Phase 1 Module 6 Session 5 God s spiritual armor: Helmet of Salvation. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT General Outline INTRODUCTION

Transcription

1 Phase 1 Mdule 6 Sessin 5 Gd s spiritual armr: Helmet f Salvatin VIDEO TRANSCRIPT General Outline 1. Intrductin/Review 2. Rman Sldier s Helmet 3. Gd s Helmet f Salvatin a. Why a helmet? b. Why a helmet f salvatin? c. Hw t maintain Gd s Helmet f Salvatin. 4. Wrap Up INTRODUCTION Stand firm then, with the belt f truth buckled arund yur waist, with the breastplate f righteusness in place, and with yu feet fitted with the readiness that cmes frm the gspel f peace. In additin t all this, take up the shield f faith, Take Gd s Helmet f Salvatin and the swrd f the Spirit Well my friend, it s time t check back in with ur Rman sldier friend again. And that means it s time t cntinue t put n, take up, and live in the reality f Gd s spiritual armr. Nw, I knw that by nw yu ve spent s much time with this guy that yu really ught t be n a first name basis with him, right? But there is, h, s much mre Paul has t say abut him. S, where have we been? Well, s far yu have seen hw t put n the Belt f Truth, hw t put n the Breastplate f Righteusness, and hw t put n the Shes f Peace. Then last time yu learned hw t take up the Shield f Faith. When yu finish up this time tgether yu will have als taken up Gd s Helmet f Salvatin. Alng the way this time yu will discver sme interesting facts abut the Rman sldier s helmet, yu will find ut exactly why it is yu need a helmet, why yu need Gd s Helmet f Salvatin, and finally, hw yu are t maintain Gd s Helmet f Salvatin. Then, during ur Spiritual Armr time tgether in Mdule 7 the next Mdule--yu will learn what it means t take up the Swrd f the Spirit. And that ll be if fr ur time with ur Rman sldier friend, right? At that pint yu will have cvered each f the six pieces f Gd s spiritual armr, right? Nw, yu have t knw by nw that the answer t that kind f questin has t be n, right? Well, the answer is n. Because during the next Mdule yu and I will finish up ur Spiritual Armr series with ne final sessin where yu will discver ne mre piece f the Rman sldier s armr and the ne remaining piece f Gd s spiritual armr. I knw, yu say, But Bb, I ve cunted, and there are nly see six pieces f Gd s spiritual armr, nt seven. Right, well, just hld n t that thught fr just a while. But fr right nw, yu re ging t take up Gd s Helmet f Salvatin, s let s get started. ROMAN SOLDIER S HELMET And as we d, first ff, I m sure yu knw that during war time, a whle lt f Rman sldiers gt hurt r wrse. Right? While a sldier might have survived a brken arm r maybe even a fractured rib r tw, a head injury wuld likely have prven fatal. Therefre, each Rman sldier had a custmized Helmet t take up that lked smething like what yu see in this picture, which in fact lks a great deal like this. Here is a particularly gd replica f a Rman sldier s helmet. Nw, yu need t knw that the wrd helmet is the Greek wrd peri-kephalaia. Peri means arund and kephalaia means the head. S very literally, just as yu wuld expect, a helmet was a piece f armr that fit tightly arund the head. What purpse did the helmet serve fr the Rman sldier? Well, first, the sldier s helmet was designed t save his life. Nw, here are sme great pictures f actual Rman helmets. What yu can t see is that each ne f these helmets was made f either brnze r irn and was ften 1

2 lined inside with spnge r felt fr the sake f cmfrt. What yu can see is that it included tw hinged side pieces t prtect the cheekbnes and jaw d yu see thse hanging dwn n the sides? And yu can als see the lip n the back t prtect the neck. The helmet prtected a sldier's skull and neck frm the blws f his enemy r even frm falling debris. S, the helmet was designed t save the sldier s life, but it was als very, very nticeable. It was fascinating and it was beautiful. These helmets were flambyant, rnate and intricate. They ften appeared mre like a piece r artwrk rather than a piece f armr. Rman military