I found this on a website and thought that it must be shared amongst other Christians:
(Eph 6:10-18 NKJV) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. {11} Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. {12} For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. {13} Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. {14} Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, {15} and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; {16} above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. {17} And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; {18} praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints;
This is the scripture that refers to the armor that God has given his children. I asked many people about this armor and I received many answers. I asked, "What is it?" "How do I put it on?" "Does my being saved, constitute my putting on the Helmet of Salvation?" " Do I put it on by simply saying that I put it on, like I have heard from so many people?" Please listen to what I have to say about this. I am not claiming to have complete knowledge about it, but what I am about to say concerning the Armor of God may save your life!
I was urgently praying about these things because of the battles that I had been placed in. I have seen, and am still seeing, people that I love being destroyed by the devil. They have confessed to be Christians, but are not experiencing the reality of the promises of God. I am also in this category in some respects. I have had trouble, even though I have had some real strong experiences with God. I have been on a continual "roller coaster" of emotional and mental instability, because of conditions in my life and conditions in the lives of the people who are in my sphere of influence. People who love the Lord. I became tired of seeking knowledge and still being defeated in certain areas of my life. I have heard people say that They go through the motions every morning of putting on each piece of the Armor of God. So I started doing it. I didn't see a significant change in my life immediately. I was still under attack and loosing most of the time. Lately, God have been taking me deeper into Spiritual Warfare. It has been of necessity, because I had a loved one who has been taken captive by drugs. He tried to commit suicide six times that I know of and the devil has tried to kill him three times that I know of. It has been a time of intense battle. These are the things that He taught me.
All of the Armor of God is dependent on your relationship with Him. Putting on the Armor without a relationship with Him, is impossible. The Armor won't fit! It is supported by your relationship with Him. The requirements to be able to wear this armor is found in (James 4:7-8 NKJV) Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. {8} Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. You cannot continually submit to someone that you don't know. If you are completely submitted to Him, then He can turn up His power in you. If you are completely submitted to Him, then you will take the time to find out what His will is for you. Nothing will get in your way. Nothing is more important than His will for you. Nothing will be able to interfere with your spending time with Him. The only thing that will matter to you, is what He desires for you. Sex is not important. Money is not important. You are sure that He is on your side, because you have given your own desires to Him. You desire what He wants. You have willingly submitted your desires to His desires. You love God so much that you will jump at the chance to do His will. Your own will doesn't matter anymore. You understand and identify with what Jesus meant when he said "I must be about my Father's business."
Just being saved does not automatically put the helmet of salvation on your head. Remember that the epistle to the Ephesians was written to Christians. In it Paul told them to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. He told them to put on the whole armor of God. If it was automatic then he would not have had to tell them to put it on. To understand how to put it on, you must understand what it is, and what function it serves. Keep in mind, that armor is the clothing of a soldier. It is used for WAR! This is not a make believe war! People are dying all around us. They are held in bondage by their beliefs, or lack thereof (unbelief). They are held captive by a liar, thief, and murderer. The devil does not pull any punches, he plays for keeps.
[size=+1]The Helmet of Salvation![/size]
The Helmet of Salvation protects the soul (mind, will, and emotions). When it is put on, it controls what you do, how you react, and what you think. To put it on you must renew you mind to think the same way that God thinks. You say that it is impossible to think the way God thinks? God requires you to think His way. He took His thoughts and had his prophets write them down so that you could think them. Isaiah 51:1 says Whose report will you believe? (Jer 23:22 NKJV) But if they had stood in My counsel, And had caused My people to hear My words, Then they would have turned them from their evil way And from the evil of their doings. We can only think His thoughts if we stand in His counsel. When we do, our lives will change and the lives of the people around us will change.
Consider that Revelation Knowledge can only come from Christ. Therfore the understanding to renew your mind comes from God. It is available to all. The stronger your relationship with Him, the more impact the understanding has on your life. It changes your soul, even your sub-conscious mind and emotions, then eventually your will.
There are three scriptures that tell us how to renew our minds. (Rom 12:2 NKJV) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (James 1:21-25 NKJV) Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. {22} But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. {23} For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; {24} for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. {25} But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (Eph 4:20-24 NKJV) But you have not so learned Christ, {21} if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: {22} that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, {23} and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, {24} and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. It is necessary to renew your mind to all of God's thoughts. If we don't, The helmet of salvation that we have on will have holes in it. When the enemy sends a thought to our mind, that our mind is not renewed about. We are weak in an area that we don't know the truth about. If we don't really believe that we are healed by Jesus's stripes, then we will never have the faith to act on that truth. We will never come against the thought the we will ever be healed. We must fight for our heritage. (2 Cor 10:4-5 NKJV) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, {5} casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, We are all in the fight, but only those who do the above scripture will win.
