Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5 and 6, talks about the way a Christian should conduct himself with the seen world - slaves to their masters, husbands to their wives and children to their parents (Ephesians 5:21 – 6:9). Towards the end of the letter, Paul addresses the Christians’ defense against the unseen world – the principalities and powers, the world’s ruler of darkness and the spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places. He instructs all flesh and blood to put on the whole armour of God to be able to stand against the wiles of the unseen enemy (Ephesians 6:11).

The helmet is the most essential piece of equipment, because our Christian walk can start and end with the mind. If the mind is not safely guarded, the Christian soldier can be deceived by the enemy to turn his back on God. The mind which is a battle ground, if not protected, can turn into a playground for the enemy.

In ancient Rome, soldiers brandishing a long sword, normally split the skull of the opponent with one shot on the head. More importantly, the helmet was so designed that it did not cover both the ears of the soldier, in order to take instructions from his commander. In like manner, the Christian soldier needs to receive instructions and act diligently on hearing the voice of the Chief Commander – the Holy Spirit.

Hearing is one of the most important aspects in our walk with God. We can respond to God only when we hear. Jesus during His ministry on earth confidently declared that ‘His sheep hears His voice’.

Every Christian irrespective of his profession in life is called to be a soldier who can hear and act according to the commands given by the Holy Spirit.

Thought for the day: We have not entered the peace zone yet. The fight is still on – Keep your ears open to God!