How will putting on the “helmet of salvation” help me if I love a prodigal?A Story by Precious Prodigal August 28, 2013: Please “Share” this link to a new Precious Prodigal Blog Post http://www.preciousprodigal.com/blog/13-08-28 Ephesians 6:10 “…be strong in the Lord, and in the power
of his might.” A Facebook friend posted an interesting statement a few
days ago. Quoting his pastor, he said that there are five times in the New
Testament where we are told to prepare for war without being told to actually
go to war. Knowing this friend’s tragic loss and seeing how comforted he was by
this, I asked him what verses his pastor had used and did some research of my
own. And I was amazed. Why? Because the war mentioned in those Scriptures isn’t
about fighting others. Those verses are about the wars that rage inside of us. We certainly know about that kind of battle, don’t we?
Loving someone who has broken our hearts and who continues to break our hearts
creates such conflicting emotions that our lives, our hearts, and our minds are
often in a turmoil. Faith and disbelief, hope and despair, resentment and
forgiveness, and sometimes even love and hate can all be going on at the same
time in that part of our hearts that nobody sees but us. Whether we talk about
it or not, there are times when Satan is winning that spiritual war, and we
seem to be powerless to stop it. How in the world can we “be strong in the
Lord, and in the power of his might?” when those battles are raging inside of
us? I think the answer can be found in Ephesians 6:11 where we
are told the way to withstand the devil and win that war is to put on the whole
armor of God. Although it isn’t the first item on the list, I’m going to start
with the “helmet of salvation” (Eph 6:17) because nothing else makes sense
without it. Salvation can refer to any number of things. We can be saved from a
burning fire or saved from a bad situation. However, when the Bible talks about
salvation, it has a specific meaning that answers the question of the
Philippian jailor, who asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul’s answer
was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:32) That kind of believing faith has nothing to do with
whether you are Baptist, Methodist, Catholic or any other denomination. It
doesn’t ask whether you have been baptized, have joined a church or led a good
life. In fact, it isn’t about religion at all. It’s about a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ. You can’t help your prodigal or anyone else,
including yourself if you don’t have the kind of peace a relationship with
Christ will give you. That relationship
begins at a specific moment in time, and it’s based on a few simple truths that
are as simple as ABC. A. We admit that we are sinners. “For all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23) B. We believe that Jesus is God’s son and that He paid for
our sins on the cross. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternal
life.” John 3:16 C. We confess our faith in Christ. “That if you confess
with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him
from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 That relationship between you and the Christ who died for
you can begin with a simple prayer, something like this:
Challenge for Today: What about it? What about you? Can
you, just for today, look at your own life and see the need for a personal
relationship with Christ? If you prayed this prayer, will you please send me an email at [email protected] so I can pray for you? © 2013 Precious ProdigalAuthor's Note
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Added on August 29, 2013 Last Updated on August 29, 2013 Tags: Accountability, adversity, affirmations, Alanon, angels, bail, Believing God, bitterness, blame, brothers, building, burden, circumstances, compassion, complaining, counseling, Desperation, devotions Author
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