fficers had hrsehair plumes r feathers that std straight up ut f the tp. These plumes were dyed in a variety f bright clrs s yu culd easily tell the sldier s psitin r rank; there were primarily used during ceremnies and parades, and were remved just befre battle. S, the Rman sldier s helmet was designed t bth prtect his head and his brain, while at the same time it was very beautiful. It was very artful. It was a very essential piece f armr fr the Rman sldier. WHY A HELMET? S, that s what the helmet was t the Rman sldier. But just exactly why d YOU need a helmet? I mean, d yu need a helmet? And if yu d, why? The answer is f curse yu d, yes yu d, and yes yu d fr tw very gd reasns: the first reasn is physical and the secnd reasn is as yu might expect is spiritual. Why might yu need a physical helmet t cver yur head and prtect yur brain? Fr example, yu wuld need a helmet if yu happen t be a mdern-day sldier if yu are a mdern day sldier yu had better have a helmet. Yu wuld need a helmet if yu intend t play many different kinds f sprts like ftball. Sme sprts require yu t prtect yur brain s yu had better have a helmet. Yu may need a safety helmet at yur wrk place fr example perhaps if yu wrk at a cnstructin site. Or, yu just might need a helmet fr sme f yur every day activities like this ne like bike riding--right--uch. I think yu get the idea here. In each f these cases yu wuld need a physical helmet t physically prtect yur head and t prtect yur brain. But, why prtect yur brain? Why? Because yur brain is the cntrl center fr the rest f yur bdy. Why prtect yur brain? Because if yu damage yur brain, sme if nt all f yur bdily functins just wn t functin as they shuld. Or maybe they wn t functin at all maybe yu wn t functin at all. S, yes, many times yu may need a physical helmet. But Gd s Wrd thrugh Paul als tells yu that yu als need a spiritual helmet. Hw s? Well, just as yur brain is the cntrl center fr the rest f yur bdy, listen my friend, yur mind is the cntrl center fr yur will and yur emtins. Yur mind, yur spiritual cntrl center, it needs a helmet f defense against the attacks f the devil. Yu see, the devil desn t much care exactly hw he accmplishes his gal t attack yur mind. He may, fr example, he may lead yu int a situatin where yu get a physical cncussin, r he may attack yu with flaming arrws f hypcrisy r parania r anything else, r he may cause yu t suffer frm mental disrders r maybe even sme strnghlds. And if any r all f thse aren t enugh, he will als try t lead yu int material and financial bndage. Yu see, the devil knws that if he can negatively impact yur mind, either physically r spiritually r bth physically and spiritually if he can successfully attack yur mind, he knws that he will be better able t keep yu frm living the way Gd wants yu t live. Remember what yu learned a time r tw ag? Yu learned that the deciding factr in spiritual warfare is in the victry r defeat f yur mind. Hw s? Hw d yu knw that frm Gd s Wrd? Well, because f what Gd tells yu in Prverbs 3:7 Gd says, S as he thinks in his heart, s he is. In ther wrds, yu are what yu think in yur heart. This verse simply says that yu are nt the persn yu say yu are, rather, yu are the persn yu think yu are. Mre specifically, yu likely end up ding what yu think. Is that nt right? Yu either respnd r react t yur envirnment based upn what yu think whether r nt what yu think is true r false. OK? N, maybe nt. I m having a hard time getting a hld n this myself, s maybe yu re nt OK. S, let me give yu a cuple f great examples. (Pic#12) First example: I knw yu recall frm yur American Histry classes that at the exact mment Abraham Lincln signed the Emancipatin Prclamatin, all the slaves were legally free. Frm that mment n they were free. Hwever, many slaves didn t knw abut their freedm until later, smetimes, much later. They were still slaves, and they still acted like slaves, because they didn t knw the truth that had set them free. Fr example, it tk several mnths fr the news f the Emancipatin Prclamatin t reach Flrida. It tk several years fr that same news t reach Texas. All the 2

