Helmet Head

Ephesians 6:13-18 NKJV  13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 and take the helmet of salvation, & the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance & supplication for all the saints----

Is our helmet of salvation in place? Heard another teaching from this passage and was reminded of earlier years of watching football on T.V. with my husband. It was late seventies of last century and some of those players had  great heads of hair. And should they remove their helmet after several plays, their hair-do now matched the shape of their helmet.

In view of this, do we recognize the importance of having head gear in place? The sport of football involves lots of contact. The amount of contact people have every day, I wondered why there was not more emphasis on the truth of how serious those injuries are to a person's head. Many who suffer severe trauma to their head and or neck sometimes never recover full use of their body's operation.

There was recent report of the head injuries each year sustained by those who ride bikes and even motor cycles. In this article or news information regarded the country but named the Northwest specifically because of the greater number of those who persistently use their bike or motorcycles for use during the warmer yet still somewhat rainy season of the northwest region. But this report had also included another group, those who ride those scooters. And the injuries from one city was a great number involving those who should know better as they are in their 30's and 40's who rode scooters either for the two hour tour time or 4 hour play time.

I know we never leave for a bike ride without that head support nor does our grand-daughter when she rides her bike!

But there must still remain a group, for whatever reason they refuse to wear any head gear. For the numbers certainly appear for those injured during sports, play or travel within a city or county of the northwest.

From verse 13 we are told to put on the whole armor of God, that you and I may be able to stand against evil in the evil day. And when we have done this whole armor thing, you and I stand.

We know this to be spiritually, but the importance is still the main point. Spiritually weak will one lie down in weakness and torment.  We are given a description of how to stand vigorously. It begins by girding our waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness. We are to read and know what God has said to us through His prophets and apostles. We are to be equipped with the word of God just like Jesus was in the wilderness at the beginning of His ministry.

We put on the breastplate of righteousness when we conform to God's will. His will and way is perfect. We should want to conform to them. Our feet are to be shod with the gospel of peace. In reading and meditating on His truths, we are guided by those truths.

Psalm 37:23 NKJV The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.

I was also reminded of this: Psalm 50:22-23 Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be done none to deliver: 23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me, and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.

Had heard this testimony this morning by Lester Summrall and it occurred around the eighties I think he said. He was an evangelist for the Lord and saw many people come to salvation. In his story, he told of this young girl who received salvation. Within this young teen girl, her life had been changed dramatically and had been going to church. She was wanting to serve there after receiving her salvation. In this household, her older brother made her leave the church. He showed up at church while she was there and made her leave with him.  He continued to harass and abuse her about her belief in God and how she did not need that. 

Well, as the young man continued to harass and intimidate her, one day while he was out plowing a field during the day he had died in the field.  Dr. Lester Summrall said he had been called out to this this tragic event. The young man who aggravated with constant verbal abuse about the Lord to his sister had been hit by a lightning strike with no clouds in the sky! It was on a cloudless day that they found he had been burned to where his clothes were non existent, and one of his shoes was thrown many yards away.  Yes, they knew he had been struck by lightning.

Tragic the young man did not realize you do not mess with God's children! Of this family, one survived for her love for God and the other went to his doom. God gave mercy and one refused it.

Receiving God and His truths we receive His peace. Jesus told His disciples, " Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives but as I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

We take the shield of faith with which you and I are able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. Have you ever played darts? Have you ever played with fiery ones? No!

Well just think of how that would play out that which is fiery against you. The enemy is throwing them at you constantly.  Think the devil is out just for "games"? 
We then take the "helmet of salvation" and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; and we pray with faith in our heart.

We confess God's word to the enemy. We confess it loud and clear just in case he, the enemy, is hard of hearing! We read God's word and put it in our hearts.

When the fiery darts are flying we remind the devil what God has told us about our future:

A. Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life: in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

B. Ephesians 6:10,11 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

C. Psalm 9:1-4 I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You: I will sing praise to Your name, O ‘ most High. When my enemies turn back, they shall fall and perish at Your presence.  For You have maintained my right and my cause; You sat on the throne judging in righteousness.

D. Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall  surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

E.  Psalm 119:130 The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding unto the simple.

F.  Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him.

G.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

H.  John 4:23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father is seeking such to worship him.

I.  Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.

J. Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 

We have the Holy Spirit to guide us and He tells us things to come. Jesus told us He would send us the Comforter. But also know He is the Comforter Who is also a judge and He judges the thoughts and intents of one's hearts.
Read the book of Revelation!

