The helmet...

"Take the helmet of salvation..."

Ephesians 6:17a

I have been so looking forward to this particlar piece of this study.  It has been an arduous task to not simply leap ahead to this portion, because it is so vital that we grasp everything about this helmet and what it is meant to do.  In my opinion, this ranks as one of the most important pieces of the armor to have on at all times.

So let's be literal for a moment.  What does a helmet do?  It protects the head and the brain.  They are required for motorcycle riders in most states, preferred for bicycle riders everywhere, worn in combat situations, used in many major sporting events... you get the idea.  Helmets are important.  They are important, because without the brain, our body does not function.  And if we receive what doctors call "blunt force trauma" in a severe enough amount, we could have serious concerns for the rest of our lives!

Still being literal, with respect to protection of the brain, there is an internally placed helmet: the skull.  This set of bones (commonly thought to originate as a single piece) fuses together during early childhood, and is almost impenetrable.  It is designed to shelter and house the brain, encasing it and protecting it.  The design is genius... simply genius.

But this helmet today is not just any helmet.  It is the "helmet of salvation."  So I pose to you a question: where is the one place that attacks against the Christian are the most common?  If you answered "the mind," you are quite correct.  Our mind is where all things are dreamed up and all things begin to take shape.  We conceive an idea, then we ponder its capacity, then we think about it more and make it into a plan.  From there, we begin to enact certain steps to see that plan come into being.  But it always begins with a thought.

And now I pose to you another question: if the common place to assault us is in the mind, then what helps the most?  A helmet.  A spiritually enhanced helmet.  A helmet empowered with the very Truth of eternal, inescapable, unloseable salvation!  We are saved, and therefore freed from the enemy... so his attacks upon our minds are always failures.  It is when we decide to entertain the "random thoughts" that we (in reality) remove our helmet for a moment and slip backwards.  But it does not cost us our salvation, friends.  It costs us pride, and reminds us that we are human and that we NEED Jesus.

The mind needs protection, and there is no better protection than that of eternal salvation.  No matter what we think, as Christians we are saved.  That brings about the peace that passes all understanding, and gives us "peace of mind," as it were, from a heavenly place!

Take a moment today to ensure your helmet is secured about you.  Know that it is impenetrable; know that it is blessed; know that the helmet can be removed by you, exposing the head to attack... but the salvation associated with it can never be taken from you!  Keep it on as often as you are able, encourage others to do the same, and honor the Lord in doing so!

God bless you all!!!