Spiritual Warfare, Part 8

The Helmet of Salvation

Hold to Christ’s Teaching

Walk in His Protection

Live in His Blessing

THE HELMET OF SALVATION!

Putting on the Helmet of Salvation prevents Satan from brainwashing you with lies and derailing your spiritual growth with destructive thoughts. Founded on the belief in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, it allows you to experience the fruit of the Spirit, God’s blessings and protection, and the honor of making disciples.

“The helmet of salvation protects the Christian from the devil’s attacks on the mind. How we think will have a major impact on whether we can stand when the devil hurls his fiery darts. He can plant destructive thoughts in your mind in such a way that you fail to see their origin. Properly understood, the helmet of salvation prevents Satan from filling your mind with destructive thoughts” (Pastor Parker).

What is Salvation?

Salvation should not be viewed as a “religious” concept. It is a practical and powerful event that provides a solution to man’s sin condition, adoption into God’s family, and life everlasting (Romans 3:22-23, John 1:12-13, and John 3:16).

It offers protection from Satan and the forces of evil, as well as instruction in how to walk with the counsel of God’s Spirit so you can live under God’s favor (His blessing and supernatural intervention). This results in what Christ called a full life.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).”

To understand salvation, the subject must be broken down into components, each of which has very practical applications for providing us with both eternal life and life on earth in its fullness.

There are five major components of salvation:

1. Payment for the penalty of disobeying God’s law, leading to eternal life;
2. Deliverance from the body of sin by providing you with a new nature;
3. Resources to help you “Put off your old nature and put on your new nature”;
4. Membership in God’s family, which makes you a joint heir with His Son, Jesus Christ, and a citizen in the Kingdom of God, a holy nation; and
5. A new indestructible body when you go to heaven for your eternal life with God.

Numbers 4 and 5 in the list above have been covered already in previous newsletters, so let’s look at the first three elements a little closer:

1. Payment for the penalty of disobeying God’s law. Salvation means that you are delivered from something that intends you harm (for example, see Exodus 14:13). In the New Testament, salvation is generally used to refer to deliverance from the eternal penalty of sin and entrance into God’s Kingdom. Our sins break God’s laws, which are designed for our good. Sin requires the death penalty. God’s justice requires that penalty. But God’s loving mercy provided the most incredible substitute. Jesus Christ, our Creator Himself, was willing to die in our place! To be saved, we need a Savior.

What is the penalty for our sins, and how did God save us from that penalty? God answers this very plainly in His Word: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

You learned in the first chapter how to receive forgiveness for your sins and obtain eternal life by putting your faith in Jesus Christ. This is what real Christianity is founded on. It is referred to as imputed righteousness, the actual righteousness of Christ accredited to those who accept God’s free gift of salvation through Christ’s death on the cross. This is a one-time event in your life and, despite the fact that you may continue to sin, it NEVER changes. See Chapter 5 for more information on imputed righteousness.

2. Deliverance from the “body of sin” by providing you with a new nature – “Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24 RSV).” This new nature is capable of functioning in “true righteousness and holiness” if the old sin nature remains “dead” (Romans 6) through daily faith in Christ. Learn to “put off your old nature” so it remains powerless though an ongoing salvation process Christians call sanctification.

The Apostle Paul instructs you to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose (Philippians 2:12-13).” If we are saved by grace and not by works, why does Paul tell us to “work out our salvation”? There is a very important distinction in Paul’s instructions here that can be easily overlooked. This imparted righteousness (sanctification), is a process of learning how to live in your earthly body of sin through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you. As you walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), Christ’s righteousness is imparted to you so you can live righteously in your sinless new nature through the power of Christ in you. This is a process and it will continue while you are on earth. See Chapter 5 for more information on imparted righteousness.

