The Helmet of Salvation

"The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste"

Do you remember that commercial from way back when?

Well this past Sunday we took a look at the last defensive piece of armor which God has laid out for us--“The Helmet of Salvation”. Helmets are made to protect our brains/our mind. As the commercial reminded us, we cannot waste our mind. Yet as Christians we have often times walked out onto the battlefield of life leaving this essential piece of equipment behind, exposing our minds to the fiery darts of the evil one.

You know what I am talking about? Right?

You and I cannot afford to do this. We wouldn't stand in a batting cage and allow baseballs to be shot at us at 90 mph without a helmet...That would just be plain “stupid”. So why would we leave our mind exposed to all the garbage out there?

As I shared on Sunday, the devil wants to trip us up, take us out, and knock us over. He does this by attacking the mind. I believe some of his most effective arrows go by the names of DISCOURAGEMENT and DOUBT.

Do you agree? Have you experienced these arrows in your life? Do you have one stuck in your brain right now?

If we would just put on the helmet, we could find certainty and courage. Now hear me, I’m not saying everything will be easy and carefree. I am saying that we'll be protected from being taken out of the race. Just as helmets in life only protect us from serious damage, we still can experience having our bell rung when hit hard by an object. This can even mean a little pain and suffering. But, we can still stand because of the hope we have in our salvation.

1. Past=forgiveness of sin (justification)
2. Present=change in our lives (sanctification)
3. Future=heaven (glorification).

So gear up and let’s go kick some butt!

The Shield of Faith

I was able to take off this Sunday from preaching and listen to a young man whom God is developing into a fine preacher. Josh Phillips shared from Ephesians 6, continuing where I had left off the previous week. Josh focused on the wonderful piece of armor--“The Shield of Faith”.

Faith is a really hard topic for some and yet for others it seems to come so easily. It has always been funny to me that we are so inconsistent with our faith. Let me explain...

• We seem to be able to drive our cars and not have to know how it all works before we do so.
• We can go to a restaurant, order food from a stranger, cooked by a stranger, delivered by a stranger and then have no problem placing these items into our body.
• We can board a roller coaster; strap ourselves in for the ride of our life with no hesitation.

Yet, when it comes to God, some of us want to know all the answers before we will trust him with our lives. Is that fair?

If this is how we feel we must go through life, then be consistent with this way of thinking when it comes to all areas of life, right? All I’m trying to say is that everyday we display all kinds of faith in our life (like when we travel through a green light, trusting that total strangers will all be stopped at the red light).

• Why not bring this same faith to our relationship with a God that is absolutely in love with us?
• He has our best interest, he wants the best for us, why not trust him? Today? Right now? What are you waiting for?

Grab your bible and read Proverbs 3:5-6 (not later, right now) and chew on what this means for you today:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths

straight.

Have fun, and oh yeah--Join us this Sunday night at five as I finish out the rest of Ephesians 6.