At times it seemed that Marxist-Leninism would win. The propaganda war was intense. The United States suffered a disastrous military defeat in Vietnam which impacted morale at the highest levels of government in Washington. When President Reagan took office we were up against the ropes, embarrassed by the Embassy takeover in Tehran and our personnel being held hostage, and facing big decisions about rearmament. The resolve of the "Iron Lady", Margaret Thatcher, Helmet Kohl, Francois Mitterand and Ronald Reagan, led to a renewed defense of the free world which forced the Soviet Union to capitulate as they found that economically they could not keep up with the arms race. Gorbachev admitted that the turning point came when President Reagan refused to give in to Soviet conditions at the Iceland Conference. Within a short time the tide had turned. The Soviet Union fell apart, and gradually the international vilification of the USA in the United Nations and elsewhere ceased. In holding out against the evil empire of totalitarianism, World War III was won. We could have hope for the future. Who would have known that we would be threatened by another kind of random violence - terrorism.

History teaches us that there will always be wars against totalitarianism and terrorists. There will always be a Stalin, a Mao Tse Tung, a Ho Chi Minh, a Saddam Hussein, a Milosevic, an Osama Bin Laden with whom we have to contend. The temptation is to think that we can withdraw, or insulate ourselves from those who would attack us. September 11 denied us that option. We cannot appease them, or give in to them, or surrender to their demands, or let them terrorize us. The Scriptures teach that behind all evil is the ruler of this world, the prince of darkness. Against him is arrayed the Prince of Peace, the ruler of the kingdom of God and heaven. He gives us the resolve to continue to oppose evil and to fight the battle of life, even when we are discouraged. He gives us his armor to defend ourselves. St. Paul writes; "Take the helmet of salvation." (Eph.6:17.

The helmet is designed to protect the head. I was amazed that both in Texas, and in Florida, laws on the mandatory wearing on helmets for motorcycle riders were repealed on the grounds that they infringed the freedom of the individual. It shows just how foolish people can be to encourage such recklessness. Accidents do happen, and the results are not in dispute. The head is vulnerable, and brain damage is irreversible resulting in the inability to support oneself, and becoming a financial burden on everyone. Even football players wear helmets. Of course I played rugby football where helmets were not worn!!!! Either rugby football is not dangerous, or you could contend that all rugby players are mentally challenged.

St. Paul is drawing attention to the need of protection for the head, the mind, the understanding, the thinking, of the believer. The forces of evil seek to attack our thoughts, and our reasoning. They want us to think the worst of our situation and to undermine our morale when we are fighting for survival spiritually, emotionally, financially, physically, or relationally. We can be defeated in our minds before we have begun to fight. We can be tempted to give up and surrender when we become tired and exhausted by the battle. It is the tactic of the enemy to demoralize us. The kidnappings of civilians in Iraq, the slaughter of children in Russia, the mess caused by hurricanes affect our mental processes. We get frustrated and depressed..

I got depressed this past week, not only because of the effects of Hurricane Frances, but because I read in The Economist these words: "In common with the rest of Europe, Britain is essentially a post-Christian society. Religion for the few who practice it, is a private matter. Churches here are unassuming, polite and a bit lefty." Discounting the fact that the writer is probably not a Christian and has never experienced one of the many lively churches in Britain, I am discouraged by the fact that Britain and Europe should be considered to be secular. No wonder there is a disconnect between the USA and Europe. Those were my thoughts as I read the magazine.

Psychologists who value Cognitive Behavior Therapy recognize the effects our thoughts have upon us. All or nothing thinking sees things in black and white categories: e.g. if I cannot be perfect I must be a total failure. Overgeneralization interprets a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat. Our mental filter picks out a single negative detail over which we obsess so that everything is colored by it. We jump to conclusions even though there are no definite facts to support our negative conclusion. Our emotional reasoning assumes that our negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are: "I feel it; therefore it must be true." Thinking about our own depressed thoughts as possible "cognitive distortions" is a helpful way to begin challenging self-defeating statements..

The helmet of salvation protects us by infusing our thoughts with the hope of the Gospel. St. Paul tells us that we should not be surprised by the pressure to think negatively, or to be overwhelmed by evil events. "While people are saying 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come upon them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:3-11.

Christians think very differently about life and the world we live in than non-Christians, or secularists. Our analysis of the present and the future is light years removed from much current commentary..

The hope of salvation which the Gospel brings is deliverance from the future wrath of God's judgment through the Cross of Christ. He has won for us the privilege of a life lived together with him. Our future hope is based upon God's eternal purpose: "God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." The events of the present, which can affect us negatively in our thinking, may be manifestations of the judgment. But when we put on the helmet of salvation we see that Christ has rescued us from judgment, and that we can look forward to life together with Christ. As we gather together to learn about this hope, we encourage one another and build each other up..

This future hope is what St. Paul means when he writes in Romans 13:11, "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light...clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ..

So putting on the helmet of salvation means that when you are attacked by negative thoughts, when you are besieged, tried and tempted by the violence of men and of nature, when you get overwhelmed and depressed, and feel that God is either absent or uncaring, and you despair, you answer by saying, "No, I have not been led astray by this teaching. I have always known that there are going to be dark days, but I live in the light of the Gospel. I know that I have not been appointed for destruction, I know that I have been saved by the love of God in Christ's Cross, I know that I am going to live with Christ now and in eternity..

This is the attitude of those who put on the helmet of salvation. Our attitude is the key to our thoughts. Chuck Swindoll has said.

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past.... We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes." (Charles R. Swindoll, Strengthening Your Grip, World, 1982, p.204).

Some day, we believe, in Christ, we will enjoy complete peace and security. We can look forward to the future. We do not fear tomorrow. That is our hope, our goal, which keeps us going. We will not be defeated, we will not have to surrender to the enemy, we will be more than conquerors through him who loved us. "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has. But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." (Romans 8:24,25.

The Lord loves us so much, that he will love us to the end. He will never let us go, no matter what the strength and power of the enemy, no matter what happens to us in this life, no matter what evil events we have to witness. "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." (John 10:28,29).

That truth can govern our thoughts, and sustain our minds when we are besieged and tempted to capitulate, and our morale is low. We believe that the kingdom of Christ will prevail. We have a living hope, made sure through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for us - for we will receive the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9.