The Protecting Helmet Series

So far, we have studied the breastplate of righteousness that insures that we are in right standing with God. This piece of armor protects us from the accusations of Satan of being apart from God.

We looked at the shoes of peace that gives us a firm foundation. This piece of armor protects us from satanic forces that would desire to stop us from moving forward in our relationship with God. We looked at the belt of truth that is the Word of God, which holds everything together. This piece of armor protects us from becoming tired and deceived by Satan’s lies. Last week we looked at the shield of faith, which covers us from head to toe. This piece of armor protects us from Satan’s attacks against our faith. Today we will study the helmet of salvation.

Ephesians 6:17 “Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Although two articles of spiritual armor is mentioned here, we will only be dealing with one.

The Romans soldier helmet would be quite ornate, almost like an artwork. There would be farm scenes with animals. Some would have helmets that looked like the entire head of an animal. Some would have engravings of fruit. The helmet looked more like a sculpture than a defensive weapon. Sitting on top of these magnificent helmets would be huge plumes of brightly covered feathers or horsehair.

The helmet was made of bronze. Since it would be very heavy, the inside of the helmet would be lined with a spongy material. The helmet would extend from the top of the head to the chin. On each side it would extend downward to protect the neck area. It was designed so that nothing could penetrate it.

Just as this helmet is designed to protect the head of the soldier from a hit that could take his life, our helmet of salvation is designed to protect our mind. To grasp this let’s review some things from a few weeks ago.

Ephesians 6:11 “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.”

Has anyone seen the movies with the superhero Ironman in them? He just a regular guy but when it’s time to battle the villains he summons his suit. Pieces of it fly from all different directions attaching themselves to every part of his body until he is invincible. If one piece is lacking then he is exposed in that one area. We are to summon our spiritual armor that way. If any piece is missing, we are exposed to the attacks of Satan. We must put on the full armor

Satan has a strategy. His strategy is to attack your mind. The word for strategy is where we get our word method. It was a method of travel. It meant with a road. Satan has designed a road in which to enter your mind. He doesn’t come at you from every side. He doesn’t have a bag of tricks. He just has one method. That is to plant thoughts into your mind that will work in his favor. Once that is accomplished he begins to scheme.

2 Corinthians 2:11 “so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.”

If he can get into your mind, he will begin to play mind games with you. He will make you doubt friends, loved ones, neighbors, co-workers, your pastor; anyone that you have trusted in the past.

He will bring up memories of past failures and betrayals to cause you unrest. He will have you questioning the motives of others when they are offering help. Through your mind, he will control your time, convincing you that you don’t have time to spend in the Word of God. He will do all he can to get you to react in the flesh and not the spirit. He will do all he can to keep you from being like Jesus. Next, he begins to build a prison for your thoughts to be held captive.

2 Corinthians 10:4 “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.”

The Greek word for stronghold could be interpreted prison. I have never been in a jail cell but I have seen them on TV. They seem quite small and restricted. They are not only designed to keep the prisoner inside but also to keep others out. That is Satan’s desire for you.

He wants to keep you in bondage with the mind games that he plays with you. He wants to imprison you with thoughts of rejection so you won’t establish healthy relationships. He wants to imprison you with thoughts of a failed marriage so you can’t function in a loving relationship. He wants to imprison you with thoughts of failure so you won’t do something worthwhile with your life.