Tag: Helmet of salvation

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Ephesians Devotionals

Put all of your armor on

armor of God
David Padfield/FreeBibleimages.org

Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil…

For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. (Ephesians 6:11, 13)

“The full armor.”

Those are the words God impressed on me this morning.

Put on the full armor. Take up the full armor. Not just part of it. All of it.

Satan schemes against us and uses different strategies to get at us, not just one. And if we don’t put on the full armor every day, we’re vulnerable.

Rephrasing Paul’s words, if you don’t put on the full armor, you can’t stand against the devil’s schemes.

If you don’t take up the full armor, you won’t be able to resist, you won’t be able to take your stand.

So put on truth. The truth of God’s word. Make it foundation of your thinking. Let truthfulness also mark your speech. And put away the masks. Don’t be two-faced, one person at church, another person outside the church.

Put righteousness over your heart. Deal rightly with the people around with you. And when Satan accuses you for your failings, put on Christ’s righteousness which is ours by faith in him.

Put on the gospel of grace on your feet, so that you don’t slip into constant self-condemnation, nor legalism, nor willful sin.

Take up the shield of faith. But don’t just stand alone. Stand together with other Christians.

Make fellowship with them a priority so that your shield becomes part of a mighty turtle shell that protects not only you, but the Christians around you from Satan’s attack.

Receive the helmet of salvation. Welcome it with thanksgiving, knowing that you received it freely by God’s grace.

And swing the sword of God’s word whenever the enemy comes against you with his lies.

How about you? Are you putting it all on every day? Or are you leaving some of it on the floor?

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1 Thessalonians Devotionals

Putting on the helmet of hope

1 Thessalonians

But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled and put on the armor of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:8)

Those last few words struck me. “Put on the helmet of hope.”

We live in a world where there isn’t much hope. Where there seems to be a lot of despair, even among Christians. We see the problems of this world. We see our own personal problems. And we start to lose hope.

But Paul says to put on the helmet of hope to protect us from those thoughts of despair. What kind of hope, though?

The hope of our salvation.

Hope that judgment will come to this world for all the evil we see. But hope that we will not share in God’s wrath on judgment day.

Hope that because Jesus died for our sins, our relationship with God has been restored. And because of that, whether we live or die, he will always be by our side. (9-10)

Hope that though we are imperfect, constantly struggling with our sins and weaknesses, God will sanctify us completely, keeping our whole mind, soul, and body sound and blameless until Jesus comes.

We may not always be faithful.

But the God who has called us is faithful. And he will do it (24).

So let us put on the helmet of hope.

And may our faith that God is good and that he loves us always guard our hearts.

Categories
Ephesians Devotionals

Receiving our salvation from the hand of God

Ephesians

I found something interesting as I looked at this passage, specifically in verse 17. Paul says,

Take the helmet of salvation… (Ephesians 6:17)

The word “take” there is an unusual one in that most times it is translated in the Bible “receive.” The picture is of a soldier receiving his helmet from his servant and putting it on.

It is important to remember that our salvation is not something we make, or work for, or earn. It is something we receive from the hand of God.

Many times Satan will direct arrows at our minds saying, “You’re not worthy of salvation.”

But we can say to him boldly, “That’s right. But God has given it to me by his grace. Jesus took on the form of a servant, went to the cross, and paid for my sin. And now by his hand, I have received my salvation.”

Let us always rejoice in that truth, and stand firm in it as we face our Accuser.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, “The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down.” (Revelation 12:10)