Prayer – Lord, there is an expression…Hold onto your hat—meaning that there is a rough ride ahead. Spiritually we need to “hold onto our helmets” because we’ve a lot of changes coming our way. Lord, help us to be prepared and to keep our calm as those changes begin to occur. You told us to be ready—to be prepared. We want to do just that.
A
final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of
God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies
of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but
against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers
in this dark
world,
and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece
of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then
after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on
the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on
the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In
addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows
of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians
6:10-17 (Underlined for emphasis.)
Meditate.
Consider God’s guidance in scripture. Read God’s word and listen to what He is
saying.
When
was the last time you saw someone wearing a helmet? Oh, yes! The last time you
watched a baseball or football game. The batters wear helmets, as do all the
football players! In old movies or war videos you see military personnel
wearing helmets. They have changed over the years, but helmets guard a person’s
skull and brain. Helmets protect our head from whatever battle is going on
around us, whether it is a sporting event or warfare.
Helmet of Salvation
The
helmet of salvation is a little different. It protects us spiritually. In Isaiah
59 we read about the Lord’s displeasure with Israel and His intervention. God
deeply cares about His chosen people, yet over and over they rebel and don’t do
what God wants them to do.
So there is no justice among us,
and we know nothing about right living. We look for light but find only
darkness. We look for bright skies but walk in gloom. We grope like the blind
along a wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. Even at brightest
noontime, we stumble as though it were dark. Among the living, we are like the
dead. We growl like hungry bears; we moan like mournful doves. We look for
justice, but it never comes. We look for rescue, but it is far away from us.
... We know we have rebelled and have denied the LORD. We have turned our backs
on our God. We know how unfair and oppressive we have been, carefully planning
our deceitful lies. Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to
be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed. Yes,
truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The LORD looked and
was displeased to find there was no justice. He was amazed to see that no one
intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with
his strong arm, and his justice sustained him. He put on righteousness as his
body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself
with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion. He
will repay his enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on his foes. He
will pay them back even to the ends of the earth. Isaiah 59:9-11, 13-18
As Paul
wrote to the church at Ephesus:
But let us who live in the light be
clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our
helmet the confidence of our salvation. 1 Thessalonians 5:8
We are
told to put on the helmet—it represents salvation. Without salvation our lives
are hopeless. Do you choose to have hope in tomorrow—in the salvation of Jesus
Christ—our Lord and savior?
Verse
of Salvation ~ He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet
of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and
wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion. Isaiah 59:17
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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