must stem from His word because His word is a life spring to our heart, mind and souls.
God has given us the helmet of salvation to protects us spiritually from the powerful blows of our enemy -
1 Peter 5:8 "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."
When we put on the helmet of salvation we are putting on Christ Himself - think of it like this - you are putting on the helmet (protection and thoughts) of your Savior - who is Christ.
Before I explain how the Helmet of Salvation can help you - I must first explain the road of becoming a true follower of Christ -
Here's a simple way of looking at it :
The Romans Road to Salvation Meaning:
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
The wages of sin is [eternal] death (Romans 6:23).
The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23b).
Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9).
If you have never understood how to become a follower of Christ verses just being religious or spiritual or attending church, today would be a great day for you to begin that relationship with Jesus -
It's quite simple - have a conversation with God - about the 4 steps above.
There is no magical prayer - just these A.C.T.S of the Romans Road
1. Acknowledgement of you are a sinner and in need of the saving work of Jesus
2. Confessing that Jesus is Lord like Romans tells you
3. Thanking Christ for His death and resurrection on your behalf so that you can be in a right relationship with God the Father
4. Seek Him daily through His word and prayer and getting involved in a bible preaching church and community of Christ followers who will encourage you, pray for you, and walk this journey alongside you.
How does the Helmet help us?
1. It keeps Hope our focus - The helmet is the hope of salvation. It helps reminds us that we who have committed our lives to Christ have the full assurance that even though this life is painful and hard - our hope is in our eternity with God and that He will work in us and through us, and will always be with us. (1 Thessalonians 5:8-9) "But since we belong to the day, we must be serious and put the armor of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet of the hope of salvation.
2. It Protects our thoughts -The helmet guards our wandering mind - The devil likes to plague our thoughts with all sorts of ungodly thoughts. Our mind is the battlefield for Satan to wreak havoc and destroy our hope, our peace, our joy, our trust, and our freedom in Christ. His tactics can be subtle or head on. (Romans 12:2) "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3. It Redirects the mind - The helmet helps us to fight against and resist thoughts that will lead us away from God and lead us into temptation which will cause us to disobey God and His good and perfect way. It also helps us fight against anything that would disorient us from the truth of God - such as, discouragement or deceit. (2 Corinthians 10:5) "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."
4. It fixes our thoughts on things above - Spiritual vision is intentionally fix our eyes on the goal, which is focusing on Jesus Christ and our eternity with Him. It is pressing forward when things go wrong, life is hard, people let us down, and when we are feeling lost or confused. It is the athletes mindset of - Persistence - which is simply the state of being to always move forward -To continue regardless of setbacks. To endure until the end. (Philippians 4:8-12) Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
