There is one thing that lets you know it’s game time.
The stadium is filled with fans, hands full of delectable delights — nachos piled high, with cheese dripping off the sides; hot dogs loaded with all the toppings, so your circle of friends won’t just hear your cheers but smell them too; and foam fingers, because everyone needs to know exactly where your loyalty lies.
The lights, the music, the noise — all of it signals that the game is about to begin.
But the locker room is different. Before the game, it’s quiet. With thoughts, prayers, and plays running through their minds, the players are focused, intent, and preparing.
They wrap their ankles, lace up their cleats, buckle their pads, and pull their jerseys over their heads. But even all of that doesn’t signal that it’s game time.
There’s one more piece — one more part of the armor they wear as they prepare to take the field.
Their helmet.
This piece of equipment is vital for three reasons:
• It provides protection.
• It represents the team they belong to.
• They can receive direction through it.
“Put on salvation as your helmet…” (Eph. 6:17). One of the most important pieces of our spiritual armor is the helmet. Just like it’s vital to a football player, we cannot enter this spiritual battle without it.
Protection
It would be foolish to step onto that field without a helmet after the whistle blows. We’ve seen the men who take that field. Imagine Desmond Watson, 6’6” and 465 pounds, bending at the line of scrimmage, eyes locked on you as his target — and you don’t have a helmet. That would be unthinkable.
Salvation in Christ is our protection. Nothing our enemy or we can do will completely destroy us. Our salvation is secure in Christ. We are sealed. We are held in the Father’s hand, and no one can snatch us from it.
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39 NLT).
Our Team
The moment a player puts on their helmet, you no longer see them as an individual but as part of a team. Their team logo shines under the stadium lights, signaling to the world who they belong to.
Our salvation shows we are part of God’s team, His family. It isn’t something we put on only the first time we ask God to save us. It’s something we put on every day. It shows that we are set apart from others and that we belong to Jesus Christ. The longer we wear that helmet, the more we grow in Him and reflect His character.
Receive Direction
The stadium is filled with noise from the crowd. It’s almost deafening. The quarterback covers his ears with his helmet to hear instructions from his coaching staff.
He listens. He knows the play. He knows what to do. And he leads his team.
Because of our salvation, we too can hear instructions. God speaks to us daily and guides us through life. Through prayer and studying His Word, we can know God more and learn how to walk in His way.
You can’t be in the game without the helmet. And you can’t be a part of God’s team without salvation. Do you know Him?
Let me share more about who Jesus is and what it means to be a part of His team. Go to follow.lifeword.org to begin.
