17 and take the helmet of salvation, ~ Ephesians 6:17a
The Helmet of Salvation not only protects the mind from the lies of the enemy with the assurance of Salvation, but it also gives security by knowing what the promises of God are for us. And there are several actions a believer can take to keep this helmet fastened and functioning:
- 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.
- 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).
- 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).
- 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.
- 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 about 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; Isaiah 26:3; 1 Peter 1:5).