3 while, frm the time President Lincln signed it t the time they learned abut it, the slaves in thse areas were still acting as slaves because they thught they had n chice. They were acting ut what their hearts tld them was truth even thugh that truth was n lnger truth, even thugh that truth had becme a lie. Anther gd example living accrding t what yu think as ppsed t what is real is the ld televisin sit-cm, The Beverly Hillbillies. Did yu ever watch the Beverly Hillbillies? D yu remember this? (Beverly Hillbillies clip) Nw, d yu see what the Beverly Hillbillies televisin shw has t d with being and acting based n what yu think rather than what is the truth? Sure yu d. Fr example, when did ld Jed becme a millinaire? When was that? Was it when he discvered the il r was it when he acquired the land? Sure, he became a millinaire when he acquired the land; he just didn t realize he had all thse millins until he discvered the il. Until he discvered the il he lived like a pauper, he was living a lie. The truth f his wealth was there but he didn t knw abut it s he didn t act n it. He lived ut what he thugh t be truth he thught he and his family were pr hillbillies and that s exactly hw they lived. D yu see the picture here? Wh yu are, what yu d, what yu say it s all based n what yu think in yur mind. And it s the rle f the devil t get yu t think based n his lies rather than the Truth f Gd s Wrd. Nw, Gd knws that yur mind is critically imprtant t yur spiritual health s what des He d? Well, amng ther things, He gives yu His Helmet f Salvatin t help prtect yur mind. As the matter f fact, if yu stp and think abut it, each and every piece f Gd s spiritual armr directly invlves yur mind in ne way, shape, frm r anther all f them d. S, why d yu nee a helmet? Well, the lgic ges like this: Yu are what yu think, yur mind cntrls what yu think, therefre yu need a spiritual helmet t prtect yur mind. WHY A HELMET OF SALVATION? S, yu ve seen that the Rman sldier needed a helmet t prtect his brain; and yu ve als seen that yu may smetimes need a physical helmet t prtect yur brain as well, and yu always need a spiritual helmet t prtect yur mind. But nw the questin cmes: why des yur spiritual helmet need t be Gd s Helmet f Salvatin. Well, let s dig deep here fr just a minute r tw, OK? And as we d, as we start t dig deep, ne f the first things yur ging t find right ff the bat that the New Internal Versin f the Bible translates Ephesians 6:17 as, Take Gd s Helmet f Salvatin But a much mre literal translatin wuld be, Take up yur salvatin as yur helmet Nw, this is an imprtant a very imprtant distinctin. T prve this pint, let s back up fr just a secnd. Let me ask yu yet anther questin: What d yu suppse was ging n in Paul s mind when he wrte the phrase; Take Gd s Helmet f Salvatin r rather, when he wrte take up yur salvatin as yur helmet? What d yu think he was thinking? Well bviusly there is n way yu can knw fr sure exactly what Paul was thinking I agree with that. But yu d knw fr sure that Paul was an Old Testament schlar. Right? Man, did he knw what we nw call the Old Testament. And by f by did he understand the cncept f salvatin. Nw, hw des yur salvatin link back t yu acting based n what yu believe whether r nt what yu believe is based n the Truth? Well cnsider this. Yu, yu my friend, yu might be living just like ne f thse Beverly Hillbillies. Yu just might be struggling t survive spiritually and financially. While all alng, all yu ever need t live a glrius life in Christ is right in frnt f yu in the frm f yur salvatin the gift f salvatin in Jesus Christ. But yu say, But Bb, I knw I m saved but I m nt living that glrius life in Christ yu re talking abut. I m saved. I knw I m ging t Heaven when I die. I knw that but I m nt living the glrius life in Christ that yu are talking abut. What s missing? Yes yu are and yes yu will. But accrding t the Bible there is mre t salvatin that ging t heaven. Yur salvatin includes ging t heaven, but yur salvatin is s much mre than ging t heaven. Paul knew that, and Paul knew yu need t knw that. That s why Paul linked the Rman sldier s physical helmet t Gd s spiritual Helmet f Salvatin. S, in rder t get the mst frm yur spiritual helmet my friend, yu need t grasp 3