3. Resources to help you put off your old nature and put on your new nature. To help you with the sanctification process, you have four very powerful supernatural resources:

• Christ in you (Galatians 4:6),
• The Holy Spirit who counsels you (John 16:13),
• Scripture, which is the Word of God (Psalm 119:105) and
• Angels that minister to you (Hebrews 1:14).

The concept that we are both saved and being sanctified at the same time may be as confusing to you as it was to me at one time. Hebrews 10:14 sheds some light on this seeming contradiction, “For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” In order to receive your sanctification, you must cooperate with the Holy Spirit every day because only God can make you godly.

The Apostle Paul confirms this for us: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow (1 Corinthians 3:5-8).” Our responsibility in the process is to believe in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and cooperate with Him by doing what He instructs us to do in the Bible, which is His “operating manual” for life on earth. Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent (John 6:29).”

“I read the Bible like I do every other book, like it means just what it says. When I was finished, I recognized it as the truth and chose to believe it.” Francis Schaeffer, American theologian and philosopher

Satan’s Schemes to Derail Your Sanctification Process

Nothing is more dangerous to Satan’s schemes than a Christian who knows his position in Christ and understands the Word of God and how to use it. That’s why salvation is symbolized as a helmet, because it protects your mind. Not only should our way of life be different from the world, but our way of thinking should too. We have been called out of this world, metaphorically speaking, and, though we live in it, we should live separate from it.

Paul calls us to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).” This involves removing lies from your mind and meditating on God’s Word so you can better follow it (Hebrews 10:16; Psalm 119:11). In this way, God gives us the ability to obey His commandments through His power, not ours.

Satan hates that we have chosen this path and will stop at nothing to keep us from completing it. Just as the helmet protects the vital but vulnerable head from otherwise fatal blows, the hope of salvation can protect our thoughts from our enemy’s attacks and temptations to disobey God. Satan will attack your weaknesses, getting you to indulge in tempting thoughts until you can no longer resist and you act on them.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings (1 Peter 5:8-9).”

You resist him by dismissing the thoughts from your mind (taking them captive) and not indulging them to the point they overwhelm you with a desire to act on them. Then quote scripture to Satan, such as “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).”

Without the helmet of salvation, we will be unprotected from the cares of this world that bombard our thoughts and feelings. Imagine not knowing what the future ultimately holds. The worries and problems produced by living in this world would overwhelm us! “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith (1 John 5:4).”

With the helmet securely fastened, we can have the same confidence that Paul did in the fact that a better future lies ahead of us: “Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).”

Putting On the Helmet of Salvation

“On the crest and other parts of the Roman helmet were a great variety of emblematic figures. It is believed that the Roman soldiers had special ceremonial helmets, worn during parades, that denoted their rank. When Paul refers to the helmet of salvation, it is very likely the apostle refers to helmets which had on them an emblem that signified the hope of the soldier who wore it, that he would be safe in battle and prosperous in all his engagements. Likewise, donning the helmet of salvation, through the blood of the Lamb, gives us hope to conquer every adversary, surmount every difficulty and enjoy continuous safety and protection as our divine right. This protection extends to the workings of our mind, blocking attacks of darkness and confusion by any temptations of Satan. By carrying Christ in our hearts, we cannot be cheated out of the hope of Heaven” (From Adam Clarke’s Commentary).

Pastor Parker describes the helmet’s protection this way: “If you know you are saved, if you know you belong to God and He belongs to you, if you know that all God’s promises are sealed in the blood of His Son, it is very hard for the devil to knock you down. Moreover, if in being saved you have learned to look forward to Heaven as your true home, if your desire for God and Heaven has reached the point that you will settle for nothing less, you will stand like a rock… The man or woman who wears the helmet of salvation will stand in the fight against the devil because his hopes are too high, and too big to be satisfied on this earth. His mind is set on heavenly things, not on earthly things.”

