"The Helmet of Salvation"
Our Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Your warrior prepares for battle. Today I claim victory over Satan by putting on the whole armor of God! I put on the girdle of truth! May I stand firm in the truth of Your Word so I will not be a victim of Satan's lies. I put on the breastplate of righteousness! May it guard my heart from evil so I will remain pure and holy, protected under the blood of Jesus Christ. I put on the shoes of peace! May I stand firm in the Good News of the Gospel so Your peace will shine through me and be a light to all I encounter. I take the shield of faith! May I be ready for Satan's fiery darts of doubt, denial, and deceit so I will not be vulnerable to spiritual defeat. I take the Sword of the Spirit! May the two-edged sword of Your Word be ready in my hands so I can expose the tempting words of Satan. By faith we warriors have put on the whole armor of God! We are prepared to live this day, this week in spiritual victory! In Jesus' name, AMEN.
Our Scripture: Let's Read: Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
Ephesians 6:17 instructs us to put on the whole armor of God and to "take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." When a soldier suited up for battle, the helmet was the last piece of armor to go on. It was the final act of readiness in preparation for combat. A helmet was vital for survival, protecting the brain, the command station for the rest of the body. If the head was badly damaged, the rest of the armor would be of little use.
The assurance of salvation is our impenetrable defense against anything the enemy throws at us. Jesus said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). The idea in this verse is that, as we prepare for Satan's attacks, we must grab that helmet and buckle it on tightly. Salvation is not limited to a one-time act of the past or even a future hope. God's salvation is an ongoing, eternal state that His children enjoy in the present. It is daily protection and deliverance from our sin nature and Satan's schemes.
Because of the power of the cross, our enemy no longer has any hold on us (Romans 6:10; 8:2; 1 Corinthians 1:18). He knows that, but he also knows that most of God's children do not know that—or, at least, they do not live as if they know. We must learn to keep our helmets buckled so that his fiery missiles do not lodge in our thoughts and set us on fire. Through this helmet of salvation, we can "destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5).
There are several actions a believer can take to keep this helmet fastened and functioning:
1. Renew our minds. Our minds are battlefields. The outcomes of those battles determine the course of our lives. Romans 12:1–2 instructs us to renew our minds by allowing the truth of God's Word to wipe out anything contrary to it. Old ideas, opinions, and worldviews must be replaced. We must allow God's truth to continually wash away the world's filth, lies, and confusion from our minds and adopt God's perspective.
2. Reject doubts that arise from circumstances. Human beings are sensory creatures. What we cannot fathom with our five senses, we tend to disregard. If we allow them to, circumstances may convince us that God does not really love us or that His Word is not true. It is impossible to have faith and doubt at the same time. God rewards our faith. With the helmet of salvation firmly in place, we can choose to believe what appears impossible (Hebrews 11:6; 1 Peter 1:8–9).
3. Keep an eternal perspective. When life crashes in around us, we must remember to look up. Our salvation is the most precious gift we have received. Keeping our eyes on that can help us weather life's storms. We can choose to live our lives by the motto "If it doesn't have eternal significance, it's not important" (see Matthew 6:20; 1 Corinthians 3:11–13).
4. Remember that victory is already accomplished. When we consider ourselves "dead to sin but alive to God" (Romans 6:11), we eliminate many of the opportunities Satan uses to entrap us. When choosing sin is no longer an option for us because we recognize ourselves to be "new creatures" (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 3:9), we effectively cut off many avenues of failure.
5. Find all our hope in Him. Psalm 73:25 says, "Whom have I in heaven but You? Besides you, I desire nothing on earth." Our helmet is most effective when we treasure what it represents. The salvation Jesus purchased for us cannot share the place of importance in our hearts with earthly things. When pleasing the Lord is our supreme delight, we eliminate many of Satan's lures and render his evil suggestions powerless.
As we wear the helmet of salvation every day, our minds become more insulated against the suggestions, desires, and traps the enemy lays for us. We choose to guard our minds from excessive worldly influence and instead think on things that honor Christ (Philippians 4:8). In doing so, we wear our salvation as a protective helmet that will "guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7; cf. Isaiah 26:3; 1 Peter 1:5).
Day 1: So Great A Salvation
First Thessalonians 5:8 calls the helmet "the hope of salvation." The helmet of salvation is likely taken directly from the description of the Divine Warrior in Isaiah 59:17, "He put . . . a helmet of salvation on His head." Receiving salvation is not the same as applying salvation. The first redeems us, the second restores, protects, and shields us daily from the attacks of the enemy. Read pages 152-156 in Priscilla Shirer book "the Armor of God."
