DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD

My dad recently delivered the Sunday morning message to his church.  He gets this blog going by stating the following about Ephesians 6:17-20 - 

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.  Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

"What is it about our salvation that makes it such a critical piece of armor?  We need to have the full knowledge of our salvation and have the helmet firmly in place because if you try to enter the battle without it, guaranteed you’ll lose your head." (Dad/Tim Pritchard in purple)

Paul says in Eph. 6: 11 that we are to put on the whole armor of God, so that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  The meaning of “wiles” is “method” or a road, or one avenue. Where does that road lead? To your mind. He only knows one way. He attacks your mind. The devices Paul mentions in Corinthians [2 Cor.2:11] are the deceptive mind games Satan plays with us.

“The moment someone begins to accept Satan’s lies as truth is the very moment those wicked thoughts and mind games begin to produce the devil’s reality in his life”. (Renner, “Dressed” pg 200) And he will tell you lies!

In fact Scripture has this to say about Satan - 

"...for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. - John 8:44

Satan intends to use these tools to break us down and get us in a state of vulnerability where he can fill our minds with doubt and make us ineffective in our spiritual walk.

He especially likes to attack the sufficiency of the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus. Too often we allow Satan to get us to add to the redemptive work of Christ on the cross. Now, you can spend time trying to find things that His sacrifice did not take care of if you want to. But I’m telling you, it is a waste of time: JESUS TOOK CARE OF IT ALL!!

We must know the benefits that come with the salvation that Jesus purchased for us on the cross!

When we are saved we become a partner to a covenant signed by the precious blood of Jesus.  Because of my salvation: 

• I am God’s child. 
• I am Christ’s friend. 
• I have been justified, redeemed and forgiven of all my sins. 
• I am united with the Lord and am one with Him in Spirit. 
• I am a member of Christ’s body.  
• I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit.  
• I am complete in Christ. 
• His Grace is sufficient for all my needs. 
• I am free from condemnation. 
• I am assured that all things work together for good for me. 
• I cannot be separated from the love of God. 
• I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God. 
• I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected. 
• I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. 
• I can find grace and mercy in time of need.

All of these promises are in Him, “yes and amen”. But we must keep our helmet on at all times. Once you put it on, DO NOT TAKE IT OFF.

This is not speaking to the loss of salvation, but to the forgetting of who Believers are in Christ and the many benefits thereof.  Understand and appreciate your Salvation through Christ at ALL Times, SO THAT YOU WILL....

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, - 1 Peter 3:15