Salvation As Your Helmet

Ephesians 6:13-17-"Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on SALVATION AS YOUR HELMET, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Salvation. How is putting salvation on as your helmet different from putting of the body armor of God's righteousness? Probably the best way to see the difference is to look at the definition of salvation:

1. The act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc.

2. The state of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.

3. A source, cause, or means of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.

Romans 6:23-"For the WAGES of SIN is DEATH, but the FREE gift of GOD is ETERNAL LIFE through Christ Jesus our LORD."

If we are going to put on the helmet of salvation (the state of being saved from harm or destruction), don't we need to first know what we are being saved from? Let's break down Romans 6:23. First, it says "For the wages of sin is death." That means that if we sin, which we all do, we deserve to die not only physically, but also spiritually by being thrown into hell. Thankfully, though, that's not the end of the story. Paul goes on to say, "...but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." God has given us the best gift ever! Instead of letting us die and pay the price for all the wrong we have done, He sent His Son to pay the price for us so that we can have salvation, eternal life, and hope, if we have faith in Jesus, and give Him our lives.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57-"Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Have you ever thought about the power of sin on your life, or the sting of death? Have you ever been afraid of dying, or been uncertain about what will happen when you die? Well, you don't have to be! Take heart! Christ Jesus lives, and He has payed the price for your sins. Trust in Him, give your life to Him, and death will lose it's grip on your heart. Put on the helmet of salvation today when the devil tries to scare you, and remember that God is good! We have victory forever in Jesus. :)

1 Corinthians 15:58-"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."

Keep Measuring Up, and working hard for the Lord! You are forever loved.

-Jenna Hampton

with dictionary.com and guidance from the Holy Ghost!

The Shield Of Faith

Ephesians 6:13-17-"Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the SHIELD OF FAITH to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

Do you have your armor on yet today? 1. Belt of truth 2. Body armor of God's righteousness 3. Shoes of peace 4. Shield of faith? Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that we need the shield of faith to protect us from the fiery arrows of the devil. Oh yeah, you have probably felt the heat of those fiery arrows a time or two. He shoots us with all sorts of things like doubt, self-pity, worries, weakness, and temptation. By shielding our heart with the faith we have in OUR BIG, LOVING GOD, we can block his arrows and do more than we had ever thought possible or imagined.

1 Samuel 17:32-37-
"'Don't worry about this Philistine,' David told Saul. 'I'll go fight him!'
'Don't be ridiculous!' Saul replied. 'There's no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You're only a boy, and he's been a man of war since his youth.'
But David resisted. 'I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats,' he said. 'When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!'
Saul finally consented. 'All right, go ahead,' he said. 'And may the Lord be with you!'"

David had remarkable courage-why? It was because he took up his shield of faith everyday and trusted the Lord to rescue him from the mouths of lions and bears, and from the hands of Goliath. Because he trusted and obeyed God instead of giving into the devil's fiery arrows, he saved the Israelites from Goliath, and eventually became Israel's greatest king.

Matthew 16:7-10-"At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn't brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, 'You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? Don't you understand even yet? Don't you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up?"

If you ever have trouble putting your faith in God-REMEMBER everything He has done for you in the past. Satan will try and try to make your view of God's power smaller, but don't let him! Take up your shield of faith everyday, and believe that whatever God calls you to do can be done by you, just as the people in the Bible and in history have done what God called them to do. The One True God can move mountains! He is good! Never forget it!

2 Samuel 5 1-3-"Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, 'We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the LORD told you, 'You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be Israel's leader.''
So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the LORD with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel."

Keep Measuring up! You are loved :)

-Jenna Hampton
with encouraging words from God's Holy Bible.

The Shoes Of Peace From The Good News

Ephesians 6:13-17-"Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For SHOES, PUT ON THE PEACE THAT COMES FROM THE GOOD NEWS so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

So, now we have got on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. We know that He is the truth, and we know that by His power and grace, we have been declared righteous. What do we wear for shoes? Ephesians 6 says "For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News." What does that mean exactly? Here is something Charles Spurgeon wrote that I relate to this phrase.

"My own sight of the precious blood is for my comfort; but it is the Lord's sight of it which secures my safety. Even when I am unable to behold it, the Lord looks at it, and passes over me because of it. None can tell His delight in Jesus. Now rest we in calm security. We have God's sacrifice and God's word to create in us a sense of perfect security. He will, He must, pass over us, because He spared not our glorious substitute. Justice joins hands with love to provide everlasting salvation for all the blood-besprinkled ones."-Charles H. Spurgeon

In a way, the peace that comes from the Good News can be related to passover thousands of years ago in Egypt. Their homes are like our hearts, and the blood they sprinkled above their doors is like the sacrificed blood we have accepted from Christ. I don't know about you, but I am filled with peace when I think about how much Jesus loves me, and that I won't be destroyed by the wrath of God when He judges the world!

Exodus 12:13-"But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see that blood, I will pass over you. this plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt."

Satan tries to trick your mind into believing all sorts of wrong things about God, life, and even yourself. Even though he can be very cunning, as Christians, we have a weapon that he can't get past-our shoes of peace! You have the Holy Spirit living in you if you have accepted Christ. His job is to guide you and show you what to believe and what to do with your life. Put on the shoes of peace today, and start walking through your day. If God fills you with peace about something, He probably is happy you are doing it. If you are filled with something other than peace, well, you might want to think twice about whatever you are up to! Stand firm, and you will become stronger.

Ephesians 4:14-"Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth."

Isaiah 41:13-"I will hold you always in the palm of my hand."

Keep Measuring UP! You are and always will be loved.

-Jenna Hampton
with Charles H. Spurgeon and some pretty awesome shoes, given to me by the Good News :)