(Eph 6:10-18 NKJV) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. {11} Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. {12} For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. {13} Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. {14} Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, {15} and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; {16} above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. {17} And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; {18} praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints;
This is the scripture that refers to the armor that God has given his children. I asked many people about this armor and I received many answers. I asked, "What is it?" "How do I put it on?" "Does my being saved, constitute my putting on the Helmet of Salvation?" " Do I put it on by simply saying that I put it on, like I have heard from so many people?" Please listen to what I have to say about this. I am not claiming to have complete knowledge about it, but what I am about to say concerning the Armor of God may save your life!
I was urgently praying about these things because of the battles that I had been placed in. I have seen, and am still seeing, people that I love being destroyed by the devil. They have confessed to be Christians, but are not experiencing the reality of the promises of God. I am also in this category in some respects. I have had trouble, even though I have had some real strong experiences with God. I have been on a continual "roller coaster" of emotional and mental instability, because of conditions in my life and conditions in the lives of the people who are in my sphere of influence. People who love the Lord. I became tired of seeking knowledge and still being defeated in certain areas of my life. I have heard people say that They go through the motions every morning of putting on each piece of the Armor of God. So I started doing it. I didn't see a significant change in my life immediately. I was still under attack and loosing most of the time. Lately, God have been taking me deeper into Spiritual Warfare. It has been of necessity, because I had a loved one who has been taken captive by drugs. He tried to commit suicide six times that I know of and the devil has tried to kill him three times that I know of. It has been a time of intense battle. These are the things that He taught me.
All of the Armor of God is dependent on your relationship with Him. Putting on the Armor without a relationship with Him, is impossible. The Armor won't fit! It is supported by your relationship with Him. The requirements to be able to wear this armor is found in (James 4:7-8 NKJV) Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. {8} Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. You cannot continually submit to someone that you don't know. If you are completely submitted to Him, then He can turn up His power in you. If you are completely submitted to Him, then you will take the time to find out what His will is for you. Nothing will get in your way. Nothing is more important than His will for you. Nothing will be able to interfere with your spending time with Him. The only thing that will matter to you, is what He desires for you. Sex is not important. Money is not important. You are sure that He is on your side, because you have given your own desires to Him. You desire what He wants. You have willingly submitted your desires to His desires. You love God so much that you will jump at the chance to do His will. Your own will doesn't matter anymore. You understand and identify with what Jesus meant when he said "I must be about my Father's business."
Just being saved does not automatically put the helmet of salvation on your head. Remember that the epistle to the Ephesians was written to Christians. In it Paul told them to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. He told them to put on the whole armor of God. If it was automatic then he would not have had to tell them to put it on. To understand how to put it on, you must understand what it is, and what function it serves. Keep in mind, that armor is the clothing of a soldier. It is used for WAR! This is not a make believe war! People are dying all around us. They are held in bondage by their beliefs, or lack thereof (unbelief). They are held captive by a liar, thief, and murderer. The devil does not pull any punches, he plays for keeps.
[size=+1]The Helmet of Salvation![/size]
The Helmet of Salvation protects the soul (mind, will, and emotions). When it is put on, it controls what you do, how you react, and what you think. To put it on you must renew you mind to think the same way that God thinks. You say that it is impossible to think the way God thinks? God requires you to think His way. He took His thoughts and had his prophets write them down so that you could think them. Isaiah 51:1 says Whose report will you believe? (Jer 23:22 NKJV) But if they had stood in My counsel, And had caused My people to hear My words, Then they would have turned them from their evil way And from the evil of their doings. We can only think His thoughts if we stand in His counsel. When we do, our lives will change and the lives of the people around us will change.
Consider that Revelation Knowledge can only come from Christ. Therfore the understanding to renew your mind comes from God. It is available to all. The stronger your relationship with Him, the more impact the understanding has on your life. It changes your soul, even your sub-conscious mind and emotions, then eventually your will.
There are three scriptures that tell us how to renew our minds. (Rom 12:2 NKJV) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (James 1:21-25 NKJV) Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. {22} But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. {23} For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; {24} for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. {25} But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (Eph 4:20-24 NKJV) But you have not so learned Christ, {21} if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: {22} that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, {23} and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, {24} and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. It is necessary to renew your mind to all of God's thoughts. If we don't, The helmet of salvation that we have on will have holes in it. When the enemy sends a thought to our mind, that our mind is not renewed about. We are weak in an area that we don't know the truth about. If we don't really believe that we are healed by Jesus's stripes, then we will never have the faith to act on that truth. We will never come against the thought the we will ever be healed. We must fight for our heritage. (2 Cor 10:4-5 NKJV) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, {5} casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, We are all in the fight, but only those who do the above scripture will win.