4 the full extent f yur salvatin. Yu can nt prperly wear Gd s Helmet f Salvatin withut understanding the three the three different cmpnents f yur salvatin. S, the answer t the questin, Why a Helmet f Salvatin? is t understand salvatin as Paul understd salvatin--and again, by did Paul understand salvatin. S, let s take a quick lk at the three cmpnents f yur salvatin. I knw this might be a review fr yu, and if that s the case, it s a gd time t take a quick review. My friend, there are truly three different cmpnents t yur salvatin: yur past, yur present and yur future. The past was that time when yu were brn again. Recall, there had been a time in yur life when yu were living apart frm Gd yu were living t please yurself and nt Gd. But then ne day yu decided t start living t please Gd and nt yurself and that s when yu prayed and asked Jesus Christ int yur heart as yur Lrd and Savir. And when yu asked Jesus t cme int yur heart, He did He did just that He came in. And when He came in, He als paid the penalty fr yur sin. Yu were saved frm the penalty f yur sin. That meant yu were n lnger were bund fr hell, yu were headed fr heaven and an eternal relatinship with Gd thrugh Jesus Christ. The fancy wrd fr the past tense f yur salvatin is justificatin. Remember the ld saying, when yu were saved it was just as if yu had never sinned. S justificatin is the past tense f yur salvatin. But there s mre. There is als the present tense f yur salvatin. Yu see, in yur life as yu live yur life tday, salvatin describes yur nging renewal as yu learn t live as Jesus wuld have yu t live under the watchful eye f the Hly Spirit. Remember the WWJD bracelets What Wuld Jesus D? Here yu discver yu d nt have t sin. Yu can chse t act the way Jesus Christ wuld act in any given situatin. Anther way t describe the present tense f yur salvatin is t recgnize that yu are being saved frm the pwer f sin yu have pwer ver sin; sin n lnger has pwer ver yu. The three dllar wrd fr being saved frm the pwer f sin is sanctificatin. S, in the past yu were brn again, yu were saved frm the penalty f sin, and yu were justified. Then in the present yu are wrking t becme mre and mre like Jesus. Yu are being saved frm the pwer f sin. Yu are in a cnstant state f being sanctified. But then there is als the future tense f yur salvatin. It s when yu leave this earth behind and head ut t heaven. That s when yu are ging t be saved frm the presence f sin. It s when yu will be glrified. It s what the Bible calls glrificatin. S yu were justified, yu are being sanctified, and ne day yu will be glrified. Thse three truths frm Gd s Wrd g tgether t describe the three cmpnents f yur salvatin. Nw the questin has t cme, which cmpnent r cmpnents f yur salvatin is Paul talking abut in here Ephesians 6:17? Is he talking abut being justified the past tense f yur salvatin? N, definitely nt. Why nt? Remember, Paul is writing t the Saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus. He is writing t thse wh were already saved. Remember that the Bk f Ephesians des nt tell yu hw t be saved hw t be brn again. Remember that in the first three chapters f Ephesians yu discver all that yu have because yu are already saved. Then in the last three chapters yu discver hw t live ut what yu have already received because yu have already been saved. Ephesian Christians were already saved. S, n, Paul is nt talking abut justificatin in Ephesians 6:17. Well, if nt justificatin, is Paul talking abut glrificatin is he talking abut the future tense f yur salvatin? Hnestly, sme schlars believe he culd be, but the general cnsensus is that is that n; Paul is nt talking abut glrificatin here in verse 17. Why? Because glrificatin simply desn t fit very well int the last