IF we continue to let our minds and emotions control us we will eventually come under oppression.
What is oppression? The word oppression is found in Acts 10:38. In his sermon to the household of Cornelius Peter said, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power; who went about doing good and healing all those that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
The word “oppression” is taken from the word katadunasteuo (ka-ta-du-na-steu-o), which is a compound of the words kata (ka-ta) and dunamis (du-na-mis). Kata denotes something that dominates or manipulates. Dunamis refers to a power that is explosive it is where we get the word dynamite.
Oppression is a force that comes to powerfully dominate or manipulate. It is typically used to describe an evil ruler that forced his will on his subjects. He told them where they would live, what they could eat, even how much money they could make. He imposed his will upon them against their will.
Therefore when a person is oppressed his / her mind and emotions are dominated by an outside source. The enemy comes to oppress him just like the wicked King, telling him what his future will and will not be, what he feels about himself, and whether he will ever make it in life.
When oppression sets in the end result is hopelessness.
When salvation is tightly around our minds fit fully in place these tactics of the devil will not work! That is why salvation is seen here as a defensive weapon, it protects our minds from such assaults.
When salvation is wrapped around your mind you will not fall prey to these tactics. When salvation is wrapped around your mind you are protected your mind is safe.
The devil knows that if he is going to attack us he needs to get a foothold in our minds, He knows that our minds are our strategic control center and if he can gain a foot hold to our mind he can gain a foot hold to our bodies next. If he has no say-so in our minds then he has no say-so in our bodies, family or finances. Our minds are very important!
God gave us a brain not to put away and collect dust but to use. God wants us to use our minds, they are very important.
That is why 1peter 1:13 says, “gird up the loins of your mind.” God is saying, “gather up the loose ends of your mind and get your mind into shape.”
If the devil can make you tired in your mind, you will loose out in the long run. If the devil plants a seed of disbelief you will wind up in a dismal condition. Your mind is important and God didn’t leave it unprotected he gave us a beautiful, gorgeous, ornate helmet called “salvation” to protect it.
In your helmet of salvation you have several things, you have salvation from sin, salvation from hell, you have protection, and you have soundness of mind with all kinds of God given attributes.
This next section deals with what the helmet of salvation does for us. In 2 Timothy 1:7, the Word of God says, “ For God hath not give us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
What is a sound mind? You could say it is sensible thinking it is taken from the Greek word sophroneo (so-phro-ne-o). It is a compound word. The first part of the word is derived from the word sodzo (sod-zo), which means, “saved or delivered.” The word phroneo (phro-ne-o) refers to “intelligent thinking.”
Put the two together and you get a saved mind or a delivered mind. In other words it means a mind that has been set free to think correctly. Saved brains!
When your mind is guarded and renewed by the Word of God, you think saved thoughts. When you have a renewed mind it sounds perfectly logical to walk in faith and it sounds perfectly logical to obey God with your money.
In the passage it is as if Paul is saying to timothy, why are you allowing fear to control your mind (something I have seen more and more of in the body today) when God hasn’t given you this spirit of fear, but of love, and of power. He has given you a mind that has been delivered.
When we walk in the knowledge of our salvation we walk and talk like a saved man or woman. When your mind is renewed with the Word of God concerning all the blessings contained in your salvation, you walk and talk like you are saved. When Gods goodness has filled your mind you walk and talk like a saved person.
Some people have been saved for years, but they do not think like saved people. Some people have more unbelief in what God cant do then they have faith in what God can do. This happens when a saved person does not walk in the knowledge of their salvation.
On the other hand, when a believer meditates on the Word of God and begins to comprehend the blessings contained in their salvation, all they can think about is what God can do!
Your thought process becomes much different when you walk in your helmet of salvation
Why is this important? Because when you attempt to live the life of faith – reaching out to do the imposable the enemy will try to assault you mentally and emotionally and stop you in your tracts.
The devil
will put thoughts into your mind like. “You can’t do this! You can’t do that!
This isn’t possible! This doesn’t make sense! Don’t you know you have a car
payment to make what will your friends and family think of this?
