Monday, January 18, 2016
Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17 (NLT)
We want to continue our look at what it means to get
dressed for warfare – spiritual warfare – that which every Christian faces
every day.
So far we’ve taken a look at the enemy, put on the
belt of truth, body armor of God’s righteousness, slipped on the sandals of
peace, and picked up the shield of faith.
This morning we put on the ultimate defensive piece –
our helmet – and pick up the indispensable offensive weapon – our sword.
The Helmet of Salvation
In his book, A Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football,
Paul Zimmerman quotes a physicist who made a rather startling discovery. When a 240- pound football lineman (capable
of running 100 yards in 11 seconds) collides with a 240-pound running back
(capable of covering the same distance in 10 seconds), the resultant kinetic
energy is enough to move 66,000 pounds
(33 tons) one inch. The scientist
says further that, in all likelihood, the collision would deliver to the
player's helmet a blow nearly 1,000 times the force of gravity. Obviously, modern football helmets have to
withstand tremendous blows, or no player would survive long.
The same is true for Christians
who face spiritual warfare.
Paul knew what he was doing
when he told us to put on salvation as our helmet. The phrase put on actually
means to accept, and means to receive from God's hand
something which He has prepared for us.
What a great picture this is, because all we can really do in salvation
is accept what God has given us.
The Sword of the Spirit
In December 1986 three
masked burglars broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris and stole the
152-year-old diamond-encrusted dress sword of the French king, Charles X. A museum spokesman said that the sword, made
in 1824 by French artist Frederic Bapst for Charles' coronation, has such
historical value that one cannot set any
value on it.
Well, if there was ever a
truly priceless Sword, it is the Word of God:
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the
sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and
marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12(NLT)
Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval.
Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly
explains the word of truth. 2 Timothy
2:15(NLT)
As a Pastor, I rely on the
Word of God more than anything else I’ve learned. That is especially true in counseling. When rightly handled, the Word will reveal
things to people about themselves and their problems, about which I could only
wonder.
There are some counseling techniques that seem to work
very well – but upon closer inspection you will find these so called techniques
are really Biblical principles.
How vital is God’s
Word?
The Sword of the Spirit is
the only offensive part of the soldier’s outfit. In Christian living, it is vital for
conducting spiritual warfare.
Remember, a soldier
outfitted in every perfect way, but without his sword, is only prepared to
stand there and take a beating, or run away!
For You Today
Pick up your sword today; or
get ready to lose.
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