three chapters f Ephesians which, again, describe t yu hw t live a life in Christ while yu are still living life n this earth. Yur glrificatin happens when yu leave this earth. Nw, I m nt a Bible schlar, but it just desn t seem that glrificatin fits the cntext f Ephesians chapter six. S, Paul s nt talking abut justificatin and he s nt talking abut glrificatin. That nly leaves the cmpnent f sanctificatin, and that des seem t best fit the cntext f Ephesians chapter six. Hw s? Well, in chapter six, again, in chapter six Paul is talking abut being saved in the sense that yu need t put n salvatin as a helmet t guard yur mind frm the pwer f the devil as the Hly Spirit and yu wrk thrugh the daily prcess f becming mre and mre like Jesus, this side f seeing Jesus Christ face-t-face. S, t first understand why yu must take up yur salvatin as a helmet yu must first understand the three cmpnents f yur salvatin: the past, the present and the future aspects f yur salvatin. 4

5 But, nt nly d yu need t understand the three cmpnents f yur salvatin, yu als need t understand that Gd gives yu thse three cmpnents f yur salvatin thrugh grace. S, what is grace? What exactly is grace? Well, grace, basically, it s all that Gd s dne fr yu independent f yu. I m als sure yu ve heard it said that Grace is Gd s unmerited favr. That s t say that there is abslutely nthing yu culd ever d t earn it r deserve it. Grace, as the matter f fact, grace is receiving what yu abslutely d nt and can nt ever deserve. S, this is what grace is, but what have yu received by His grace? Well, yu ve received a whle lt f stuff beginning with the three cmpnents f yur salvatin? Remember, Paul says in Ephesians 2:5 that It is by grace yu have been saved S, first, yu were saved by grace. But what else have yu received by grace? Well, at the beginning f his bk t the Ephesians, Paul tells yu that Jesus has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ t the praise f His glrius grace. (Ephesians 1:3, 6) Yu see, because yu are saved, yu als have already received every spiritual blessing in Christ. Basically Paul is telling yu that yu have already received every spiritual blessing yu will ever need. And where are all these blessings? They are in the heavenly realms. And yu say, Ok, OK, hld n Bb, yu re really abut t lse me here. S, the Bible says my blessings are up there in the heavelies? Is that right? Yes it is that s true. Well, if that s the case, just hw d I get them dwn here where I need them? And that s exactly the right questin. Yu see, it s nt that yu lack in Gd s grace that wuld be impssible. Nr d yu lack in the things Gd s grace supplies that t wuld be impssible. What yu lack is access t all that Gd s grace supplies. Hw des Gd want yu t access all f yur blessings? Well, stp and think fr just a secnd have yu tried t access yu blessings in the past? Have yu? Hw have yu? Fr example, in yur past have yu ever tried t access the gifts f Gd s grace by wrking hard r serving hard? Or, have yu ever tried t get yur financial life in rder by giving mre r wrking hard t get n and stay n a budget? Have yu dne that? If yur answer is yes, then hw did that wrk ut fr yu? My guess is, nt very well r yu wuld nt be here right nw. Yu see, the prblem with wrks alne is that yu get t wrks alne thrugh a religin. But yu already knw that Christianity is nt a religin, it is, always has been and always will be a relatinship. S hw are yu t access Gd s grace and all that Gd s grace supplies frm yur relatinship with Gd? Hw d yu access them? Yu dn t wrk fr them, yu simply ask fr them. Hw d yu ask? Yu ask in faith. D yu remember ur discussins n faith? What did we say faith is? Faith is acting like Gd is telling the truth. Faith is als a cnditin f yur mind that shws up in yur feet remember Indiana Jnes leap f faith? Faith is als living as if yu already have what yu need and have asked fr. Yes, faith is all f this, but yu have t ask. Yu see, accessing grace, well, it s like reaching ver and flipping the switch t turn n yur lights. It s like