When Paul wrote Ephesians, He was in a Roman Prison….looking at a Romans Soldier – and it dawned on him…we are WARRIORS – and we must SUIT UP FOR BATTLE!
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; 18praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:10-20, NKJ)
Roman Warriors wore helmets as part of their armor. They knew the chest had to be protected because blows to the chest could be fatal. They also knew that one shot to the head could be deadly as well. So, they wore helmets, and helmets in ancient times were made from leather with metal pieces attached. Others were solid cast metal to protect the head from the huge 2 edged swords being swung at them to take them out. Helmets are protective in nature.
The point is this: you must make it a priority to protect your head, your mind, your thoughts.
How you think and what you think about. how you process every thought, and how you deal with how you feel are essential "weapons" to walking in victory. This is a big deal, because by nature, we tend to process thoughts and make decisions based on how we feel. We are programmed to move on feeling not on faith. If we aren't mindful, we will be slaves to our emotions, but emotion and feelings in and of themselves cannot be trusted you must struggle through the feelings to get down to faith.
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, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. (I Corinthians 10:4-6, NKJ)
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (I Peter 1:13, NKJ)
This is not about having it all figured out. It's not that we become scholars and understand every word in scripture or that our IQ doubles. What he is saying is that we are to be people that give thought to what is true according to scripture so that our hearts, our souls, and our minds, our thoughts feelings and emotions have a rightful pathway to life. It’s part of our winning strategy. When we don't have on the Helmet of Salvation, the enemy will take you out!
Now, where does Salvation come into play in this war. This is not about evangelism and this is not about you needing to "get saved." This is about you using the Salvation you already have in Christ in this war that you are in. The Salvation that God is giving you is for your protection, to ensure that you walk in victory every single day. That you are not overtaken and defeated by the enemy.
Salvation is a broad term. If you just look up the word salvation (Hebrew = Ye’shua/Greek: Soteria) you will find that it means "to be rescued from some kind of danger." But it's much deeper than that.
Salvation is all about what God does for you and to you to pull you from the grip of sin. It’s not vague, this is really clear. It’s what God does to free you from sin, from all its power and its consequences.
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So putting on the Helmet of Salvation is Reminding yourself according to the Word of God of all he has saved you from, to resist defeating thoughts and feelings of guilt, shame, and unworthiness and to walk confidently in who you are NOW in Christ.
To secure the helmet and to get a clear picture of who you are, DO THIS: Read Ephesians 1-2. Memorize Ephesians 1:1-7; and remember, the old has passed away, and behold, all things are NEW in Christ!