“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17, NIV)
As the armor gets completed, the Christian is left with two important things in Ephesians 6:17. One is a helmet to protect his head. The second is the only offensive weapon given. But what a powerful weapon it is. It goes beyond all measure and cannot be imagined or fathomed just how strong and powerful it is.
Without salvation, there would be no hope. The cares of this world would get to us. We wouldn’t have anything to look forward to. Yet, throughout Scripture, both in the Old and New Testaments are countless verses on salvation.
So in this final verse on the armor of God, God tells us to protect our head. Protect the vitally important head. Protect yourself from blows to the head that could be fatal. While our heart is so vital and important, think for a moment of all the various things that happen in your head. The senses that occur, from sight to sound to smell to taste to feel. Think about how Satan likes to twist our thoughts and our words. How our mood and attitude is governed by our brain.
God know how important our minds are. Paul references our mind in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Without this strong and mighty helmet of salvation, what hope do we have? All we have is a world with no hope, no joy and no satisfaction. There is nothing.
And while our minds are a target, so are our eyes and ears. The things that the world tries to distract us with are hard. It will throw all sorts of fleeting “pleasures” at us to try and lure us away from one of the most beautiful things we could ever look at, Our Father in heaven. All around us, God reveals Himself and His glory to us. From a beautiful moonlit night to a beautiful sunset. To the birth of a newborn or wonderful wedding day. The beauty of standing on a mountain overlooking a wondrous valley. The sounds of nature around us, like a bird singing in the morning. Throughout this world, God is revealing Himself to us daily. It may be loud or the gentle whisper in a breeze of wind, but how awesome is our God. May our senses be opened to the ways God is revealing Himself to us this day!
So with this helmet of salvation, we have hope. We have hope for a future. We have hope of one day being in a place where there is no pain, no suffering, no sin, no heartache, no guilt, even no taxes! But greater than a place where those things are no more, it is a place of abundance. It is the place of the greatest richest gift that is beyond all compare, the place when we will finally fully be with God. The longings we feel now will be more than satisfied and never yearn anymore. Salvation is such a great gift. A priceless gift. A gift that was bought in the blood of a sacrificial Lamb.
So wear your helmet, proudly and securely. The attacks will come. Suffering will happen and there will be persecution, but you have a God who says there is nothing to fear with Him, “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1, NIV).
Finally, God reminds us to hold onto His Word, to apply it and remember it. By hiding it in our heart, we have a great weapon to attack these struggles with. We have a way to fight back against the enemy. We can stand on firm foundation of truth that is the Word of God.
I don’t always read the Word of God with the conviction or joy that I should. I fail more times than not. But what amazes me is how when I am able to seek God with all my heart, to truly delight in His Word, how powerful those times are. When we struggle with something or some event happens, it is so awesome to me when that Scripture I just read essentially comes to life and I am able to recall it. Or even when I am talking with someone about a random event that happened to them, that verse or reading almost seems applicable to them as I talk with them even though I read it only a few short minutes or hours ago.
When we call out to God that we need Him and turn His Word, it is amazing how He comes through. That doesn’t mean the devil stops attacking or trying to distract us or say this doesn’t apply, but oh how beautiful when we have those powerful, impactful times of being in the Word of God. There are still times I don’t take joy or delight in the Bible or prayer like I should. Why I don’t, I am not sure. It probably has something to do with the sin of busy-ness or hurriedness but it is something God has been working in me.
What I love about this verse is how God didn’t leave us to do this on our own. He gave us His Word and the Helper. John 14:26 says “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” What a beautiful promise over and over and over throughout Scripture with God giving us the Holy Spirit. God is with us. God is in us. God will never leave us. By the strength of the Spirit, we can live for God. By the Spirit, He lifts up our request to be in perfect harmony with the will of God. He speaks for us even when we don’t know what to say.
I want to leave you with some of the lyrics from the song “Salvation is here” and be reminded of the promises of God. Hear what God did for you and continues to do:
‘Cause I know my God saved the day
And I know His word never fails
And I know my God made a way for me
Salvation is here
…Cause You are alive and You live in me
…salvation is here and it lives in me
…Salvation is here that died just to set me free
Salvation is here!!!