“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.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:8
If you’re a follower of Jesus, then you ARE a child of light, a child of the day. With that wonderful truth comes a challenging reality: you must navigate and represent Jesus in a dark world full of temptation, discouragement, opposition, and deceit. The world would like to knock you off course. It would like to condemn you or discourage you from sharing good news and hope. It would like to make you doubt yourself and your Savior. It would like to confuse you about what is good and what is evil.
This is why you must maintain your self-control and self-discipline. Protect yourself for the spiritual battle that is everyday life! In this verse, Paul specifically highlights the spiritual armor that protects your heart (the breastplate of faith and love) and your mind (the helmet of the hope of salvation).
Our minds are protected by our confidence in our eternal salvation. We protect our minds from doubt and distraction by regularly reading God’s Word and thinking often of God’s Son, the Word made flesh, Who suffered and died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead, and today reigns in heaven. We remind ourselves that in Christ there is no condemnation for us. Our guilt and shame have been washed away by the blood of Jesus. We repeat to ourselves the truths of our heavenly citizenship and our eternal inheritance in God’s presence. We eagerly look forward to God’s ultimate judgment and justice. We anticipate the renewal of creation.
Our hearts and their fickle emotions are protected when we intentionally cultivate, meditate, celebrate, and radiate faith and love. We should read and remind ourselves of God’s great works throughout history. We should walk with God and talk with Him in prayer daily. We should meditate on His wondrous attributes and marvel at His grace, mercy, kindness, and love that was poured out at the cross. Confident in our faith, we’re able to love when the world wants us to hate and to stay rooted in God’s love even when we feel utterly discouraged and defeated.