It is rightly said that many battles are won and lost in the mind. What is going on in your head will shape, for better or for worse, what will happen in your life. Proverbs 23:7 says ‘as a man thinks so is he.’ So we must learn how to always think the best thoughts.
Ephesians 6:17 says: ‘Take the helmet of salvation.’ In other words, we must do something to make sure that our heads, minds, intellects, thoughts are properly protected. The helmet of salvation protects the head, where all thought and knowledge reside. And this is why the enemy is so keen to strike the head.
One of the most intense spiritual battlefields is in your mind. Negative, depressive thoughts can come out of nowhere. We often focus on the need to guard our hearts but also we need to understand how important it is to protect our minds. What is the state of your mind right now? How positive or negative are your thoughts? We see so much of the world now suffers with fear, anxiety, and depression. Like the shield of faith, we must take up the Helmet of Salvation and put it on!
The enemy does not want us to know truth or be set free from his lies and deceit (John 8:31-32). This helmet is not just any Helmet but is described as the ‘hope of salvation’ (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Without hope we have nothing. When people lose hope the situation seems hopeless and they feel like they lose everything. Hope and Faith are closely linked. If we have a foundation of faith, we can have hope for the future, and this is why the enemy wants to attack our faith.
Salvation is the big theme of the bible. In the Old Testament we see this with Moses delivering the Israelites from the slavery and captivity of the Egyptians. We see the Psalmist writing how God delivered him from his enemies. Jesus is the ultimate Saviour. He wants to deliver us, for us to be free from sin and all the works of the enemy. Jesus of course came to this world to ‘seek and to save what was lost.’
We have hope when we understand what Salvation involves. The great preacher Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones stated: “There are steps and stages in salvation: “I am saved, I am being saved, I will be ultimately saved.” Whatever the strength and power of the enemy in this fight, the Lord’s is greater and ultimately triumphant and that is the final hope.” Let’s look at the 3 aspects here mentioned by Dr Martyn Lloyd-Joness:
1. We have hope because we have been saved (1 John 1:9; Acts 16:31; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13; Romans 8:17)
2. We have hope because we are being saved (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 3:20)
3. We have hope because we will be saved (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 24:13)
Apply
We have hope because as Christians we have been saved. The Bible tells us we can be sure of our salvation (1 John 1:9; Acts 16:31; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13). No more sin, no longer under the domination. There is a change in us, God has said it. When you put your trust in him, when you believe in him you will be saved. When you are right with God, your sins have been forgiven. You have access as a son and a daughter into the presence of God (Romans 8:17). Salvation is to be saved, to be set free, to be redeemed, and we know that Jesus went to the Cross for each of us so that we can be free from sin and fear. We are redeemed by the precious blood that He poured out for us on the cross. He paid the price for us to bring us salvation. When you are sure of your identity in Christ, you will be full of hope. So if any doubts come to your mind, put on your hope of salvation.
We have hope because we are being saved. Every day we need God to save us. Yes, we know that we have been saved from our sin but there are so many things we need to be saved from. Dangers seen and unseen. We need to be saved from fears, from wrong decisions in every area. God is here to help us in everything, in every age and stage of life (Romans 8:28; Ephesians 3:20). We need to continually be in communion with God. We have to live in a right relationship with him every day and if we do that, there is no need for fear or anxiety about the future because He is guaranteeing us our inheritance through the Holy Spirit. Putting on the helmet does not cause your salvation. You put it on as a result of your salvation. Every time you put on the helmet of salvation, it should be a reminder of who you are and whose you are. In his book ‘Spiritual Warfare’, Derek Prince shares about his own experience that, despite being a Christian, he still suffered with depression. It wasn’t until he had a new revelation of how the Helmet of Salvation was about hope that he could overcome this. You too need to have this hope that God will save and deliver you in every trial and temptation that you face.
We have hope because we will be saved (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We have a sure and certain hope of resurrection to life immortal through Jesus Christ. We can be sure that he will get us our heavenly Home. We will be like the Pilgrim in ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ who, having gone through all kinds of things along the journey, then sees the Celestial City and makes it home. You are going to make it home it home as a Christian. Heaven is our home, and we are going to get there. We are not going to allow the enemy to rob us: we are going to make it home to heaven (Matthew 24:13)! This is a vital piece of the armour which we need every day. Whatever is happening, put your hope in the Lord and put your helmet of salvation on and be full of hope and live your life in hope.
