Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Two years ago, a motorcycle crashed in front of our house. I walked out to check on the driver and he had broken his ankle. He was able to walk and limp, and he showed me his helmet and it had this huge scrape on the side of it. Frankly, his helmet saved his life. Our Verse of the Day talks about the importance of the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.
It says this: "Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." I believe Paul knew what a Roman soldier looked like, and he saw a belt, the breastplate, a sword, a shield, and a helmet. In our verse, where he talks about these important elements of armor, he first says in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 10: "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." He says that because we're in a supernatural battle, the only way to defeat a supernatural foe is to have the supernatural strength of God.
In verses 11 through 13 he says, put on the full armor of God, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the gospel of peace. Now, looking at our verse, I'm going to give you two very simple ways to defeat the devil.
Number One: Wear the Helmet
Football players always have a helmet on. In recent years, there have been more and more conversations about concussions. They have designed helmets. They have done all kinds of things to create more protection within a helmet. How much more here for us in our spiritual lives? He says, very simply, to put on the helmet of salvation. I believe this is the knowledge of salvation, the importance of the truth of what it means to be saved.
In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 8, Paul says it is the hope of salvation. What does the devil do? He throws the doubts and discouragement. He throws the darts of doubt at us, and he tries to get us to doubt our salvation. We need to make sure that we're wearing the helmet and have the knowledge that we're truly saved in our salvation.
Number Two: Wield the Sword
Secondly, he says very simply to not only wear the helmet, but to wield the sword. He says in the verse, "...and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." This is now offensive. This soldier had a shield, but he also had the 6 inch to 18 inch sword, which was offensive. My question for you is, are the doubts of the devil getting through in your life? Because if they're getting through, the shield isn't up and you're not using the sword of the Spirit, which the Holy Spirit provides to ward off the darts of the devil.
You might ask, how do I do this? I just say this humbly. I have been involved in spiritual warfare. A lot of us as Christians have. So, how do we do this? It's really, really critical. Let me say it this way. The doubt of condemnation hits. You're condemned. You're sinning. You're going to be condemned forever. That's a lie of the devil. That is a dart that comes at us. How do you defeat it? Well, you take the sword of the Spirit, and you quote Romans chapter 8, verse 1: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Jesus Christ Himself, in Matthew chapter 4, verses 1 to 11, what did He do when He was tempted by the devil? He quoted Scripture, and that's exactly what you and I need to do when we wield the sword of the Spirit.
Another thing that the devil does is doubt. There's no way you're going to have the power to defeat the enemy. There's no spiritual power that you have that's enough to live this Christian life. That's another temptation. It's another lie of the devil. Well, Philippians chapter 4, verse 13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Another one might be, God's against me. You keep sinning, so you think He's against you. He's not for you. Look at how you feel. Look at what's going around you. There's difficulties. God is really not for you. That's another lie of the devil. How do we defeat it? Romans chapter 8, verse 31: "Since God is for us, who can be against us?"
This is how we wield the sword. Very simply, my friends, if the darts of the devil are getting through, it's either you and I don't understand the battle or we're not using the sword to ward off the darts of the devil. Let's be these people who wear the helmet and then wield the sword of the Word of God, which the Holy Spirit provides for us.
