Part Seven of Ten: The Helmet of Salvation

v12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us. [1 Samuel 7:12 KJV]

What Samuel did in the above Scripture was to commemorate where the Lord had last helped the Israelites by marking the location with a stone. In church today, my pastor spoke of an Ebenezer Stone for today and implied that he carried one in his pocket to remember what the Lord had last done for him and through that remembrance how he continued to remember and worship Him for what he has and is still doing.

The slant of his message was two words, hitherto [1] and henceforth [2]. He intimated that we should keep a journal of the things that the Lord’s grace, mercy, and intervention provided hitherto for us, so when an overwhelming situation occurred henceforth we’d not forget what the Lord had already done. God will deliver us from the present attack just like he did the previous one(s). A journal is a great idea whose time has long past come for me. I’ve always wanted to journal and don’t know why I haven’t started. I will do so, henceforth. My pastor said that our past and present are tied to our future.

In today’s microwave generation of instant knowledge and gratification, and because many are drifting from the faith and church, we many times forget the times when Jesus last intervention did something for us and saved us from some horrific situation. The Lord has saved my bacon many times but I want specifically to commemorate the Cross and what Christ did for me there. This selfless act by Jesus Christ was not only for me but for all those who would accept His propitiation at Calvary’s tree and to those who’d love His appearing.

This Samuel passage ties in metaphorically with this week’s blog message. Christ has not only hitherto saved us on the Cross but henceforth given us a way to maintain our salvation. That avenue is the armor of God and the fifth piece of armor for our battle is the helmet of salvation. The English word helmet translates from the Greek word perikephalaia and is a compound word meaning around (peri) and head (kephalaia).

The helmet saved the soldier from the enemy’s battle axes just as our helmet saves us from the battle axes of Satan and his minions. If the soldier did not wear his helmet, he was sure to lose his head. Same with us believers; if we do not walk in our salvation, we are at risk of an attack of the Devil thereby losing our head because lust and sin conceive in the mind [3]. To face Satan without our helmet of salvation is nothing short of spiritual suicide. Three words: “Don’t do it!”

I exhort you brothers and sisters to dress every morning in your spiritual armor because the enemy, like a roaring lion, roams about looking for whom he may devour [4]. Protect your salvation and mind from the enemy’s deception. If we do not protect ourselves with the armor of God every morning, the enemy can and will attack us and rob us, so dress in the morning and stay vigilant. Don’t take Satan lightly; he is very crafty and subtle [5].
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[1] 1 Samuel 7:12 Hitherto means the distance we’ve already traveled and the storehouse of past experiences
[2] 2 Timothy 4:7, 8 From now on, future tense
[3] James 1:14, 15
[4] 1 Peter 5:8
[5] Genesis 3:1