turning the key t start yur car. The pwer yu need t light yur huse and t start the car is there waiting fr yu act. Yu flip the switch expecting yur lights t cme n. Right? Yu turn the key expecting that yur car will start. Crrect? Well, yur prayerfully ask in faith expecting t receive all that Gd s grace has in stre fr yu. Yu prayerfully ask and act in faith. My friend, Gd gives yu His grace in respnse t faith. Yu are nt saved and d nt access Gd s grace thrugh wrks. That s exactly what Ephesians 2:8 has t say, crrect? Fr it is by grace yu have been saved, thrugh faith and this (faith) nt frm yurselves, it (faith) is the gift f Gd nt by wrks, s that n ne can bast. This is fllwed by Ephesians 2:10 Fr we are Gd s wrkmanship, created in Christ Jesus t d gd wrks, which Gd prepared in advance fr us t d. 5

6 What yu need t see here is that yu are nt saved by gd wrks, yu are saved fr gd wrks. My friend, accrding t the Bible, yur gd wrks must flw ut f Gd s wrk f grace in yur life rather than ut f a heart that s trying t earn His favr r reduce His wrath. My friend, this is a very subtle difference in the physical realm, but it makes a wrld f difference in the spiritual realm. Yu see, accrding t the Bible, t access Gd s grace and all that His grace supplies, yu dn t need t try t make Gd lve yu any mre than He already des. Yu are nt t try t wrk yurself int a place where yu deserve it any mre than yu already d. Yu just can t d it it s impssible. What yu can d, thugh, is access His lving grace thrugh faith. Remember, faith is yur psitive respnse t what Gd has already dne. My friend yu dn t wrk, yu d nt serve, and yu d nt give t get Gd s favr. N, n. Yu wrk and serve and give as an expressin f yur gratitude because in faith yu already have Gd s favr. What a blessing. S, live like it. Dn t be a spiritual hillbilly here. And by the way, and here I need t back up a bit, nt nly is grace what Gd has dne fr yu independent f yu, nt nly is grace Gd s unmerited favr, and nt nly is grace receiving what yu d nt deserve and acting n what Gd has already dne, listen, accrding t the Bible, grace als pens the dr t His mercy which is t nt receive what yu d deserve. Mercy is nt t receive what yu d deserve. What might yu receive that yu d deserve were it nt fr Gd s mercy? Rmans 1:18-19 tells yu The wrath f Gd is being revealed frm heaven against all the gdlessness and wickedness f men wh suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be knwn abut Gd is plain t them, because Gd has made it plain t them. Yu see, nt nly will the wrath f Gd be revealed t thse wh g t hell and it certainly will in anther sense, yu dn t have t g t hell t be in hell. Hw s? Well, it culd very well be that yu may be living in yur very wn persnal hell right nw even as a Christian. I mean, are there fires burning all arund yu right nw. Are yur children rebelling? Is yur marriage crumbling? Is yur jb falling apart r wrse? Are yu behind n yur bills? Are yu paying ne credit card with anther? Are yu cnsidering bankruptcy r freclsure? Yu get the idea. These are all frms f what yu might call hell right here and nw. And my friend, accrding t the Bible, mst f the time, these flames cme as a direct result f Gd s wrath against sin. Putting it anther way, all sin, including yur sin, all sin has cnsequences. But, when yu take up Gd s Helmet f Salvatin, yu blck the rule f sin s cnsequences in yur spiritual life mst specifically, yu blck the negative cnsequences f sin in yur mind and yur heart. When yu take up Gd s Helmet f Salvatin, sin n lnger has a fthld in yur thughts, in yur emtins, r in yur decisins. When yu take up Gd s Helmet f Salvatin yu have what yu need t mve frm where yu are t where Gd wuld have yu t be spiritually. That s guaranteed by Gd s grace thrugh faith. Nt nly that, Gd may, He MAY even remve the physical cnsequences f yur sin. He desn t prmise yu that He will remve the physical cnsequences f yur sin, but He may. But fr sure He prmises yu t remve the spiritual cnsequences f yur sin, again, because yu