Ephesians 2:8-9

Ephesians 2:8-9

Worship Devo with Rebeckah Hastings

Dive Deeper

Armor of God- Swipe
Slide

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

Armor of God- Behind the Scenes
Slide

This week we will be looking at the helmet of salvation as our fifth piece of the armor of God. This particular piece of armor is so important for us! The helmet was crafted specifically to protect the soldier’s head all the way down to his neck. This protected him from blows to the head or neck that, without it, would inevitably be debilitating if not deadly.

Slide

In direct parallel, we can see that the truth of our salvation protects our heads, or more specifically, our minds. It is through the truth of our salvation that we can best guard our thoughts, test our thoughts, and think in truth. When we know that we are redeemed, saved, and restored, we can take captive thoughts and ideas that stand in opposition to that.

Slide

In addition, like the soldier needed covering for his neck, we do too! The neck houses veins and arteries that feed life giving blood to the brain as well as nerves that send messages to and from the brain. It also houses the passages where we receive food, hydration, and even the breath we breathe. If the neck is damaged, the flow of essential elements to the rest of the body is hindered leading to death. Likewise, our salvation protects us in a way that feeds the life-giving elements to every part of our life!

Slide

But here’s the catch... the salvation that protects us is 100% powered by and given through the Holy Spirit. It is not something we can muster up, be good enough to earn, or produce out of our own ability. It is a free gift, given through the grace of God and received through our faith in Him. It is not from within ourselves, but wholly from God alone.

Armor of God- Make it Real
Slide

One of the pitfalls that every Christian falls into is doing all the right things but for the wrong reasons. We often know what we should do and then start doing those things not as an overflow of our salvation, but almost as a means to secure it. We do good things to prove ourselves worthy of Christ. Or we do good things because we want to make God love us more.

Slide

But the truth of salvation, the real helmet that protects us, is that Jesus did it all! There is nothing more to be done, no good deed to check off the list, no final test for us to pass. He has already purchased our salvation in whole. And when we truly embrace that truth, we cannot help but be changed by it.

Slide

See, there is something else a helmet did for the soldier- it marked which army they belonged to. Decorated with national colors or emblems, the helmet declared, even from a distance, what that soldier believed and who they belonged to. Likewise, our salvation does the same. It declares to the world that we are on God’s side, and we belong to Him.

Slide

Once we put on that helmet of salvation, it changes our identity, forever declaring who we are and whose we are. It is more than just an accessory. It is a total and complete identity. And no matter whether we do everything right or mess up, we still belong to God. No matter what, we are His. Our identity is set.

Slide

And when we let that truth sink in, there is a change that happens inside that we could never muster on our own. We start longing for the things of our God. We start living out His goodness because we can’t help but let it overflow. Our talk starts to sound different because now we have a new frame of reference to look at the whole world. Everything changes when we fully adopt and fully embrace the salvation we’ve received. Not just as a “get out of hell free” card, but as a completely new, abundant, eternal life that starts right now.

Slide

So, if you find yourself trying, striving, pushing, and working to make God proud, earn His love, or just be “good enough”- STOP. Just stop. Instead, reach out, take hold of the free gift of salvation, put it on like the piece of protective armor that it is, and walk boldly in your new calling. Trust that the Spirit who began a good work in you will complete it. Let go of other identities that stand in opposition to your new identity. And become the man or woman of God that He always designed you to be.

Slide

Ready?
Let’s go!

Armor of God- End in Prayer
Slide

Jesus,

Thank You so much for being enough when I am not. Thank You for the free gift of salvation, purchased by Your sacrifice and given by Your grace and love. Lord, I receive it and I put it on as a new identity. Help me to walk in that identity every day. Help me to know that I belong to You above all else.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

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“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” 

Ephesians 2:8-9

Behind the Scenes

This week we will be looking at the helmet of salvation as our fifth piece of the armor of God. This particular piece of armor is so important for us! The helmet was crafted specifically to protect the soldier’s head all the way down to his neck. This protected him from blows to the head or neck that, without it, would inevitably be debilitating if not deadly. 

In direct parallel, we can see that the truth of our salvation protects our heads, or more specifically, our minds. It is through the truth of our salvation that we can best guard our thoughts, test our thoughts, and think in truth. When we know that we are redeemed, saved, and restored, we can take captive thoughts and ideas that stand in opposition to that.  

In addition, like the soldier needed covering for his neck, we do too! The neck houses veins and arteries that feed life giving blood to the brain as well as nerves that send messages to and from the brain. It also houses the passages where we receive food, hydration, and even the breath we breathe. If the neck is damaged, the flow of essential elements to the rest of the body is hindered leading to death. Likewise, our salvation protects us in a way that feeds the life-giving elements to every part of our life! 

But here’s the catch… the salvation that protects us is 100% powered by and given through the Holy Spirit. It is not something we can muster up, be good enough to earn, or produce out of our own ability. It is a free gift, given through the grace of God and received through our faith in Him. It is not from within ourselves, but wholly from God alone.  

Make It Real

One of the pitfalls that every Christian falls into is doing all the right things but for the wrong reasons. We often know what we should do and then start doing those things not as an overflow of our salvation, but almost as a means to secure it. We do good things to prove ourselves worthy of Christ. Or we do good things because we want to make God love us more.  

But the truth of salvation, the real helmet that protects us, is that Jesus did it all! There is nothing more to be done, no good deed to check off the list, no final test for us to pass. He has already purchased our salvation in whole. And when we truly embrace that truth, we cannot help but be changed by it. 

See, there is something else a helmet did for the soldier- it marked which army they belonged to. Decorated with national colors or emblems, the helmet declared, even from a distance, what that soldier believed and who they belonged to. Likewise, our salvation does the same. It declares to the world that we are on God’s side, and we belong to Him.  

Once we put on that helmet of salvation, it changes our identity, forever declaring who we are and whose we are. It is more than just an accessory. It is a total and complete identity. And no matter whether we do everything right or mess up, we still belong to God. No matter what, we are His. Our identity is set. 

And when we let that truth sink in, there is a change that happens inside that we could never muster on our own. We start longing for the things of our God. We start living out His goodness because we can’t help but let it overflow. Our talk starts to sound different because now we have a new frame of reference to look at the whole world. Everything changes when we fully adopt and fully embrace the salvation we’ve received. Not just as a “get out of hell free” card, but as a completely new, abundant, eternal life that starts right now.  

So, if you find yourself trying, striving, pushing, and working to make God proud, earn His love, or just be “good enough”- STOP. Just stop. Instead, reach out, take hold of the free gift of salvation, put it on like the piece of protective armor that it is, and walk boldly in your new calling. Trust that the Spirit who began a good work in you will complete it. Let go of other identities that stand in opposition to your new identity. And become the man or woman of God that He always designed you to be.  

Ready? Let’s go! 

Crystal Garnett

Crystal Garnett

ACF Digital Discipleship Director

End in Prayer

Jesus, 

Thank You so much for being enough when I am not. Thank You for the free gift of salvation, purchased by Your sacrifice and given by Your grace and love. Lord, I receive it and I put it on as a new identity. Help me to walk in that identity every day. Help me to know that I belong to You above all else.  

In Jesus’ name, 

Amen

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