Day 2: The Inheritance
An heir of God; When the Apostle Paul opened his letter to the Ephesians, he spent the majority of this first portion accentuating the grand benefits inherent in salvation. But the depths of God's love in choosing us, adopting us, bestowing grace upon us, and redeeming us are only the beginning of what our relationship with Christ offers. We've also received a vast, boundless, lavish inheritance, one that we did not earn and do not deserve. And Paul wanted to make sure we never forget it. Because if we do, we'll likely live a lifestyle well below our actual means. We'll live within the meager restraints of our earthly resources instead of cashing in on the wealth of our Father.
Day 3: The Benefits Package
Having a helmet is a confidence builder. It provides the security of protection in the midst of heated battle. The good news for us is that we never have a reason to be without it. The price for our helmet has been paid for in full by our Savior. What a shame if we ever go into battle again without taking full advantage of it, and of the full benefits package that comes with it.
Day 4: Mistaken Identity
The enemy wants you to suffer from a case of mistaken identity this makes his job a whole lot easier. And it makes your defenses a lot weaker. But his reign of terror is over in our lives. Because now we know the truth, God has "made us alive together with Christ" and has "raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in heavenly places" (Ephesians 2:5-6). We will put our helmet on and stand firm against the attacks of the enemy, because of who we are now. Identity in Christ=Salvation Inheritance=The Helmet of Salvation. This war means renewing our minds and deflecting the enemy's advance to control them is not for the faint of heart. It requires vigilance, and aggressive proactive attention.
Day 5 Strategy Session:
The enemy will attach his lies to the coattails of those negative experiences and send them right into the center of your mind. Once you are hurt by something done or said to you, even if it is unintentional or a natural part of life, the enemy will take advantage of the opportunity and begin weaving lies about who you are and about your hope in Christ, using that event as a case in point. What the enemy's lies! In the book of Dr. David Jeremiah, I saw this "The description of wisdom is about practice, about perspective, and about patience." "The development of wisdom is a humble spirit, a hungry soul, a hearing heart, and a heeding mind." "The demonstration of wisdom is acting with skill on what is known and trusting God with what is unknown. When we do this, we move forward steadily in the light of His wisdom and we live as overcomers. May God grant you grace to increase in all wisdom and spiritual understanding!
Each Week Study "Overcomers" by Dr. David Jeremiah
Week # 6 "Hope overcomes Despair"
Week # Nuggets: Suit up Cards
Scripture: Romans 12:2
AKA: The Helmet
Characteristic: Salvation
Usage: Protecting Your mind
Armor of Location: Head
Arch Enemy: Despair
Enemies: Sin, Confusion, Deception, Temptation
Charge: We don't know what the future holds, but we know the God who holds the future!
Questions:
1). The best you can, try to define and describe salvation.
2). What does salvation mean and what does it accomplish for an individual?
3). Read Romans 5:9-10 in the margin. Read it two times very slowly.
4). Can you detect the layers of salvation expressed in this passage? Record your thoughts.
5). In James 1:21 record the multilayered effectiveness of salvation expressed in this verse.
6). From week 3 of our study, do you recall what sanctification is? Write a definition in your own words.
7). Describe the difference between and justification.
8). Read Romans 5 and James 1 again, and underline any words that relates to justification, and circle any that conveys sanctification.
9). What does our God's salvation involves?
10). What would you change about your current lifestyle if you received a substantial financial inheritance in the next 24 hours?
11). When you were saved, what did you inherit?
12). The helmet of the Roman legionary was called_____.
13). From these Scriptures describe the importance of the mind to the believer's ability to function in health and victory. (Isaiah 26:3-4, Romans 8:6-7, I Corinthians 14:20, 1 Peter 1:13-16, and Hebrews 8:10).
14). What is our benefit package?
15). 2 Corinthians 10:4-5,the _______of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of _______. We ______arguments 5 and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, ____ ______ ______ _____to obey Christ.
16). What are the three key mission objectives in salvation?
17). What is your identity?
18). For the next seven days, try not to say or do anything in response to feelings of insecurity, fear, or really anything that is out of alignment with your true identity in Christ. You might be surprised at how quiet you become.
Remember This. . . .(Isaiah 54:17)
"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."
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