Priscilla started us out with a story about a little boy who got his head stuck in a stone wall that had a hole in it. He was interested to see what was on the other side of that wall. Rescuers were called to get his head out. Warning: never do this......lol.
Her point: "Our head can be stuck on an idea or a pattern of thinking that is detrimental to us, or rationalizing specific behaviors. Our head can be stuck and we just can't seem to get it free." Apostle Paul has told us in Ephesians 6:14-16 how to stand.
She said our salvation is our liberation.
It's not just about getting a ticket to eternity. Salvation was meant to implement an entire new way of thinking into our life. We are supposed to walk in the liberation we've been given - received and applied.
Salvation was designed for us to walk in victory.
Priscilla related our salvation to the physical body: All the functions of our body are attached to the signals, the impulses that our brain sends. What the brain is to the body, the mind is to the soul. The mind is the spiritual expression of our brain.
Salvation is about our identity. It's about who we are in Christ. We need to remind ourselves of who we are.
Romans 12:1-2 reveals to us what we are supposed to do to make sure our mind is protected well.
Therefore I urge you, brethren (sisters), by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
We also learned that the helmet the Roman solider wore had been redesigned since Paul's day. It was made of iron and covered with bronze. Its primary function was to protect the skull and brain from the swing of the "broadsword" - a 3-4 foot long sword with massive handles. There was a neck guard and cheek guards to protect the neck and shoulders.
The solider was well protected - so should we be protected as well. Strongholds in our mind are torn down by the Word of God. Fortresses are dismantled by the Word of God. As we apply our identity in Christ to our living, we can restructure how we think.
Priscilla said "as strategic as the enemy is in attacking our thoughts, that's how strategic we must be in taking our thoughts back."
Read Deuteronomy chapter 6.
Post the Word of God - put it over our "doorpost"; put it around our life so it's bombarding us. We can retrain our thinking so it lines up with what God says and who He says we are.
Remember this: Salvation is not just a past event; it is a present reality. Our inheritance and our identity is in Christ.
Begin to see Salvation a defensive, protective device that covers you, shields you and protects you against the schemes of the devil. It enables you to lead a whole and healthy life.
Put on your helmet as a protection for your life. Our God's Salvation is holistic and involves the well-being of the whole person - not just rescuing us but even reversing negative circumstances.
The price of our helmet was paid in full by our Savior. What a shame if we never wear it.
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