I did this whole devotion and then when I published it the page said “link expired” and everything disappeared… So that was pretty discouraging… I did it again, but that was super lame. However, due to the importance of what’s in this post I felt it was logical that Satan would try his hardest to keep it from being written. There is an urgency to the truths contained here. Do not forsake them.

Respond:

As I read about salvation today help me to realize the importance of it. Write this truth on my heart. Break me for those who do not know this. Make me realize that once I was enslaved to sin and the only thing that broke me from those chains was this truth!

Rejoice:

Read:

17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

When I was in the army (and this is still true) there were two pieces of battle gear that were more important than any other. It was our helmet and our flak vest. The vest covered our chest and abdomen and the helmet covered… our head. Though we had other attachments that covered our legs and arms we would forego those in some scenarios to increase agility or better suite our missions purpose. However, we would never forego our helmet or flak vest. The reason is that if we were to injured in our chest or head these injuries had a significant chance of mortality. We could receive injuries to our legs which obviously weren’t ideal but could be treated quickly and efficiently. However, if we incurred injuries to our abdomen or head these injuries had a higher chance of mortality. Additionally if our medic was great (#ThatWasMe) he could get us stable BUT complications were a higher risk for these injuries even after being stabilized. We could still die even weeks after the initial injury. Furthermore if we sustained these injuries and recovered we were likely left with some long-term effect. Out of the two head injuries had an even higher risk of long-term effects on our life. Some of those effects left the soldier living a radically different life. 

All of that to say, the helmet was of utmost importance. We would NEVER forego it and without it a much less aggressive attack from the enemy would be critical. That’s why it is logical for Paul to have compared our salvation to the helmet. Without it an attack from the enemy has much more intensive damage and could possibly take everything from us. 

However, most of you reading this ARE saved. So I wanted to take this opportunity to share a concise way of telling someone the Gospel: 

Man’s Problem: None of us are righteous (Rom 3:10) because all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard (Rom 3:23). Like a little lamb we have wandered away from His standard seeking our own truth(Isaiah 53:6). Due to our wandering we deserve eternal death, but God decided to give us eternal life! (Romans 6:23) 

God’s solution: When we were still enemies, still completely against God, He sent His only Son to die for us! (Rom 5:8, John 3:16). He died for every human, a righteous God dying for unrighteous humans bringing us from death in our flesh to life in the Spirit! (1 Peter 3:18) A perfect God who had not sinned was the only one worthy of paying our debt and He chose to do that(2 Cor. 5:21). 

Man’s responsibility: We can be saved by grace, through faith, not of any works we could do (Ephesians 2:8-9). A worker is due his wages as a debt not by grace, but we have not worked for this. Rather righteousness has been given to us based solely upon our faith in God(Romans 4:4-5). Whoever hears God’s Word, THIS TRUTH, and believes in it shall not come into judgement and eternal death but instead have everlasting life (John 5:24).

We will get into the second half of this verse tomorrow. I want to stress the importance of knowing the truth above. Knowing the entirety of it. We must be able to speak this truth at any given time. Do not forget that this is the way you were freed!

Respond:

God, write this on my heart. Concrete it within my brain so that I can share it’s truth at all times. Make my heart break over those who are destined for eternity in Hell. Make my heart sorrow from within me for those who are enslaved by our enemy. Draw me into Your Word so that I can have a clear picture of Your Gospel. Help me to not forsake being able to speak these words to those who are lost. Their hope is only found here!!! Lord convict me daily to meditate on Your Gospel. Do not let me forsake this. Do not let me forsake this. DO NOT LET ME FORSAKE THIS as I am prone to!! 🙁

Relate:

Parents, speak this to your children DAILY. I prayed this with my kids every night until they asked if they could receive God’s gift. Teaching our kids the Gospel at a young age is the best way to get it planted in their hearts and lead them to accept it. This is the purpose of your life: to share God’s Gospel. If you have children you have a mission field that you CANNOT forsake and you dwell there on a daily basis. You have little minds that look to you and believe you wholly without question. Use these days, these years, preach the Gospel daily.

This is the basic truth we must all have and be able to share because this is where life begins!! This is the most important thing above everything else in your life. Seriously. If you don’t believe that challenge yourself, how much do you truly value God’s salvation? Would you want to be on a plummeting path towards eternal damnation!? That is where those without this truth are. That is where your children may be. That is where your best friend may be. Do not let Satan keep you from sharing this because of your pride and fear. Reevaluate your priorities. 

Save those three paragraphs, paraphrase them if you’d like, but save them. Read through them once a week, a month, or whatever it takes to keep this in your memory. If you cannot share this truth you are not fully equipped to share the news that brings slaves to freedom. You have the chance to speak life into dead bones do NOT FORSAKE THIS!!! I’m unsure how to stress this more… I’m pleading with everything I have in me, please know this truth and be able to speak it at all moments.