Do you feel like you are drowning in sin/circumstances? This is an indication that you are in need of a Savior.
Salvation means nothing unless you recognize that you need mercy.
-Psalm 18
-1 Kings 1:50
Solomon’s brother had been set up as the king of Israel, but God had
other plans. Adonijah went down to the tabernacle and held onto the
horns of the altar. Desperation is a precursor to salvation.
-Matthew 11:28
Jesus words are “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest.” It seems as though, many times we
come to Christ, not because we are burdened down, but because it seems
to be the thing to do. When the weight of the world is pressing in on
us, that is when we truly need a Savior.
-Psalm 95:1
-Psalm 102:19-22
The Helmet of Salvation is there to protect the mind. Once you have
been saved your way of thinking will be changed...your mind will be
renewed in Christ your desires will be for God. Everything may not be
in place immediately but that is why we battle for our mind. In this
Spiritual Warfare, our battlefield is our mind. Every giant we face is
either real or perceived and our mind must be protected by wearing the
Helmet of Salvation to place all our thoughts in their proper
perspective. The enemy of our souls works with great vigor to disrupt
the thought processes of all humans as a means of destroying any
semblance of God’s work in their lives. Satan is not content to let God
appear like He is (has) won the battle and wants to win the battle for
your soul.
There are certain ideas which need to be dealt with if we are to
maintain the stability of our mind and become warriors of truth. Again,
this battle is not physical, but spiritual. Ephesians 6
The Old Testament brought up the idea time and time again of the
need for a Savior. The structure of the Israelite kingdom gave the
words Redeemer/Savior a meaning that carries over to set the stage for
our Redeemer/Savior. The Israelites, when they fell on hard times, they
would leave their properties and sometimes even sell themselves as
slaves to get through the rough times. There was a provision though,
for a close relative to redeem the situation and he would buy the
properties and in some cases marry the widow who was left (as in the
story of Ruth).
“This day is Salvation come to your house”... What do those words mean?
Salvation means that you were set for destruction, but someone or
something has reached out as your rescuer/redeemer and has saved you
from the impending destruction.
What
is a horn of salvation?~this refers to the horns of the altar which
when hung onto you could be spared but as soon as you let go you were
fair game.
-You must protect your mind-
Philippians
4:8 Think only on good things. When we dwell on wickedness, and
discouraging things; our peace will be destroyed and our soul will
become heavy and we will sink into the depths of hopelessness.
-You must know you are saved-
If you cannot give God credit for Saving you...You must come to the
place where you can because that is an affront to God’s character. You
are living in doubt, may be living in fear; which will only bring you
down as a Christian. Jesus paid the price for you and wants you to
recognize what he has done for you.
-You must know who God is-
It is time to recognize who God is. God, as an all-powerful king must
and will have subjects either willing or unwilling. Will you be one of
the willing subjects? He has declared that every knee will bow at a
given specific time, thus the unwilling subject.
-You must Know the way-
Jesus said, “I am the Way”. Do you know Him? Do you understand His
Message? His way of operating? His core character? As a Christian, we
are supposed to be “little Christs”; which means, we will be like Him,
living like Him, exhibiting His character.
-You must know the enemy-
Satan is an avowed enemy of God and all Christians. Do you know how he
operates. Do you understand that this battle is not just about
you...but is about making the plan of Salvation of no effect. Satan has
tried to destroy the work of God among humanity for thousands of years
and now is no different.
-You must know your comrades-
God has given you comrades to fight Satan alongside. Do you know who
they are? Sometimes when we get unfocused, we become disillusioned and
get confused as to who our fighting buddies are. If we can stay focused
on Jesus, our comradeship with other valiant soldiers of Christ will
always be a reality.
-You must know your equipment-
God has given each Christian a spiritual armor. Know what it is. This
armor is not anything we can dream up (such as rehabilitation, etc…);
but is a complete gift of God because He loves you! As we begin
fighting the devil and using our armor we will become accustomed to it
and will be able to fight Satan efficiently. The Helmet of Salvation is
probably one of the greatest pieces of the armor; for without it, you
are not just vulnerable, but lost; and you will not know who the enemy
is.
-Your equipment must be properly installed-
You cannot be haphazard about installing your armor. Too many of us
are lazy when it comes to preparing for battle (which is against Satan).
The Helmet of Salvation must be on securely, The Belt of Truth must be
tightly buckled so it won’t fall off, The Breastplate of righteousness
must be tied securely in the back (usually this piece was installed by a
fellow soldier, which denotes discipleship), The Sword of the Spirit
must be sharpened by allowing The Holy Spirit to work in your own life
first of all and then you will be in tune to use this Sword in an
offensive manner. The ability to spread True Peace which really is the
Gospel of Christ must be carefully checked out for any tears or
deformities so nonbelievers are not given something untrue. The shield
of Faith must be held out front, so when the battle comes; you can stand
behind your faith. Intercession for yourself and others is part of the
armor and is a way of keeping the armor of God tuned up. The last
thing and yet a very important thing is that we need to watch. It will
not do us any good to be sitting around in our armor, but yet not really
alert and ready to fight.
-You must drill regularly-
Discourse is good. When physical soldiers train; they will build up
strength, and they will do scenario (mock) battles. One reason why
Christians have such a hard time fighting against Satan is they really
have no idea what it means to drill. Different methods of drilling are:
Praying, Reading the Word of God, Meditating, and Getting involved in a
discussion.
If we are constantly living in fear…Fear is controlling you. The
Saving power of God will motivate you to the fight, but tactics and and
advantages may need to be taught/learned or you may give up on account
of being overwhelmed. This is all part of putting on the armor of God.
My kingdom is not of this world, if it were then my servants would
fight in physical battles. Jesus could have gotten Himself out of the
mess in which He found Himself, but He was fighting a spiritual battle
for you. This was the method that had to be taken to align mankind with
God and give them the edge over Satan.
Salvation is important!
