Is your helmet on straight?

(photo credit: mdb.scout.com)

"Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle." (Psalm 140:7, New International Version)

"O Lord, Eternal One, power of my deliverance, You are my helmet in the day of battle." (140:7, The Voice)

I read that verse in several different translations this morning to get a sense of what it means for God to shield our heads in battle.

Why do participants in dangerous activities and sports wear helmets? To protect their heads. Seems pretty simple, but what is so important about the head? I would suggest that the head is important because it contains the command center for the rest of the body. If the brain is injured, the rest of the body is affected. If the brain is not processing well, choices could be made that bring about devastating consequences.

Could it be that part of God's shielding of our heads is so that we can make right decisions in times of crisis ("the day of battle")? Could it be that His shielding is what makes it possible for us to think clearly in the midst of chaotic circumstances?

Question: How do you need The Lord to be your helmet today? What are some practical ways that you can be sure your helmet is on straight?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear what you think.

Choose Your Words

(Photo credit: hudsonhouston.com)

"I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress." (Psalm 17:3)

There it is again: the reality that life is about decisions. 

"I just tell it like it is ... I call it the way I see it ... I just say what's on my mind"

Let me translate that: "I refuse to exercise good judgment when I speak (or post) ... I value my right to speak more than I value my responsibility to speak the right things."

If we were to run our words through THAT filter, I suspect we might choose different words sometimes.

Question: How will you decide today that you will not sin with your words?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your perspective.