Jesus’ finished work allows you to come into God’s presence and have constant communication with Him

“But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:8 NKJV

“as a helmet the hope of salvation” — When you pray in the Spirit, the first thing you will receive is the helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17–18), which refers to the helmet of the hope of salvation here in 1 Thessalonians 5:8.

When we teach people that they can do something to lose their salvation, this results in damage to their helmet. Once a person is not assured that they are saved, it is as if there is a hole in their helmet and it no longer protects their minds.

The Ten Commandments were once what God’s people had to be under, but we are no longer in that day and age. Today, we have only one commandment: to love one another as Jesus has loved us (John 13:34). It is the only commandment that we can keep because the last part makes it possible—“as I (Jesus) have loved you.” The more you find out how much Jesus loves you, the more you are able to, and will, love one another.

It is important to know that all the pieces of God’s armor have nothing to do with Old Testament law or truths. Instead, they have to do with new covenant truths of today—the gospel truth which sets you free (John 8:32). The gospel truth is that Christ came to die for our sins. By that one offering on the cross, Christ has forever sanctified us (Heb. 10:12) and we are perfected forever, not in terms of our behavior but in our conscience. In other words, when we come to God, we no longer have an imperfect conscience due to sin-consciousness that makes us afraid to go into God’s presence. The more we believe this and enjoy communion with the Lord, the more sin loses its hold on us.

Many people don’t spend time with God because they are afraid they will be punished if they think a bad thought or say something wrong in His presence. This is an Old Testament mentality! In the Old Testament, the people had an old and dying way of reaching God because the more they came to Him, the more chances they had of being punished by death. Today, Jesus has opened up a new and living way for us by His blood (Heb. 10:19–20 KJV), which allows us to freely enter into God’s presence without fear of judgment.

THE MORE YOU COME TO JESUS, THE MORE YOU RECEIVE LIFE FROM HIM.

In a war, you can lose your weapon, lose your way, or find yourself surrounded by enemies, but as long as you have your communication line still open, you can ask for help. Praying in the Spirit keeps your communication line with Headquarters (God) open. Beloved, even when you are besieged by the enemy, don’t feel like you are alone. God is just a prayer away!