That moment that you get the call from the doctor – you know the call I’m talking about – the kind where your world gets turned upside-down and pulled inside-out – it feels as though you can’t breathe and your heartbeat mocks you. It’s when you desperately need to hear God say, “Do not fear…” or “Do not be afraid…” or rather His reassuring presence that lets you know He’s in your corner with an “I got this!” For many, though, it’s the moment in which it seems God has abandoned you. Shock turns into disbelief and anger… many feel lost and alone – God may be the furthest from your mind than ever before, or He may be the One you point an accusing finger at. These are the times when we need to take every thought captive.
One of my favorite topics, not trumping the topic of God’s absolute goodness, has to do with the words that we speak and the power they wield. I’ve written several times on the subject of what we feed our minds and how it directly impacts what comes off our tongues. “Garbage in, garbage out…” is a popular saying in the churches I grew up in, and the truth found in that statement goes without question. What we feed our minds will, eventually, come out of our mouths… what we listen to, watch, and expose ourselves to directly ties to our thoughts, our words, and even our actions. If you regularly listen to music or watch tv/movies that uses foul language and cheapens intimacy, your mind will be forced to work overtime to keep those same words from coming off your tongue and to view intimacy with the sacredness it was created for. Our mind is vital to living victoriously in this life, and there are simple things we can do in order to keep our head in the game.
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:14-16 (NIV)
In this series, I’ve shared that the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and the Shoes of Readiness are all Jesus – Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), Jesus is our Righteousness (II Corinthians 5:21), and Jesus’ sacrifice entered us into a Covenant of Peace with God (Isaiah 54:9-10) – the Good News we’re to be ready with. We are also equipped with the Shield of Faith – not faith in a what, but a who. Faith in Jesus and His finished work at the cross. Notice that with the shield, we’re to be able to block all the flaming arrows of the evil one – not a few, but all. This is possible when we come along beside other believers and share the shield. We share our experiences; strengths in our faith as well as our weaknesses. It’s so hard to see what’s coming when hunkering down behind a shield, though, am I right? Now and then, we are going to have to peek around the safety of the shield in order to be ready for what the enemy is doing.
“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17 (NIV)
The use of helmets in combat is estimated to have started around 2300 B.C. and is still something in use today. If you’ve ever watched the news, you’ve probably seen military, police, and/or firemen in their uniforms. If you have a profession in a field that requires the use of armor – whether active, veteran, reserves, volunteer, etc. – allow me to take this moment to thank you for your service – especially in these times where it seems that so many are against you. You have my deepest respect and appreciation. Back on topic, it was evident all the way back around 2300 B.C. that the head needed protection. Why? Because a blow to the head, not even a hard blow to the head, could turn out to be fatal. Head injuries are not to be scoffed at. God created us with a hard skull to protect our brain – the central organ of the human nervous system – but when in battle, we need our Helmet of Salvation.
The brain being the central organ of the human nervous system, this means that it is the control center. Most functions of the body are controlled by the brain – processing, integrating, and coordinating information in order to make decisions. The brain is commonly divided into 4 lobes, each with their own marching orders and each worth protecting. While I’m not going into an anatomy lesson on the different lobes and their functions, I would be remiss if I didn’t give a few snippets of information. When an average person thinks of the brain, they may think “left brain” or “right brain” or jump to thinking about intelligence. The brain is so much more! Social behaviors, regulating emotions, linguistics, short- and long-term memory processing, processing visual and audible information, controlling urges, personality formation, and even the ability to feel physical and emotional pain are just a few things the 4 lobes are responsible for – that’s not even mentioning the basics of forming words! Head injuries were – and are – known to be fatal.
Imagine how giddy the devil would be if he was given access to your control panel? One too many explicit-language movies and then profanity slips off the tip of your tongue. One too many “justified” affairs on television lead you to believe that it’s normal to “try on partners” because the sacredness of intimacy is a practice only found in convent living. Drugs and alcohol are presented in an attractive way that leads you to believe it’s okay, and even fun, to let loose… sometimes all you need at the end of the day is a glass of wine – maybe two or three – to relieve the stress experienced during the day. I’m not sure who said it, but there’s a saying that rings true: “The mind is the devil’s playground.”
Everything we see, touch, smell, taste, and hear are processed in our mind. Our insecurities, hurts, offenses, all start in our mind. We know the devil’s strategy: to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). If we allow him access to our control panel, how easy it is for him to steal our peace, kill our joy, and destroy our hope! Instead of letting the devil have his way with us, we’re told how to combat it.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Notice that we’re not instructed to talk about such things, but we’re to think about such things. As we think about them, we will eventually talk about them, too.
Something I also don’t want to fail in mentioning is a detail that was common with the Roman helmets. Paul knew it and so did the church in Ephesus that he was writing to: each helmet had a classification according to rank. Some had the plumes (like depicted in the helmet photo above) and crests, while others didn’t. What’s interesting is that the plumes and crests denoted rank – kind of like officers. I can’t think of a higher rank than the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 5:21), unless it’s referred to as being a co-heir with Jesus because we are God’s children (Romans 8:16-17). We have the Helmet of Salvation protecting our head, our control center, from the devil. And our Salvation is…? Our Salvation is Jesus! He is our deliverance from harm, from ruin, from eternal death. Salvation from the evil one who is out to steal, kill, and destroy.
When we look out around the shield to determine the best course of action against the devil, we can do so with confidence in the Salvation that protects our control panel. When we think of our military in the thick of battle, officers of the law trying to control rioting and violence, we don’t see them holding their helmets at their side – they’re wearing them. Their helmet is securely in place on their head to protect them from the blows of the enemy – whether bullets, bats, or bricks. Whether wearing your Helmet of Salvation on your head or holding it in your hand, you have it. Experiencing a victorious life means using the armor correctly. Sometimes it takes years to recognize that the Helmet needs to be atop your head and your belt buckled firmly around your waist. Sometimes it takes years to recognize that all of these individual pieces of armor point to Jesus – the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is our victory and the key to living a victorious life now.
Next week will wrap up the series – be sure to join me as I share my discoveries and offer encouragement.