The next piece of the spiritual armor of God is the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17). The helmet, both physical ones and spiritual ones, protect the head. The spiritual helmet protects the mind of the believer; the thoughts and ideas the Christian has in his head and that which he dwells upon. Let us look deeper at this idea of the mind.
Our minds are the battleground of spiritual warfare
What we think determines what we believe; what we believe determines how we live. It is in our minds that we think, reason, discern, and live out the immaterial part of our Christian faith. Our minds, soul, and spirit are so closely connected as to be virtually indistinguishable. Therefore, the mind plays an incredibly foundational role in every aspect of our existence, especially our relationship with God.
The Bible tells us that humanity’s chief duty is to, “… love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37 ESV; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). This means that we must love God with every part of our being; our actions and our thoughts. Too many Christians think that it is only their external actions that God is concerned with; they assume that their thought life is exempt from His Lordship. This is not the case. It is clear from the Bible that God is as concerned with our inner being as with our outer being, maybe more so.
Jesus made it clear that simply to think certain things is a sin (Matthew 5:22, 28), they do not even have to be acted upon.
What one thinks about reveals one’s heart
The Bible tells us that unbelievers have their minds occupied with things of the world rather than things of God (Ephesians 2:3; Colossians 1:21). This is evidence that one does not love God with all their being. It is wise for the Christian to periodically evaluate our own thought lives to see if what we are thinking about is pleasing to God. Our thought lives reveal much about our commitment, or the lack thereof, to God.
Our choices control what occupies our minds
The apostle Paul tells us that, even as Christians, we have to make a willful decision whether to obey God or not, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5 ESV). The focus of our minds determines our spiritual path. We still have a choice to be disobedient. However, Paul’s warning should make us think long and hard about these types of decisions. He writes that, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God” (Romans 8:6-7 ESV).
Even the apostle Peter failed to set his mind on the right things at one point during Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus confronted Peter with these words, he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matthew 16:23 ESV). Peter had set his mind on things other than God’s will for him; we must be careful to keep our focus on Jesus, where it should be (Colossians 3:2; Ephesians 4:22-24).
We must train, teach, and strengthen our minds for spiritual battle
Paul tells us that we should be, “…be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2 ESV). When we are surrendered to God, and allow Him to teach and transform us, we are then able to know His will and we will be better able to serve Him.
1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us that believers “have the mind of Christ” (ESV). When our minds are set upon thinking the thoughts of God, He will guide, strengthen, and comfort us with His power.
The Bible instructs us to, “…take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV). We will be unable to live a victorious life of faith if we do not seek to control our thought life. Jesus warned, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matthew 15:19 ESV; cf. Mark 7:21). How we are on the inside will be reflected on our outside.
God is the source of the “Helmet of Salvation”
The apostle Paul writes, “…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 ESV). This passage, among many others, makes it clear that God is the source of our spiritual peace and our mental protection. If we do not remain close to Him, we disconnect ourselves from the very source of life and peace (Romans 8:6).
We must remember that we must be diligent in nurturing our relationship with God. Relationships are not one-sided; communication must take place between those in a relationship. It is not that God does all the work and we sit back and bask in the comfort of our faith. We must seek His face, we must love Him with all our hearts and minds, and we must make the choice to think the thoughts that God wants us to think. As he finishes his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8 ESV). It is our responsibility as to what we think about.
Conclusion
Spiritual warfare occurs mostly in the mind. If we truly expect to live a victorious Christian life, one that is vibrant with the Holy Spirit, one that exhibits love and consistently has victory over sin, we must think the thoughts that God wants us to think. We must be devoted to Him mentally, as well as spiritually and physically. We cannot say we love Him if our thoughts are focused on worldly desires. We must renew our minds by submitting ourselves to God, studying His Word, and prayer for His guidance, strength, and protection.
God supplies the ‘helmet of salvation’. It is His strength and protection for our minds, if we stay closely connected to Him. We must be careful as to what we allow into our minds. What we look at, what we read, and what we listen to, all affect how we think. How we think affects how we act, and how we act is how we live. We must always seek to live for Jesus.
Want to read more about salvation? Take a look at this article:
Resources: – The Holy Bible, English Standard Version “Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
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