Our brains are the epicenters of our lives. Your brain controls all of our bodily functions (both voluntary and involuntary), your thoughts, your emotions, and it’s from your brain that you form the basis for your soul. Thinking about the messages in the bible and choosing to accept or deny the existence of Jesus is done using our brains. So it makes sense that God would give us not only physical means to protect our brains (like our skulls), but also give us spiritual means to protect the hub of our spirit. That protection comes in the form of the helmet of salvation.

Helmets are a tool used to protect your head. If you learned to ride a bike as a child, you were probably made to wear a helmet by your parents because one head injury can drastically change your life in so many ways. If you learned to ride a bike as a child, you also know how very easy it is to fall off of said bike and injure yourself. God knows how easy it is for us to injure ourselves here on earth, so He has added in protection and armor for us to have access to. The thing is, we need to be the ones to accept it. Paul talks about the helmet of salvation in Ephesians 6:17 “ And take the helmet of salvation…” Just like the helmet that our parents offered us to protect us from the dangers of riding a bike, God is holding out the helmet of salvation in order to protect our minds from the dangers of satan’s worldly influences.

If you’re not careful to protect your mind by reminding yourself each day that you are saved and loved by God, you leave your mind vulnerable to those dangerous influences. God has made a way to give you the ultimate protection from death by sending His son as a sacrifice for you so that you will never have to be separated from God in hell, we call this salvation. And just like we had to accept that we needed to wear a helmet to ride our bikes safely, we also have to accept that we need a helmet to protect us from the enemy. In order to accept this protection, we need to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

It sounds simple enough, yet can be desperately difficult, especially if we’ve already been influenced by the world and allowed satan’s influence to infiltrate our minds. Priscilla Shirer mentioned in her wonderful study The Armor of God (I highly recommend it, if you are looking for a good, deep study) that our mind is the spiritual expression of our brain. We see, hear, and process many different messages from family, friends, society, and even church leaders so it’s important to have the helmet of salvation as protection against any of the negative influences that may lead us into harm; whether the harm be physical, emotional, or spiritual.

As single people we are often influenced by the emotional, psychological, and biological drive to be in a romantic relationship. Most little girls dream of their wedding day and society, family, social media, and even our church homes can make us feel incomplete, or broken because we haven’t yet taken those iconic vows of marriage. While I’m not a man, I know several single men who also face pressures from family and friends as well as influences within the church to “settle down” and get married. There’s nothing wrong with those desires, but we must be patient to wait on God’s timing and not take those outside messages to heart by allowing them to alter our mind. Wearing your helmet by being confident in God’s plan and the facts of your salvation help to protect your mind from the doubt, anger, and bitterness that can then take up residence in your heart if you don’t trust in God’s promise.

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So always remember who you are in Christ and the promises that God has presented to you.

“But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.” 1 Corinthians 6:17

“So God created mankind in his own image, in his own image God created them…” Genesis 1:27

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” Jeremiah 1:5

Even in those dark times of doubt and anger, God is there holding on to you and handing you your helmet, you just need to remember to grab a hold and wear it proudly, like the warrior that you are!