But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 1 Thes 5:8

There is a constant reality that both light and darkness are always around us. The world we live in has both good and evil, right and wrong, and we face these choices every day. We can choose to live in a life of pleasure and passion or live with purpose and hope. The scripture passage instructs us “who are of the day, be sober.” The child of God is of those “who are of the day” and “belong to the day.” We are “light in the Lord” (Eph 5:8) and our purpose to be lights in darkness. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we “have the light of life” (Jn 8:12) and like “a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid” (Mt 5:14), the Spirit of God illuminates the word of God to lead and guide us past the passions of darkness and the pleasure of the world. Living in darkness means living without God and results in “unfruitful works of darkness” (Rom 13:12). The child of God is in a constant battle to stay away from the works of darkness and live according to God’s will. The battle is not always easy. There are times when we struggle and are tempted to use old weapons and tactics to be dishonest, to lie, to lust, or to treat others unjustly. It is in these times we need to arm ourselves by “putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet, the hope of salvation” to fight against sin and darkness. My friend, “the hope of salvation” is the helmet of our armor to deny ourselves temporary sinful pleasures and put temptations in proper perspective. Earthly things pale in comparison with the “eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” that God promises His children (2 Cor 4:17). Dear friend, how do you defend yourself against temptations? Through faith in Jesus Christ, we must grow in both our knowledge of spiritual darkness and our pursuit of the light in God’s word. Allow God to mold and shape us into those who are ridden of any darkness, to become fully known to God, and allow His light to transform our lives into reflections of his Son, Jesus Christ “the hope of salvation.” Father thank You for Your love and the hope of glory. Help me to walk in the light of Your word as You are in the light (1 Jn 1:7) and rejoice always in fellowship with You. In the blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.