Ephesians 6:17 says, Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, which is the Bible. When Jesus was tempted by Satan he quoted the Bible. Matthew 4:3-4 says, During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (which comes from Deuteronomy 8:3). Satan tempted Jesus twice more and he responded with Scripture.
Psalm 119:11 says, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. You can hide God's word in your heart by reading and studying it every day and memorising Bible verses. When you are tempted by Satan there will be a scripture to reinforce what God desires for your life, as opposed to what Satan is tempting you to do. Here are some examples of temptations and relevant Bible verses: Gossip - Titus 3:2 Lying - Proverbs 12:22 Pornography - Matthew 5:28 Selfishness - Philippians 2:3 Pride - Proverbs 16:18 Anger - Proverbs 29:11 Envy - James 3:16 Hate - Matthew 5:43-44 Drunkenness - Ephesians 5:18 Foul language - Ephesians 4:29 Ephesians 6:17 says, Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. You would be very foolish to go into battle without a helmet. Your brain controls your body, so if it gets damaged you're in real trouble. Your thoughts happen in your brain. Understanding that your hope is in the Lord guards you mind against the discouragement and deceptions of Satan. The Enduring Word Commentary says, "The helmet of salvation protects us against discouragement, against the desire to give up, giving us hope not only in knowing that we are saved, but that we will be saved. It is the assurance that God will triumph." Because we know that we are saved by grace, that Jesus is coming back, and that God is preparing a place in eternity for us, we don't get discouraged. The helmet of salvation is the hope of salvation. Do you feel hopeful and confident that God will be victorious in the end?
I just made one of these words of encouragement jars in an afternoon. You can download the double-sided PDF of Bible verses and quotes that I designed on Canva, or you can design your own. I just folded them in quarters, put them in an empty jar, wrote on a tag and tied it with string. It would make a great gift or you can use it yourself.
Ephesians 6:16 says, Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Faith is a big deal - it's mentioned 458 times in the New International Version of the Bible. Hebrews 11:1 says, Faith means being sure of the things we hope for. And faith means knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. Faith is trusting in God and in his Word.
Your faith in God stops the fiery arrows of the devil. These arrows come in the form of temptations, fears, anxieties, feelings, and unhelpful thoughts. When these fiery arrows come your way, remember that they are lies and temptations from the devil. Remind yourself of God's truths about who you are in him and how he wants you to live. ![]()
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