My First Encounter with Spiritual Warfare
One day, I woke up to voices and thoughts in my mind that were not my own. It was a morning unlike any other. I was in my room, the one with the light blue walls and the pink bunk bed my older sister and I shared. I was sixteen years old at the time. Just the night before, everything had been normal. After putting on my pajamas, I’d prayed with my family, climbed up to my top bunk, and whispered my usual thoughts to God before falling asleep. But when I opened my eyes the next morning, sunshine was peeking through the blinds, and suddenly, there was a crowd of voices inside my head. I sat up, feeling dizzy, and pressed a hand to my forehead. I said my morning prayers and climbed down, but as I stood there, a thought popped into my mind, one that made me seriously wonder if I was losing my mind.
Funny enough, this occurrence only happened after I had an encounter with God that led me to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior during the lockdown in 2020. I transitioned from being a lukewarm Catholic to a Christian ready to know Jesus and live life with Him. It was and still is the best decision I could have ever made in my life.
Probably like you, however, I thought that accepting Jesus and receiving salvation would bring a life of sunshine and rainbows everyday, but I soon found out that this was not the case. After having my honeymoon phase with the Lord, I unexpectedly entered into a season of spiritual warfare. At that time, I had no clue what spiritual warfare was; I’d never heard of it.
What Is Spiritual Warfare?
If it’s your first time hearing of spiritual warfare, it is when the enemy, satan begins to attack you on a greater scale because you are no longer in the world but now in God’s family. Spiritual warfare, as the name says, is, well…spiritual, meaning that you can’t see it. It’s a war that occurs in the spiritual world, but can greatly affect the believer physically and mentally as well. Examples of this could be illnesses, depression, temptation to sin, and mental attacks, which is what you’ll learn about as you keep reading. (Disclaimer: It is not my aim to spiritualize all illnesses, nor is it my goal to undermine the power of medication and therapy; I hope that I can vulnerably share what my personal experience has been.)
The Bible tells us that there is a war going on, and we need the proper armor to fight (the point of Adorned in Armor is to empower you as you dress for the battlefield of life)! In the book of Ephesians chapter 6, Apostle Paul talks to the Christians in the Ephesus church about being strong in the Lord and wearing the whole armor of God. It’s also important to note the verses 10-13, which inform us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers and against the rulers of the darkness and more. Therefore, we learn that not only are we at war with beings we cannot see, we also learn that we cannot fight them without having spiritual armor on.
Why the Helmet of Salvation Matters
When I experienced my first spiritual attack, I didn’t know I needed the Helmet of Salvation—a phrase derived from verse 17: “Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Before we unpack the role that the helmet of salvation plays as part of the spiritual armor, let’s focus on the physical first. When we think of soldiers going to war, we know that no soldier goes onto the battlefield without a helmet. So what is the necessity of a helmet? A helmet is used to protect the head of the soldier from bullets, explosions, sharp fragments, and more. In the entire human anatomy, the head is said to be the most vulnerable part. Thus, soldiers go to war with a physical helmet to keep them from being exposed to the dangers on the battlefield. Now back to the spiritual, the helmet of salvation is not an actual helmet that we physically put on our heads, but it is a spiritual helmet that is supposed to protect our minds from the lies of the enemy.
My Battle for My Mind
During the time of the spiritual warfare, which was about three months, I was constantly dealing with negative thoughts, which turned into impure and perverted thoughts. It was very frustrating and exhausting to say the least. Every day, from the moment I woke up, to the time I would lay my head to sleep, it would not stop. At a point, it felt like my mind became the devil’s playground. There were days that I just wanted to bang my head against the wall to make it stop… but I knew that would only leave me with more pain.
One night in particular, the struggle became unbearable, and I said out loud, “Fine, I give up. You can have my mind”. Then, I had a vision of a boxing ring, and I heard a voice say, “Go back in”. I knew God was speaking to me at that moment; He gave me a visual of what was happening; it was as if I was in a boxing match with the enemy, and I tapped out and went out of the ring. However, as soon as I heard, “Go back in”, I realized God wanted me to keep fighting.
What the Enemy Wants vs. What God Promises
I began to pray, but instead of just asking God to take away these thoughts, I began to fight back using God’s Word. The specific scripture I focused on was 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
I began to cast down those voices and thoughts and as soon as I was done praying, there was silence in my mind. I exhaled deeply; I almost couldn’t believe it. Finally!!! You can imagine how peacefully I slept that night.
After some time, the thoughts resurfaced, but I was already equipped with the knowledge of how to deal with them. With the Word of God and the voice I had, I spoke the word over my mind, continuously casting down those false imaginations and arguments.
Through this battle, I learned that not only does the enemy not want you to receive salvation, he wants those who are saved to lose the hope they have in Jesus. He wants to draw us away from the presence of God, so that we return back to our old life.
How to Put On the Helmet of Salvation Daily
Maybe you have experienced something similar or you know someone who has. My advice is what the Word of God tells us to do, which is to put the helmet of salvation on. Salvation is the state of being saved…saved from death, hell, and from God’s wrath which we deserved. Accepting Jesus is the only way to salvation (spiritual life). Therefore putting on the helmet of salvation means protection from spiritual death. It’s been five years since I first accepted Christ and received new life and no matter how hard the fight is, I will face each day with my helmet on.
Now, let’s talk about some practical ways you can put on the helmet of salvation:
- Read the Word of God daily… honestly any chance you get. The more of God’s word you have in your heart and mind, the easier it is to combat the voice of the enemy.
- Guard your ears. Set boundaries on what you listen to and consume, whether that is music, shows, or conversations. Set boundaries. What you listen to forms your thoughts and beliefs.
- Remind yourself of who you are in Christ. Know that you are saved, you have been bought with the blood of Jesus and you belong in God’s family. You will be tested, tempted, and fought against, but knowing who you are in Christ will keep your mind from falling prey to the enemy’s lies.
An additional resource for you is to read “She Reigns: Conquering Your Triggers, Fears, and Worries with God’s Truth” by Tarah-Lynn, the founder of Adorned in Armor! In this book, she shares snippets of her vulnerable journal entries to assure you that you’re not alone, provides reflection questions so you’re able to invite God into your head and heart, encourages you to speak God’s promises in spite of what you see and feel, and equips you with the weapons you need to identify your triggers, take negative thoughts and debilitating emotions captive, and posture your heart for delight. Fighting for a renewed mind may be ongoing, but you can war from a standpoint of the overcomer.
Final Encouragement: Stand Guard, Stay Victorious
Keep in mind that we are in an ongoing spiritual war and it is extremely important that we put on the full armor of God, not only the helmet of salvation. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 also teaches us, “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”
Salvation gives us hope, and we are to wear this hope as a helmet, so don’t be discouraged when you are struggling in your Christian walk; the reality is that Christ has already won the victory for us. Keep this in mind and continue to stand your guard. You are victorious, child of God!
Armor of God Series: This article is a part of the Armor of God Series. Warrior woman, you don’t have to fight defenseless. Suit up with the strength the Lord provides!
SHOP