And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God).
Into the Text
Very often, the battles we face are lost or won in our minds. This is because we live in a fallen world, and Satan loves to target our thoughts. He often begins his attacks there first, where no one else can see the battle. If he can keep bringing up the lies, accusations, and rehearsed regrets hidden inside our minds, then it will be very hard for us to listen to anyone speak truth into our situation. When this happens, the battle is often lost before it even begins. But God has lovingly given us another piece of armor, our helmet of salvation.
Satan knows if he can keep us from understanding what we have in the helmet of salvation, he has already dealt us a mighty blow. Our helmet of salvation goes beyond just protecting our minds against enemy attacks. Our helmet of salvation also helps us live our lives to the fullest, here and now.
Part of what it means to wear the helmet of salvation is to live every day in light of eternity and our promised future. Living with our minds set on our future glory will impact what we do in the present. Our helmet of salvation gives us unending hope for our secured eternity with Jesus. The grace God has given us through faith in Christ is all we need for salvation, as well as to be sanctified daily to become more like Christ.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for the helmet of salvation and how it covers our minds from unseen attacks. Help us listen to only Your voice and to recognize the voice of our enemy. Help us learn to guard our minds, and thank You in advance for delivering us from the mental bondage and strongholds we struggle with. Amen.