access His grace thrugh faith nt by wrks. But again, yu have t ask. His grace is yurs fr the asking because yu already have every spiritual blessing in Christ. The price fr yur sin has already been paid. Salvatin is here fr yu right nw. It s as if yu decided t take yur very last cent and bk a terrific cruse ship vacatin. Man yu had a great time and yu thught yu were cutting yur csts by eating cheese and crackers rather than eating all thse lavish meals nly t find ut after the trip was ver that all thse lavish meals were included in the price f yur ticket. Ouch. It s been said that, Gd s Helmet f Salvatin nt nly takes yu t heaven but als supplies by grace, thrugh faith everything yu need while yu re still here n earth. If yu fail t understand this truth f salvatin and if yu fail t wear Gd Helmet f Salvatin, t wear salvatin as yur helmet, yu limit the gd wrks Gd wants t d bth in yu and thrugh yu. T fail t understand this spiritual truth is t chse t live as a spiritual hillbilly. 6

7 HOW TO MAINTAIN GOD S HELMET OF SALVATION Nw, ne last critically imprtant pint befre we wrap up. Yu must knw that Gd expects yu t maintain His Helmet f Salvatin. Hw? Hw are yu t maintain Gd s Helmet f Salvatin? Gd s Wrd is very clear. T maintain Gd s Helmet f Salvatin requires yu t get Gd s Wrd in yur heart and t keep Gd s Wrd in yur heart. Then yu als must get His Wrd up and perating in yur life and yu must keep His Wrd up and perating in yur life. My friend, yu must knw what Gd has t say, why He says it, and then apply what He says int yur life. Nw, by nw, and particularly after this time tgether, I believe yu may becming a little fearful that that Financial Freedm Gd s Way is ging t be a whle lt mre difficult that yu first thught. Nt s my friend. D nt fear Financial Freedm Gd s Way. As the matter f fact, that is exactly why there are fur Phases t the Financial Freedm Gd s Way Academy. Remember? Phase 1 is learning what Gd has t say and why that s the Seminar, that s where yu are right nw. Then Phases 2 and 3 are designed t help yu get what He says up and perating in yur life in ways that are pleasing t Him recall that Phase 2 is the financial applicatins wrkshp and Phase 3 is Individual Persnal Financial and Life Caching. Then, f curse, Phase 4 is where yu learn t share with thers sme r all f what Gd has shared with yu. Truly, Financial Freedm Gd s Way is a whle lt mre than just trying t get n and stay n a budget. Right? WRAP UP Ww, I tld yu this was ging t be a deep, spiritually and practically rewarding time tgether. Ww. Nw let s wrap up this time tgether by taking a quick lk back. First yu saw why it was s critically imprtant fr the Rman sldier t bth have and t take up his helmet it was designed t prtect his brain and save his life. Then yu saw hw yu may smetimes need a physical helmet t prtect yur brain, but that yu always need a spiritual helmet t prtect yur mind. Then yu discvered why Gd gives yu His Helmet f Salvatin why yu take up yur salvatin as a helmet. T take it up and walk arund in His Helmet f Salvatin is t understand and perate in the reality f the past, present and future aspects f yur salvatin all given t yu by Gd thrugh His grace and faith. Then finally, yu just discvered what it is t maintain Gd s Helmet f Salvatin. Nw, I must be hnest with yu here. All f this detail abut my salvatin and Gd s grace and faith, has really been a challenge fr me t understand much less t get it all up and perating in my life it has be and still is. Yu see, the Hly Spirit and I are still wrking n this, and believe me, we re nt there yet, but we are headed in the right directin we re n ur way and s can yu be as well. Yu see, salvatin by grace thrugh faith is nt easy t understand and apply, but accrding t the Bible it s pssible t understand and apply. And, it s critically imprtant fr yur spiritual life. S what yu need t d is t prayerfully hang in there fr as lng as it takes fr the Hly Spirit and yu t wrk ut all f this int yur life. My friend, as we clse ut this time tgether, I want t