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Good Monday morning dear “Walking with Jesus” friends,
As we’ve turned the calendar to November, I wonder what you feel deep inside? Thanksgiving, of course, is the highlight of this month… do you feel thankful today? Our reflection in God’s Word today calls us to overflowing thankfulness. We’re in Ephesians 6:17 “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”
We’re working our way through a very special portion of God’s Word, Ephesians 6:10-18 and God’s invitation for us to recognize how blessed and protected we are by God’s powerful, life transforming work in us, who have trusted in Jesus Christ. As we face the onslaught of evil in our world, we can do so with confidence and overflowing thanksgiving to God, for His Majesty, His power, His authority over evil and His goodness to us, His people!
So let’s dig into Ephesians 6:17 today…“Take the helmet of salvation…” This is football season in America. When football players take the field, you can’t see very much of their skin, for they have big uniforms and lots of padding, because football is a contact sport. Most vulnerable is their head, and in recent years great effort has been made to protect football players from head injury, especially concussions.
Policies, penalties, rule and regulations, even something they call ‘concussion protocol’ is changing the game of football. Oh, it’s still a sometimes vicious contact sport but much greater priority is being placed on protecting the players, especially if a player has had strong contact to their head. This year there is something called a “targeting penalty”, which can result in a player being ejected from the game if he is believed to have intentionally ‘targeted’ another player with his helmet, intending harm.
As you and I live our lives, we have an enemy who hates us and is targeting us with the intention of doing us great harm. Satan hates the fact that Jesus Christ died to pay the full price for our sin, and that God the Father has forgiven our sin and adopted us into His family, and placed His Holy Spirit within us. Satan hates that because he too has sinned. He rebelled against God, but God will never forgive Satan. Jesus did not die for Satan or any of the angels who rebelled with him. Their sin of rebellion against God is unforgivable. They will live in their guilt forever and will suffer eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10) forever. Their fate is sealed, thus in their hatred for Jesus and His Redemption available to repentant human sinners like us, demons ‘target’ us with their evil attacks, and that’s why Paul wrote Ephesians 6:10-18.
While I’m not a College football fanatic, I enjoy this season of the year very much because of College football. Every team has their own uniform of course, and most important is their helmet. It’s colors, the symbols and even for many schools the stickers, which celebrate outstanding effort. Football helmets are scientifically designed and evaluated constantly for their effectiveness in protecting the heads of football players. The helmet’s purpose is both identification and protection. In recent years, for certain players, their helmets are designed also for communication, as they have the technology to hear instructions from the coaches on the sidelines!
Now, can we take all that and apply it to you and me as Christians, in the daily battles of life? In our verse today, Ephesians 6:17 we are called to celebrate that we have a “…helmet of salvation”. Using the College football helmet as an example, what can you imagine our ‘helmet of salvation’ does?
Yes, it protects our heads in spiritual battle! The flaming arrows of the devil are often aimed at our heads… our eyes, our ears and ultimately our minds, right? Psalm 119:37 says “Turn my eyes away from worthless things… ” Jesus said “…anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5:28)
Football helmets have guards on the front to protect the players face, including Plexiglas shields to protect his eyes. But that does not control the players eyes… he is responsible to keep his eyes on the coach, and on his assignment. The helmet can protect his eyes but can’t control them! The salvation Jesus purchased for you and me does not control how we use our eyes. We are responsible for controlling our eyes. A true follower of Jesus takes this very, very seriously, because we understand how many flaming arrows of the dark kingdom are aimed at our eyes!
My father has macular degeneration and glaucoma. His eyesight is very dim and distorted now. He is not able to read without bright light and huge magnification. His mind is sharp, but he is now legally blind. But my father can describe in detail places or events from many years ago. The images are permanently captured by his mind. That my friends is both a wonderful gift of God and also a dangerous target of the devil. For if you can recall beautiful pictures of many years ago, you can also recall evil images or images that can turn your mind and heart away from God. That’s the power of pornography.