He may try to make a road into
your mind, play mind games with your head, and then deceive you. Play it safe,
make sure you are growing in the knowledge of your salvation. Take care to wear
your helmet of salvation by filling your mind with the Word of God.
When you walk in your helmet of salvation you think like God thinks, you act like God acts, you believe like God believes.
In Romans 8:6 Paul says, “ For to be carnally minded is death...”
In Titus
1:15 Paul restates this again when he says, “ … unto them that are defiled and
unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.”
These verses are about a lost
man’s mind but there still plenty of believers who still walk around with their
carnal minds controlling them. It doesn’t matter how many years you’ve been
saved, if you don’t wear your helmet, and you don’t walk in the knowledge of
your salvation your mind will end up contaminated and defiled.
Do not underestimate the Importance of filling your mind with a proper understanding and knowledge of your salvation. Salvation is a powerful piece of weaponry. If it is allow to function correctly in your life, it will defend your mind from attacks. You will become spiritually deformed if you do not walk in your “helmet of salvation.” If you do not want to be spiritually deformed you need to wear your helmet everyday.
The word salvation means saved or delivered. In the broadest sense of the word, it means, “to be brought into a safe place.” It is taken from the Greek word soterios (so-te-ri-os), which means “to be saved, to be delivered from danger, and to be brought into a safe place.” Here you see that when you are saved you are brought into a safe place. The knowledge of the gospel sets your mind free!
When a man or woman is saved, they are rescued from a place of danger. Being lost is a dangerous place to be in because you are under the dominion of Satan. But when a man is saved, he is brought out of that dangerous place, and is brought into a place of safety.
It is very important to notice that Paul saw salvation as a helmet because this tells us that when we were saved, God not only rescued us spiritually but he rescued our mind as well.
Before you were saved, you were a member of Satan’s slave market and your mind was accustomed to thinking as the world thinks. By nature the bible says we were all the “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). The word “wrath” means that we were bent out of proportions. What a mess we were in! What the devil did was leave his scars and marks all over our minds and emotions when we were previously under his control.
Now that we have been “… Delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13), you must allow the power of God to work in your mind and renew it to right thinking; saved thinking.
God doesn’t want any part of your mind to think like the world thinks. God doesn’t want one cell of your mind to have unbelief in it. It is not the will of God. God intends for every cell in your mind to be dominated with your new birth. He intends your mind to be a mind controlled by the Holy Spirit.
So how do I get my mind into this condition?
First get in touch with the power of God that’s the pre-requisite to walking in the spiritual armor. Ephesians 6:10, “ … be strong in the Lord…” when that strength comes to you it will clothe you with spiritual armor.
There is a second thing you must do. Paul says, in Ephesians 6:17, “and take the helmet of salvation…” The word take is translated receive forty times in the New Testament. Thus, the verse would be better translated, “ and receive the helmet of salvation….”
God is not going to force you to take the helmet salvation. You have a part to play in the saving of your own mind.
How do you do that? You put on salvation. You put on your helmet of salvation by studying what the word has to say about salvation. Know it inside and out. Know what the bible has to say about Jesus’ redemptive work to deliver, heal, preserve, and give a sound mind to you. Wrap that salvation around your brain and let it protect your mind. You will be transformed by doing this. You will no longer walk like someone who is constantly sick you will no longer think or walk like an individual who is poor. You will no longer walk like an individual who is defeated because your mind will be filled with the knowledge of salvation and this knowledge will begin to change your conduct and your experiences.
The devil wants to rob every blessing that God has prepared for you. He wants to take every good thing from you. So fill your mind with what God has done for you. Let the knowledge of salvation and all the benefits become like a helmet of bronze on your head. By letting the word of God work in your mind to this extent your mind will be renewed. You will become so convinced of your salvation and all of its benefits – that your mind will be secure in your salvation; your mind will no longer be able to be penetrated by doubt and unbelief
Those questionable areas in your mind that the enemy used to attack all the time regularly, will no longer be attackable for now you are completely surrounded both mentally and emotionally by the helmet of salvation.
The End