Does this mean that you and your process have to be perfect? Abraham is cited in Hebrews as the model example of faith in God, yet he “failed” in the process several times that we know of, losing faith and taking matters into his own hands, having an offspring with a concubine. Twice he lied about his wife Sarah to men who wanted her. But in the end, Abraham kept his focus on Heaven, despite the setbacks along the way, and was rewarded by God for his faith, demonstrated by obedience.

Again, Pastor Parker says: “Abraham stayed faithful to God because he had something in mind beyond the confines of this world. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Abraham knew that God had promised him a heavenly home – a permanent, heavenly city with eternal foundations. That’s the vision that kept Abraham faithful. That’s why all his life he refused to settle down and build something permanent… His tent was itself a confession of his heart’s desire. Like the old gospel song says, he was telling the world – ‘This world is not my home, I’m just passing through, my treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue.’”

The confessions of a believer’s heart are different for each person. What is your confession of your heart’s desire for Heaven? The hope of Heaven – that vision of the city with foundations – will keep you standing when there’s no earthly reason to do so!

Satan’s Schemes to Knock Your Helmet Off

Following are seven strategies Satan will use to work on your mind to create confusion and disbelief:

• Satan will strive to get you to give up. This may include things like getting you to: stop going to church, stop giving to God’s work, stop spending time with God in His Word and/or in prayer, stop focusing on living in your new nature instead of your old nature, not staying on the narrow path, not providing services for the Kingdom, not believing in your victory over sin and Satan, not obeying God or not believing in God’s promises.

• Satan will try to get you to join his side. This can be done by just quitting, joining a religion other than Christianity, making this present world more important than God’s Kingdom, or attending a Christian church that embraces an empty, watered-down theology that does not adhere to Scripture.

• Satan will subtly persuade you to embrace his point of view. In doing so he will work on your mind until you agree with him in such beliefs as:

• This world is all there is, this life is all that has meaning,
• Material things matter most (“he who dies with the most toys wins”),
• I will pursue whatever feels good and gives me pleasure,
• Power is the way to get what you want,
• The end justifies the means,
• Sex outside of marriage is acceptable,
• God is not personally involved in my day-to-day life, etc.

• One of the most destructive of Satan’s lies in today’s world may be “Abortion does not result in killing a human being because an unborn baby is just a mass of tissue.” Is that what the advocates of that lie are going to tell Christ when they stand before Him? Perhaps they should more deeply consider King David’s prayer to God in Psalm 139,

For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:13-16).

• Satan will subtly get you to become his agent without you even knowing it. “Misery loves company.” This is one of his worst strategies and includes things such as:

• Influencing other Christians to buy into one or more of the first four above,
• Introducing friends or family to pornography, infidelity, or other sexual sins,
• Influencing others to distrust God, or
• Destroying God’s work through gossip, pervasive negativity, anger, constant criticism, distracting others from their Kingdom work, etc.

• Satan will try to get you to give up on God by getting you to believe the rewards are not worth the cost. He does this through such thoughts as: “God doesn’t really care about me,” “Heaven is no big deal,” “Who wants to just lie around and worship God every day,” or “God is not a good God, why would He let this happen to me?”

• Satan will persuade you to function in your dysfunction. In other words, Satan wants to destroy our hope. The Apostle Paul instructs us concerning the matter of hope:

• Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).
• May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

These two Scriptures hold the secret to preventing Satan from being successful in filling your mind with destructive thoughts. If you set your mind on what the Spirit desires, your hope is 0n the “full life” with Christ as your Lord, as he promised, starting right here on earth. Added with a focus on eternal life with Him in the Kingdom, there will be no place for Satan’s attacks on your mind and emotions.

Seven Strategies for Using The Helmet of Salvation

Our Heavenly Father does not want us to be satisfied functioning in our dysfunction. He sent His Son so we might experience life in its fullness by functioning in our new nature which is not dysfunctional. This is made possible by Christ rendering our old sinful nature powerless as we put our trust in Him daily.

Following are seven strategies the Bible provides on how to use the Helmet of Salvation to strongly defend yourself during your struggles with Satan and his forces of evil.