You see my friends, our minds work in tandem with our senses… sight, sound, taste, smell, and feel. Any of them can trigger our minds to think wonderful, God honoring thoughts, but they can also trigger evil, vile, violent, despicable thoughts. And this is vitally important my friends… we are each responsible for the control of all our senses! So, stop for a moment… how well are we managing our senses and the wide array of ‘flaming arrows’ aimed at them?
“Take the helmet of salvation” Means wear it with confidence, with gratitude, and use your Salvation with purpose. May I give you several specific suggestions on how to use your ‘helmet of salvation’ for God’s glory and your greatest benefit?
1. Fill your mind with God’s truth. His truth about HIM. His truth about US. His truth about His wonderful, powerful, very complex Salvation miracle which HE has accomplished in us! The more you fill your mind with God’s truth, the more effective you will be in EVERY area, and every relationship of your life! We protect our minds from the flaming arrows of the devil, as we honor our salvation, by controlling our minds, and filling our minds with God’s truth. Remember Romans 12:1&2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” Soak up all the coaching, that the Holy Spirit of God wants to give you for living life as God has designed it for you…victoriously! Fill your mind with God’s truth!
2. Protect your head! Remember Solomon wrote “Above all else guard your heart,it is the wellspring of life.” (Prov. 4:23) We must protect each of our senses, from anything that would defile them, and turn us away from worshiping and honoring God with our lives. That means clear thinking, taking great care to control our senses, and their appetites. It means learning what can harm us, through any of our senses, and staying clear of those things. This is important, pro-active, careful and wise work of self-control and self-protection! I urge you to read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7 which concludes “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”
3. Be responsible! Every moment of every day, take full responsibility to honor the Salvation Jesus has earned for you, and God the Father has applied to your life, and God the Holy Spirit is living within you! Remember Ephesians 4:1 “…live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”
4. Keep in communication with God! Remember I said some football helmets are now equipped with technology, so the coach on the sidelines can talk to the quarterback on the field, and give him instructions? So how does that work as you and I ‘walk with Jesus’ through the day? Look ahead to Ephesians 6:18, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests… be alert and always keep on praying..”
Conversation with God is one of the greatest privileges we have as Christians. The Holy Spirit is alive with you 24×7, so talk with Him! Ask Him any question, ask Him for help and guidance! He’s your life coach and wants to speak God’s wisdom into your heart for every situation! Developing the ability to pray as you are driving your car, or when you are walking outside, or when you sit and watch as sunrise or sunset… anytime! I can assure you God delights in hearing us speak with Him, and He delights giving us guidance!
Helmets are also identifiers. The color and symbols on the helmets identify a particular University team. Sometimes College football players are disciplined by the head coach, because their lifestyle has been so dishonoring to the team and their University that they are not permitted to put on the uniform and play in a game or two. They are still part of the team, but not playing. My friends, have we prioritized living our lives as a daily expression of THANKS to God, for all He has done for us? Are we determined to HONOR Jesus with every word, action, relationship of our lives? Our ‘helmet of salvation’ is both protection and identification.
It’s not a physical helmet with a cross on it, but as we live God honoring lives, our faces will radiate the love and joy of Jesus. You’ve seen that in people haven’t you? I believe if God gave us spiritual eyes, and we could see each other the way angels see us, we’d have some type of a ‘spiritual helmet of salvation’ on our heads as Christians which identifies us as followers of Jesus, protected by Him, and God’s salvation work in our lives!
Let’s wear our ‘helmet of Jesus’ salvation’ with pride! Remember Hebrews 12:1,2 “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”
May I leave us with these questions to ponder through the day?
1. What are you most thankful for, as you consider God’s protection of you through your Salvation, against the attacks of your enemy Satan, who hates you? Why not thank God several times today?
2. How are we each taking responsibility for our senses, so no flaming arrows of evil can penetrate our head, which is protected by our helmet of salvation?
3. How are we filling our minds with God’s truth and how are we talking with and listening to our coach Jesus Christ all through the day, everyday? As we ‘walk with Jesus’ are we following His coaching advice?
Lord Jesus, thank you for being our Savior and our Head Coach! Oh please help us wear our helmet of salvation with great thanksgiving today, and live faithful to your leading of us today.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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