Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand... And take the helmet of salvation... Ephesians 6:12-18
When I did a search on Bible Gateway for the word "salvation," there were 158 results! There is so much to be said on the issue of salvation, it will be difficult to write this in one part, but I will do my best to sum it up. Salvation is a vital part to the armor of God we must put on daily. A solider would never be without his helmet as it protects his head from a potentially lethal injury. We must think of the helmet of salvation as protecting our head from an injury that could lead to spiritual death.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10
I know I have mentioned it before, but I will reiterate what the Bible says. Salvation is a free gift from Jesus Christ. We did not have to earn Jesus' death on the cross. However, we must make an active decision to accept this precious gift and (as stated in the verse in Ephesians 2), we must "walk in" the "good works, which God hath before ordained, lest we lose our salvation (see Revelation 2:5).
I fully believe the majority of what the apostle Paul wrote was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Because Paul chose salvation to be symbolic as the protector of our head, I am logically going to assume it is because our thoughts are so very important in how we live as followers of Jesus Christ.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Notice how Paul again mentions the term "warfare?" He also makes it very clear that we must "bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." If we can master our thought patterns, we can learn to control our actions as well. If we cannot control our thoughts and habitually give into temptation and sin, our salvation will be in grave danger. We cannot do this on our own. As Jesus says in John 15:4, "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." We will fail if we try to conquer sin on our own, we must ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen us, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," (Matthew 6:13) and He will always "make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear" temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Many people believe their thoughts do not matter. As long as they say and do all the right things, then they can be as ungodly as they want to be in their own private thoughts. As we are judged by our works, ( It is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 1 Peter 1:16-17), please make no mistake that our thoughts are very much considered as part of our works.
Matthew 5:28 reminds us how important our thoughts are: But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. In other words, you do not have to participate in a physical affair to be considered an unfaithful spouse. In the Lord’s eyes, lusting after someone else (this goes beyond simple attraction, but evolves into impure thoughts), is a sin. This verse applies to unmarried people as well. Make no mistake, sexual fantasies are a sin in God's eyes, whether you are married or single.
Jesus knows our every thought, even when we put on a false front to others. Even if one spends his whole life successfully fooling others into thinking He is serving the Lord while addicted to pornography, participating in occult practices, stealing from others, backbiting, gossiping, etc., when he stands before the Lord on judgment day, all will be revealed.
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Matthew 12:34-37
If I am dealing with a customer/client at work and I am super polite and kind, but in my thoughts, I would be calling the person annoying or even stupid, I am displeasing the Lord. Yes, it is always important to treat others with respect, but if our thoughts are cruel, God knows. And trust me, one can wear a mask for only so long before the real truth of their poor attitude seeps through. It is why Jesus so often preached to the Pharisees about their hypocritical lives. If the abundance of your heart (which is the same as your thoughts) is dark and crooked, your speech is sure to be as well.
Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." And James 1:26 warns, "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain." James also says in 3:6, "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."
Again, you can see how vital it is to put on that helmet of salvation to protect your thoughts. Your thoughts will affect your speech, which can bring death or life, heaven or hell.
Also consider that one of the seven abominations listed in Proverbs 6:16-19 is "A heart that devises wicked plans" (verse 18). Notice that one does not even have to carry out wicked plans, but just dreaming them up is an abomination to God. The Lord knows all your thoughts and if you are considering harming someone or breaking the law, you will be held accountable for your thoughts. Remember above Matthew 5:28 says we commit adultery just by thinking about having sex with someone other than our spouse. Proverbs 23:7 says that we are what we think (For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he). The Bible also says that whatever we sow in our hearts we will reap in our actions. Remember that song, "Be careful little mind what you think? For the Father up above is looking down in love"? Well, sing that to yourself every time you are devising wicked thoughts. Repent, and change your thought process!
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8
There is so much more I could write on this subject, but I will end here. I want all of us (this includes me) to think of the words in Philippians 4:8 in all we do. Is what we put before our eyes "pure," "lovely," and virtuous? Is that music praising God? If you are watching it or listening to it, it IS seeping into your thoughts. Are those thoughts endangering your salvation? When you choose NOT to watch that program with incantations and spells, you are firmly planting that helmet of salvation on your head and not inviting the devil to take control of your thoughts. When you choose NOT to watch the movie with nudity, swearing, or violence, and when you choose NOT to read the book full of sex scenes, and you choose NOT to listen to the music that glorifies vanity and sexuality, you ARE taking your thoughts captive and surrendering your life to Jesus; you are wearing the helmet of salvation!
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