Our Helmet

One of the items of the armor of our warfare is a helmet of salvation (Eph 6:17).  A few nights ago I had a dream wherein an angel set his helmet down on a table before me.  It was beaten bronze, and had a visor that covered his eyes.  Even his neck would be covered, for the metal went down to his shoulders.

Spiritually, we wear the helmet to protect our mind from erroneous and evil thoughts that would defeat us.  It is also called the “hope” of salvation (1 Thess 5:8).  The helmet helps the attitude of our mind, because it is hard to have hope when one is embroiled in a battle that seems endless.

Paul writes that we hope for what we do not see (Rm 8:25). In a battle against accusations from our enemy, satan, one of the things that will give us victory is to fix our mind on that which will come after the battle.

In this life it is tempting to fix our eyes on that which would comfort us here on the earth.  It may be wealth or position, relationships, or entertainment.  All things which engage our minds and take them off the battle at hand seem to bring relief from the stress and sorrow attached to war.  Indeed, it is satan’s objective to wear us down (Dan 7:25).  Life will contain losses, and if we thought our faith would secure the goodness from the earth for us, we “are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Cor 15:19). Our lives will not be marked by monuments to our greatness, but by crosses where our flesh was hung out to die.

The example of the attitude of the mind that will give us hope and endurance in our battles is Jesus, who “for the joy set before Him” set His eyes on the prize of victory He would receive after His final battle (Heb 12:2).   Jesus set His eyes on us, and that helped Him endure the oppression of the evil in His life.  We are His eternal prize of victory. 

In our struggles against the evil forces of this life, we should set our eyes on Christ’s victory for all men.  We do not fight just for our own interests, but for the Lord’s.  There are many brethren who will walk along our side into eternity, to live in the eternal dwelling for all Man.  Our skirmishes on this earth are not pointless, but have profound impact on the lives around us, as well as our own.

Today, let us put on the helmet of our salvation, hoping in what we do not see yet.  Then we will gain endurance for this life’s troubles.  Amen.