encurage yu and challenge yu a bit in tw r three different areas. First, please remember, yur salvatin, just like the Rman sldier s helmet, yu salvatin is very nticeable. Yur salvatin is the mst grgeus, mst intricate, mst elabrate, and mst rnate gift Gd has ever given yu ever will give yu. It s very nticeable as yu walk in cnfidence f yur salvatin and in the pwerful reality f all that yur salvatin can mean fr yu. My friend, yur life after death is nt the issue here. Yur life after "birth" is the issue here. S I have t ask yu, are yu living inwardly and utwardly as if yu are saved? Secnd, Gd s Helmet f Salvatin prtects yu frm attacks t yur mind it s designed t save yur spiritual life! Yu see, fr yu t d the wrk f Gd and t face the wrk f the devil withut Gd s Helmet f Salvatin is the equivalent f spiritual suicide! It really is. Therefre yu need t make it a persnal gal t walk in the full understanding and knwledge f yur salvatin by spending time studying what the Bible has t say abut yur salvatin fr example what the Bible has t say abut yur healing and deliverance. Remember, yur mind is extremely imprtant. Gd gave yu yur mind t use. In 1 Peter 1:13, yu are tld t gird up the lins f yur mind. That means yu are t gather up the lse 7

8 ends f yur mind, and get yu mind int gd shape! Hw? Well, ne way is t nt spend mre time talking t yurself than listening t yurself. Tell yurself smething like, I can remember. I have a fantastic memry! I thank Yu Gd fr my mind. Expect it. Act like it! Yu can pray smething like, Lrd, tday I bind the devil frm my mind; I declare my mind set free in Jesus name. Remember, yur mind needs t be exercised and it needs t be develped. S why nt have daily mental and physical wrkuts! That s why I strngly suggest yu take the scriptural memry and meditatin sectin f yur syllabus very seriusly. Yu als need t remember that yur helmet is a defensive weapn it s a defensive weapn it is a frm f security, it prtects yur mind frm the devil s prlnged and cntinuus attacks designed t wear yu ut. When a strng knwledge f yur salvatin is wrapped arund yur mind, yu will never again fall prey t the devil s deceptive tactics. Gd s Helmet f Salvatin gives yu all that yu need t withstand every cntinuing assault f the great deceiver every single ne. Gd s Helmet f Salvatin makes it pssible fr yu t live in the reality f yur deliverance frm sin, yur salvatin frm hell, yur divine prtectin, yur healing and whleness and yur cmplete sundness f mind. My friend, when yu chse t take up, put n, and walk arund in Gd s Helmet f Salvatin, yu will begin t think like Gd thinks; yu will begin t reasn like Gd reasns, and believe like Gd believes, and act like Gd acts. D nt underestimate the imprtance f filling yur mind with the prper knwledge and understanding f yur salvatin. Yur salvatin is a pwerful piece f weapnry. If it s allwed t functin crrectly in yur life, yur salvatin will defend yur mind frm every mental attack the enemy might wage against yu! And finally, when yu wrap the knwledge f yur salvatin arund yur brain and yu let it prtect yur mind yu will begin t be transfrmed. Yu will n lnger think and talk as an individual wh is cnstantly sick yu re just n lnger ging t g there. Yu will n lnger walk thrugh life like an individual wh is cntinually defeated it s just nt ging t happen. And yu will n lnger think and talk and act as smene wh is pr. My friend, as yu clse us ut in prayer, why nt first thank Gd fr His very great gift f salvatin that yu received thrugh His grace and faith. Thank Him fr His Helmet f Salvatin that prtects yur mind. Then ask Him t help yu t better understand and live under the reality f all that He has already placed in stre fr yu in the heavenly realms. Ask Him t help yu live as a Child f Gd, nt like a spiritual hillbilly. In shrt, d nt let Gd s Helmet f Salvatin just represent a bunch f wrds; ask Gd t make His Helmet f Salvatin a reality in yur life. Nw, I ll see yu again next time, fr nw, g ahead, spend sme time alne with the Lrd and be blessed as yu d. 8