Christian Devotional - Helmet
What were you thinking!
If your childhood was anything like mine, your mom probably said this to you, too! As it happens, the thoughts that we have and our inner self-dialogue are actually extremely important as we seek to live the Christian life. The next to last piece of the Armor of God and the focus of our study today is the Helmet of Salvation.
Ephesians 6: 13-17a “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation.”
The helmet guards our head and specifically, our mind. Many verses have been written about the need to guard our mind. Romans 12:2 talks about renewing our mind. Isaiah 26:3 encourages us to have a steadfast mind. Romans 8:7 discusses how the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God. 1 Corinthians 2:16 says we are to have the mind of Christ. The list goes on and on.
Why such emphasis on the mind and our thoughts? Because if we are going to do something wrong, the action doesn’t come first, the thought does. My husband tells a story from his college days where one of his professors gave the class this scenario: If you could steal $1,000,000 dollars and you would never be caught, you would never have to pay taxes on it, and you could use it however you like, how many of you would do it? Over half the class raised their hands. The teacher then stated, “All of you who raised their hands are thieves, you just haven’t found the right set of circumstances to act on your decision yet.”
It’s a harsh truth that we actually make a decision on how we will act in certain circumstances long before we actually do act. If you allow yourself an “out” in your thinking about something that you know is wrong, when you are presented with that temptation, you’ll act on it, guaranteed. Your mind is where that whole process starts.
This is why Paul tells us to guard our mind. What is our defense? The salvation of Jesus Christ. Paul goes into great detail about our deliverance from the bondage of sin through salvation in Jesus Christ in Romans 8, but one of the key verses is Romans 8:6, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” If we are not specifically set on Jesus Christ, we are facing death.
Just because you have asked Jesus to save you and to be a part of your life doesn’t mean that your protection of the mind is over and that you can rest easy. On the contrary, often that’s when the attacks really start. I have had conversations back and forth with myself as I wrestled with a certain decision or idea, knowing what God would have me do, but still feeling the pull of what I knew was wrong. These are the most difficult of temptations, the most subtle, because you can start out hiding them from others and think that no one knows. But, if you lose the battle of your mind in a particular area, you’ve already chosen to sin and, like the example above, you’re just waiting for the right set of circumstances to act on it.
What are you thinking? Or perhaps the more important question: What should you be thinking in order to guard your mind today?
Kristi Burchfiel, Christian devotional author and speaker
Living in the World – Living out the Word
Check out my website and daily devotions either on my blog or on my Facebook page
**Check out my newest release: The Daily Devotional Series: Psalm, volume 3 now available on Smashwords and Amazon**www.BooksByAmanda.com
If your childhood was anything like mine, your mom probably said this to you, too! As it happens, the thoughts that we have and our inner self-dialogue are actually extremely important as we seek to live the Christian life. The next to last piece of the Armor of God and the focus of our study today is the Helmet of Salvation.
Ephesians 6: 13-17a “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation.”
The helmet guards our head and specifically, our mind. Many verses have been written about the need to guard our mind. Romans 12:2 talks about renewing our mind. Isaiah 26:3 encourages us to have a steadfast mind. Romans 8:7 discusses how the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God. 1 Corinthians 2:16 says we are to have the mind of Christ. The list goes on and on.
Why such emphasis on the mind and our thoughts? Because if we are going to do something wrong, the action doesn’t come first, the thought does. My husband tells a story from his college days where one of his professors gave the class this scenario: If you could steal $1,000,000 dollars and you would never be caught, you would never have to pay taxes on it, and you could use it however you like, how many of you would do it? Over half the class raised their hands. The teacher then stated, “All of you who raised their hands are thieves, you just haven’t found the right set of circumstances to act on your decision yet.”
It’s a harsh truth that we actually make a decision on how we will act in certain circumstances long before we actually do act. If you allow yourself an “out” in your thinking about something that you know is wrong, when you are presented with that temptation, you’ll act on it, guaranteed. Your mind is where that whole process starts.
This is why Paul tells us to guard our mind. What is our defense? The salvation of Jesus Christ. Paul goes into great detail about our deliverance from the bondage of sin through salvation in Jesus Christ in Romans 8, but one of the key verses is Romans 8:6, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” If we are not specifically set on Jesus Christ, we are facing death.
Just because you have asked Jesus to save you and to be a part of your life doesn’t mean that your protection of the mind is over and that you can rest easy. On the contrary, often that’s when the attacks really start. I have had conversations back and forth with myself as I wrestled with a certain decision or idea, knowing what God would have me do, but still feeling the pull of what I knew was wrong. These are the most difficult of temptations, the most subtle, because you can start out hiding them from others and think that no one knows. But, if you lose the battle of your mind in a particular area, you’ve already chosen to sin and, like the example above, you’re just waiting for the right set of circumstances to act on it.
What are you thinking? Or perhaps the more important question: What should you be thinking in order to guard your mind today?
Kristi Burchfiel, Christian devotional author and speaker
Living in the World – Living out the Word
Check out my website and daily devotions either on my blog or on my Facebook page
**Check out my newest release: The Daily Devotional Series: Psalm, volume 3 now available on Smashwords and Amazon**www.BooksByAmanda.com
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