The Helmet of Salvation

Have you ever noticed that you can’t think two thoughts simultaneously? If you’re thinking a pure thought, you cannot simultaneously be thinking an impure thought. If you’re thinking a loving thought, you cannot be thinking an unloving thought at the same time. One replaces the other.

The Bible tells us, “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. . . . Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:13, 17 NLT).

The helmet of salvation protects our minds. It protects our thoughts. That is where the devil will attack. If you were to trace the beginnings of a sin you committed, I think you would discover that it started in the realm of your mind.

Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (NKJV). Our minds, our thoughts, and our imaginations must be guarded, because it is there where temptation generally starts.

The devil is sly. Like the car salesman who says, “Why don’t you take it for a test drive?” or the bakery employee who offers you a free sample, he’ll say something like, “I know you would never do this because you’re so spiritual . . . but just for fun, take it out for a test drive. Go ahead and run this temptation through your mind . . . just to see what it’s like.”

This is why we have to guard our minds. And this is why we want to fill our minds with truth. It starts in the mind. It is not enough to simply not do something. You shouldn’t think about it, either. The enemy will hit us in this area, so we must keep our guard up at all times.