May we be committed to wear that Helmet of Salvation knowing a great price was paid that we could have a life that is from the grace of God.  For truly He loves and He is the giver of good things to His children, but we must follow His instructions and keep to His path of light. To venture away from God and out into those paths of destruction, death comes without warning and without life with Him forever. By His sacrifice let us bind ourselves to His words and walk as He walked and see our salvation come to the place where we meet Jesus face to face and receive that crown of life. Oh to HIM be glory forever and ever. Amen.

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UNPRETENTIOUS

1 Samuel 17:31-37...............31 Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. 32 Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." 33 And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth." 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God." 37 Moreover David said, "The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you!"
1 Samuel 17:38-39
38 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David fastened his sword to his armor, and he tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them." So David took them off.  NKJV

I have not tested this sword. I have not tested this armor.
"I have not tested them,"......So David took them off!

In the blog I wrote on..."A Zealous Warrior at Dawn, or in the Dark of Night"....inspired by the Holy Spirit to write on that test in wilderness and of the heart!  Like David, out with the sheep,  we can see everything tested in the "wilderness" . I, too, think our hearts are measured in that place like David's was tested. God always comes to check our motives, our devotion, our faith, our relationship with Him and with others. David's skill came from what he used in the "wilderness" of what he had on or in his hand. He had to lean on God alone.

David wrote Psalm 139, and many believe it was written while David was still just a shepherd herding sheep. They believe he wrote it about the.....scene in which he wrote and sang it to God.
For a moment, let's think on the darkness of night and the lights that shine are displayed on the black velvet sky. Let's think on what David probably viewed in the midnight hour, in the solitude, where even the quiet seems loud. For in that moment we can feel that darkness wrap its cover over us. It is in those moments when we note God's omniscience, His omnipresence, and of course of His omnipotence!

Omniscience: 1 Samuel 2:3.............3 "Talk no more so very proudly;
Let no arrogance come from your mouth,..For the LORD is the God of knowledge;
And by Him actions are weighed. .NKJV

Isaiah 46:9-10..........9 Remember the former things of old,   For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 

10 Declaring the end from the beginning,  NKJV

Psalm 139:4.............4 For there is not a word on my tongue,..But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. NKJV

Omnipresence:  Jeremiah 23:23-24.......23 "Am I a God near at hand," says the LORD,

"And not a God afar off? 

24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places,  So I shall not see him?" says the LORD;

"Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the LORD.   NKJV

Proverbs 15:3.....3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place,  Keeping watch on the evil and the good.  NKJV

Psalm 139:5.............You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. NKJV

Omnipotent: Luke 1:37........ 37 For with God nothing will be impossible."  NKJV

Jeremiah 10:12........12 He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.  NKJV

Isaiah 43:13.....13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?"  NKJV

Colossians 1:16-17.............16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven & that are on earth, visible & invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him & for Him. 17 And He is before all things, & in Him all things consist. NKJV

What has been tested when no one sees, when it is just you and God, that is the "thing" God will bring forward in your life?  But Shelley, I have tested nothing. I have not worked on anything and brought it to God!
Do you read the Word of God diligently? Do you ask God about certain scriptures or passages, for He will certainly answer you on them!
"How do you act at the workplace?" Are you giving or taking? (are you taking care of your job and seeing you do your best at it?)   "How do you act around your family"? Is your family surprised when they take you out to church or to a party for a friend? Do you act different when others you do not know are around? "How do you treat your husband or children?" Are they treated the same in a social setting as visiting in someone's home, out to the theater for a movie, etc.?  Is God surprised when you show up for church? How about if God is surprised when you speak in a gentle voice?  As we read in the scriptures above, God created, nothing is impossible with Him, His eyes keep watch on you and me, He knows the evil and the good, and everything I do or you do is weighed by HIM!
David said in Psalm 139...23-24...search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24............23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;  24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.  NKJV

To test something or....To prove it...

David was going against a giant, Goliath, who spoke defiantly against God! (see in  1 Samuel 22-27, 31-54) 

What skills do we hold in the "wilderness" area? Will we search the Word to find what God has already done in the lives of so many? Or would we rather find that remote control and just hibernate and allow another to voice something to us of the world. I like movies too, but there is a fine line we can cross if we are not cautious about what we put before our eye gates!
I found that like a student from 1st grade to graduating the 12th, I loved to study. I liked having plenty of paper, pens and pencils with good erasers. I loved looking in encyclopedias and searching in many informational books I needed for some classes. So, when I started praying in Tongues, (that Baptism in the Holy Spirit) I began to look into the Word of God that perfect law of liberty and find my place. As I did, I kept praying, and found myself leading in places I didn't know I could do!

1 Samuel 17:39-54...........And David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them." So David took them off. 

40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. 41 So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. 43 So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" 45 Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands." 

