We should all know that the first place the devil tries to attack when he assaults man is the heart. I am not talking about the physical heart, but the one the Bible speaks of, that is, the mind. Satan desperately wants to influence our thoughts. Paul has the solution to this problem.
Ephesians 6:17 (ESV)
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
A physical helmet protects the brain from getting injured. A spiritual helmet protects the mind from the attacks of the devil. When we fill our minds with thoughts of heaven and heavenly things, we are putting on the helmet of salvation and stopping the devil from influencing our thinking. Here are some passages that exhort us to think about heavenly things.
Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV)
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:16 (ESV)
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
1 Peter 1:13 (NKJV)
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
When we do what these passages tell us to do, heaven will never be too far from our thinking. This is what the Hebrews writer meant when he wrote of keeping hope before us (Hebrews 6:18). This hope is enjoying eternity in heaven.
Think about what a wonderful place heaven will be. It will be a place of beauty, unlike anything we have ever seen. But the attraction of heaven goes beyond outward beauty. It will be a place where nothing will ever make us unhappy again. Sorrow will be a thing of the past and will never reappear. Even greater will be the fact that all the people of God from all time will be there. Of course, the real highlight of heaven will be that we see God face to face (Revelation 22:4). What could be better to fill our minds with than our future eternal home?
Along with keeping carnal thoughts and worldly ideas out of our minds, thinking about heaven regularly helps us to live pure lives. John tells us that those who have this hope of heaven purify themselves (1 John 3:3). Why is this so? It is because the more we think of heaven, the more we are reminded of how badly we want to make it there; thus, it encourages godly living. This is why the Bible says we are saved by hope.
Romans 8:23-24 (ESV)
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved…
Let us all put on the helmet of salvation by fortifying our minds with the Word of God, especially the portions of it that speak to us of our future glory in heaven. In this way, we guard our minds against the fiery dart of the devil.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.