Helmet of Salvation

This is one of the most interesting conversations I’ve had with Jesus while I was under spiritual attack over the past few days. John prepares us with the full armor of God, but what does that actually mean? He is taking me on a journey, and I want to bring you along for the ride.

While I was under spiritual attack, I had strange dreams, stressful work situations, words that pierced my heart, feelings of uselessness, and a battle entirely in my mind.

As these things happened, my wife urged me to pray and said, “We are under attack.” So I did—and as I began to press into Jesus, He started to speak to me. He said:

“You were attacked because you were not wearing the full armour that I have given you.”

So I started to argue, “But Lord, what part was I not wearing?”

He said,

“The helmet of salvation.”

I continued to argue, “I know what it is, and I’m sure I’m wearing it. It’s knowing that You are Jesus, my God, and that through You I have salvation.”

He whispered in my heart:

“Ah, I see you understand that. But there is a key part to this helmet—it is to capture your every thought and bring it to Me.”

I was then led to read His Word:

‘For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.’—2 Corinthians 10:3–6

He then said,

“Capture every thought and make it obedient to Me.”

I asked, “What does this even mean, Lord?”

He said,

“How have you started the past few days? You wake up and immediately begin thinking about the worries of the day. These worries then grow and weigh you down. Keep your thoughts on Me, and My helmet will bring you true salvation.”

‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.’—Ephesians 6:10–18