48 So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent. NKJV

1 Corinthians 1:31... Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."  NIV

Amen and Amen! Making our boast in the Lord, like David, he made his boast, used his sling shot and stone, and in the end, carried the giant's head to Jerusalem and the armor he put into his tent. David had drawn the sword from the sheath of Goliath and used Goliath's own sword against him!

UNPRETENTIOUS: Modest, Without Ego, Not Proud, No "flash in the pan", Sincere, HONEST, and BOLD!

David's confidence that he stood with God. He said ," I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." "This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and wild beasts of the earth, that ALL THE EARTH MAY KNOW THAT THERE IS A GOD IN ISRAEL. THEN ALL THE ASSEMBLY SHALL KNOW THAT LORD DOES NOT SAVE WITH SWORD OR SPEAR; FOR THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S AND HE WILL GIVE YOU INTO OUR HANDS."

David took care of what he did in the "wilderness" and he got a training in trusting God. He kept his life attached to the God of life, the God of more than enough, the God who does the impossible, and weighs our actions.

Can we like David run to the place where there is a battle going on? Do we not see them everywhere today? Is there something that I have been trained to do in the "wilderness" that qualifies me to take up that which I can use against the enemy of the devil and speak, "NO MORE devil!" Can I move through the crowd and NOT throw my weight around so to speak, but move through like Stealth and take the place that is being bombarded by the devil.? Can we move through our day and speak life over individuals who may never walk into a church setting, but will listen when you speak, because you deal in truth and honesty. They will listen because you speak in love and not to bash someone! In truth I am ready to pray for someone, unless there are more leaders who are over me or who I do not know, say in a church setting and must wait for directions from the pulpit, but if I am out for the day with my husband, we pray for those opportunities that we may seize them and pray for someone in need of encouragement!

All is  not for my glory, but for God's glory.

In closing I mention David's brother, Eliab. In 1 Samuel 17:28-29....when David has first arrived and all the shouting has begun........(1 Sam 17:24-25...........24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. 25 So the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel." NKJV).....................................we find, that all the men of Israel had fled from him (the giant). (yes, those military men) And it was told what the man would get who would go against the giant Goliath!

In the verses 28-29, we see Eliab aroused to anger against David. ...........he said, "why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle."

My question: Why would a military man be envious of David at this point? Was it because David saw it and was ready to take action against it? Was he addressing what needed to be said and done in the power of God? Was Eliab still angered because David had been anointed with a horn of oil by the prophet in 1 Samuel 16:13?
For the Lord certainly refused Eliab........in verses 7-8 of 1 Samuel 16..........But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

No, God was looking on the heart, and David's was found with God.

God was leading David, and no man got a say, even a military man with some expertise under "his belt" so to speak.  And speaking that David had pride and insolence in his heart was so out of line with what God was showing and doing in Israel through David, the shepherd! Eliab was saying, "David, you are prideful and you are arrogant!" But David was none of those things. David was making his boast in the Lord. There is a lot of difference when standing for truth and justice for all.
It is not being haughty but having a boldness in heart to have courage to stand against the enemy!

God was directing David, because David loved God, had a heart after God and would not settle for less!
David showed up at the right place, at the right time, and would operate in the power of God. David was skilled with the sling and had his five stones. (one for every brother of Goliath, and Goliath himself). We read where David ran to Goliath!
David was the instrument of justice and was ready to face the injustice against Israel. Will we do as much? David was moving into plain view, for people to see and witness God. David had no pretense. They have this undaunted courage from the times they spend with God and hearing Him. They are not discouraged but they keep moving forward. THEY ARE ARMED WITH THE PRESENCE OF GOD!

David wrote in Psalm 34:2....I will make my boast in the Lord, let the afflicted hear and rejoice...and in Jeremiah  9:23-24.....................23 This is what the LORD says:

"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
24 but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,"
 declares the LORD.  NIV


Father, we pray in  Jesus' name to not be wise man who boasts in his wisdom or the strong man who boasts of his strength or of the rich man boasting of all his riches. But we desire to boast in the Lord. It is YOU who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth and in these do you delight. We pray to be diligent to seek You and hear You. We pray to strong and determined to find YOUR thoughts and ways for our lives. For we truly desire to walk in truth and to have a boldness as David did in confronting Goliath. Lord lead us by Your Holy Spirit and help us to see that which must be addressed by us. We pray to be those who are skilled in that which we are about to walk in, faithful to keep our walk with you, considerate of others, and ready to pray for others when the need arises. May we shut out all other voices that do not pertain to where we are going and what You have planned for us. Right now, we give You all the praise and thanks for allowing us to be apart of this great end time move in the harvest for souls. Amen.


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