He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
Psalm 62:6 (NKJV)
Series: Standing Strong
“Your body can do anything; it’s your mind you have to convince,” shouted the instructor on one of my old workout videos. And boy, was that true. On the days I had no excuse to skip that workout, my mind would come up with a thousand reasons not to turn it on. And my mind won many times. Why is it so difficult to stop our thoughts from sabotaging us? Whether it be our fitness goals, our personal life, or our commitment for spiritual growth, one negative, destructive, or cruel thought can stop us in our tracks.
If we proclaim to follow Jesus, we must fortify ourselves in His truth and righteousness, or risk giving the enemy ground to accuse us of mistaken identity. Questioning our own identity in Christ or our spiritual walk is right where the enemy wants us to be.
The thoughts we give place to will empower us in hope or in discouragement. As hard as we fight to hold fast to pure, praise-worthy sentiments, all can be lost in one brief battle with the enemy if we aren’t standing strong in our identity as a child of God. That is why keeping our armor fastened every day is so essential. Satan not only wants to destroy the truth of who God is to us but also who we are to God. If he can get us distracted by doubt, fear, insecurity, pettiness, or lies, our mind will struggle to remain in Him. It is crucial to know, understand, and the take up our armor every single morning. We can’t wait for the attack to come; we instead play an offensive game against the father of lies.
Paul writes in Ephesians 6:13-17a (NKJV)
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation,
The foundation piece of the Armor of God is the belt of truth. The breastplate of righteousness is connected to the belt of truth and protects our hearts from deception, bitterness, and evil. The preparation of the gospel of peace is our shoes. Peace is to be our footing and is our guide. The shield of faith quenches all the fiery darts of the enemy. The next piece of armor is the helmet of salvation.
Our helmet of salvation acts as a protective barrier, securing our thoughts against spiritual warfare. While the enemy prowls around conniving ways to weaken us by causing division and targeting our emotions, he also schemes against our minds. If he can get us to doubt who God is, distrust those we love, or put negative or hurtful thoughts on repeat, the enemy gains ground and we lose our focus.
Our minds must be centered on truth to safeguard our relationships, especially our relationship with Jesus. Our helmet of salvation gives us security to fully understand that our salvation is secure and that who God says He is, is true.
In 2 Corinthians 10:3-7 (NKJV) Paul shares:
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
As believers we are directed to take every thought captive to the truth of Christ. When the enemy comes knocking, others persecute us, or we accuse others, we must go to the Lord in prayer seeking His strength and allowing His Holy Spirit to lead us. The helmet of salvation is much more than a headpiece for battle; it is a constant reminder that we are to pursue faithfully after God, replacing sinful thoughts with godly pursuits and mindsets.
This beautiful reminder is found in Philippians 4:8 (NKJV):
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Friends, may today be the day you allow your compassionate Father the freedom to renew your mind, transforming every thought to be steadfast in truth so that you will withstand the schemes of the enemy. Your identity is found solely in God Almighty, and there is no mistake about that. Hallelujah!
Holding Fast to Hope,
Jen
Scripture References: Psalm 62:6; Ephesians 6:10-20; 2 Corinthians 10:3-7; Philippians 4:8; Proverbs 4:23; Romans 12:2