Romans 8:35-39 (NKJV) 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This week we have been looking at the helmet of salvation. This is the piece of the full armor of God that protects our head. Physically we know that a person cannot live without a head. Any injury to the brain is very often catastrophic even if it is not fatal. Spiritually we cannot live without maintaining the vital connection to our head, Jesus Christ.
Physically there are functions centered in the brain that we cannot function without especially in battle. We must be able to evaluate information, see and hear the enemy and communicate with other soldiers. Spiritually we must be able to do all of these things from a spiritual perspective. We need our thinking and senses functioning spiritually to win spiritual battles.
Yesterday we focused on how we put on the helmet of salvation. Our helmet is perfect. It has the ability to protect us from anything the enemy can bring against us. It cannot protect us at all unless we wear it. I believe we put on the helmet of salvation by accepting salvation as our identity. I am saved. Any other identity must be subject to my salvation identity. Some identities we carry are good. Many, such as those that develop because of trauma, are destructive. All of them must be subject to “I am saved.”
I must consciously put on my salvation identity. I must meditate in the Word of God concerning my salvation. I need to spend time in prayer with the Lord of my salvation. I must confess my salvation. The bible tells us in Romans 10:9-10 that the confession of the Lordship of Jesus is integral to my initial salvation but it does not stop there. I am what I confess and I confess what I am. The more I speak my salvation the more I put on the helmet of salvation.
Once my helmet is in place, there are some things that I will be able to do that I cannot do without it. Conversely, cultivating these things will help me put the helmet on. These things are especially important when we are engaged in warfare with our enemy the devil. Keep in mind that the challenges of life are part of that warfare even if the devil is not their direct cause.
We have listed some important things that are centered in the “head” of the Roman warrior. They are also part of our spiritual warfare. The first is the evaluation of information. A great deal depends on how we evaluate the circumstances and conditions of life around us. We are all familiar with the “glass half full vs. glass half empty” scenario. Two people will look at the same evidence and one will be optimistic and the other pessimistic. What I am talking about is similar but much more far-reaching.
A soldier is trained to evaluation information as a soldier. A good soldier can look at a situation that would cause a civilian to be overcome with fear. The soldier will see an opportunity for victory because he is trained to evaluate situation according to military principles. In the same way, we must learn to evaluate circumstances through our salvation identity. This is what we read concerning Paul in today’s scripture.
These verses contain nothing but bad things. If we were in Paul’s shoes we might conclude that God did not love us or that he was angry with us. We might think that we were about to be completely defeated in the battle. All of the evidence in this paragraph would tell us Paul was a defeated failure. Paul comes to a different conclusion. His conclusion is almost startling. This list of bad things leads Paul to the conclusion that he is “more than a conqueror.”
Earlier in this chapter we see why Paul came to the conclusions he did.
Romans 8:31-33 (NKJV) 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
Paul saw God as with him. Why did he come to that conclusion? He came to it because he knew that it was God who justified. He was saved! He evaluated all information through his salvation identity. Hunger, nakedness, rejection and shipwreck could not separate him from the love that saved him.
I have many challenges in my life just as you do. There are days when I forget to put on my helmet. I forget what my true identity is. I see the evidence and I evaluate it based on my capabilities and resources in the natural. When I do that, I am defeated before I begin the battle. I will not fight. I will give in to depression and complaining.
When I face the challenges of life with my helmet securely in place, they look very different. I am not limited to my ability. I am not facing them alone. I am part of an army who has the authority of the commander and chief behind them. I have the power of the government of Heaven to help me. I have been given the Name of Jesus to use in my battles. Alone I am defeated. As one vitally joined to almighty God by the covenant of salvation, I am more than a conqueror through him who loves me.
Put on your helmet and look at your life through your salvation identity. You are not weak you are strong. You are not a sinner you are saved by grace. You are not alone because the commander and chief of the army will never leave you nor forsake you. You may be many things. However above all else, if you are a Christian, you are saved!
Leave a Reply