1 Thessalonians 5:8 (ESV) — But since we belong to the day, let us be sober,
having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of
salvation.
NOTE: In Ephesians 6
is the passage detailing the armor of God. I believe this letter predates that
one and so this is an early embryonic version of the same idea. Roman soldiers
must have been a normal course of life and so their clothing, their armor probably
offered a lot of food for thought. In this passage, Paul only mentions two of
the items, the breastplate and helmet, leaving off the shoes, sword, and
shield. These items mentioned are the most focused on protecting the body. The
shield might be similar except that a shield, when used properly, was a very
effective offensive weapon. But the two Paul mentions here are very defensive
and protective. They protect our heart and our mind, the two areas Satan is
most interested in attacking. Paul also brings in the concepts of faith, love,
and hope. If I was to stretch the analogy, faith and love (the breastplate)
protect our heart, and hope (the helmet) protects our mind. So when I feel the
attack of Satan in one of these areas, I need to exercise the particular
protective action. If I find myself doubting, I must remember my hope. Jesus
has promised to return. And he will return -- in the air, before the great
judgment. I have that hope of eternal life. The enemy has nothing that can take
away my future in the kingdom.
PRAYER: Father,
thank you for the great hope I have in my salvation. There is nothing I can
really lose. I need to exercise my armor though, not waiting for the attacks of
Satan, but living a life of faith, love, and hope so that I am ready for the
attack when it comes.
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