You are using the Helmet of Salvation when you want to go to Heaven because it’s more fascinating, important, and valuable than any place on this earth. Therefore, you have set your mind on Heaven rather than the affections for this world.

This will happen when you understand that:

1. Your real Father and family are located there,
2. Your ultimate spiritual and emotional desires will be satisfied there and only there,
3. Real rewards will be distributed there and only there, Your work for the Kingdom will not be in vain. Your work (effort) for the Kingdom (including a calling by God to work in business) will last forever, and Heaven has the greatest “cost-benefit” relationship. In other words, to the degree we give our lives and our wealth to things that will be permanent and provide everlasting returns, we will, to the same degree, desire Heaven.
4. You give your loyalty to Christ and the Kingdom. You exercise this loyalty when: a) you obey God, b) you obey Christ’s teachings, c) you stand up with Christ and defend Him, d) you live according to the principles of the Kingdom Culture, not the world’s culture and e) you declare God’s glory and faithfulness throughout the earth (Psalm 96:3, Psalm 40:10). Because, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God (1 Peter 2:9-10).”
5. Your life is ruled by Kingdom principles, not the world’s. Growth in holiness and Christ-likeness is not a means to salvation, it is proof of salvation. In other words, we are not saved because we are holy. We are holy and can live a godly life because we are saved. “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister (1 John 3:7, 10).” When we realize the abundant grace that caused Christ to go to the Cross for us, we will be drawn to a holy life. “All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure (1 John 3:3).” The benefit? We share in Christ’s glory: “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter (2 Thessalonians 2:13-15).”
6. You do what you can to build up those who are in the faith. a) “From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work (Ephesians 4:16).” b) “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:23-25).”
7. You stand with Jesus (your King) and those who stand with Him.

• “Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in Heaven. But whoever disowns Me before others, I will disown him before my Father in Heaven (Matthew 10:32-33).”
• “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4).”

This is the salvation you are fighting for—living under the power, protection, and blessings of the Kingdom of God while on earth to give you victory over the flesh (the old nature), the world, and Satan! And, someday participating in the coming rule of the Kingdom of God on earth and living in the heavenly Kingdom, with its beauty, love, peace, and rewards for eternity! That’s what makes the battles in this life worth it and that’s what helps you keep your eye on the goal.

“Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death” or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’ (Revelation 21:1-4).”

Standing Firm After Putting on Your Helmet of Salvation

Your salvation is founded on belief in God’s gift, Jesus Christ, Savior and Lord of your life. And, the power to defeat Satan is founded on the power of the Word of God, the Holy Bible.

When the devil tempted Christ in Luke 4:1-13, Christ ALWAYS used Scripture, and ONLY Scripture, to take His stand against the devil’s schemes. Because He knew that God is much more powerful than Satan and that Scripture has divine power to demolish strongholds, Jesus took captive every thought that Satan threw at Him that was contrary to Scripture. Satan tried to tempt and manipulate Him and Jesus simply rejected it, not letting it take root in His mind. He stood His ground with only Scripture as His weapon!

Christ knew Satan feared God the Father and that if He stood on the truth of God’s word, Satan would give up and go away. “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Him until an opportune time (Luke 4:13).” “Is that it?” you ask. “Is that all I have to do?” Yes, that’s all there is and that’s all you have to do! Do not battle with people. Do not battle with your flesh. Just quote Scripture to Satan, believe the Scripture, and then trust in God’s power. “I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD (1 Kings 20:28).”

Closing Recommendations

Be patient with yourself and others. “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him (Romans 6:6-8).”

To succeed in sanctification, rely on the power of Christ living in you. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing (Galatians 2:20-21)!

In the words of Winston Churchill “Never, never, never give up!” “Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today (Exodus 14:13).”

*Much of the information in this BobChats is taken from my book, STAND FIRM WITH GOD’S POWER IN BUSINESS.