Jesus, use Joseph’s life to help me take a look at a person who makes a decision based on his personal belief system. Teach me through Joseph, Jesus’ step-father, as he finds out that Mary, Jesus’ mother, was pregnant. It was easy for Joseph to assume that she had been sexually unfaithful to him. Help me see that because Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly (Mat 1:19). Help me see that his decision was based on what he had been exposing himself to; and, his decision was based on what of those things he was exposed to that he accepted as truth.

Because Joseph had EXPOSED himself and stored in his brain (excepted as truth) a lot of Old Testament information, which is truth, he was able to make a righteous decision. Because of what He chose to expose himself to, and, because of which of these exposures he accepted as truth, his heart felt positive feelings toward God and the things of God. His heart also felt negative feelings against sin. Help me approach life like this, Jesus.

Since his WILL had chosen to expose him to God and the things of God; and, his WILL had accepted God and the things of God as true, he was ready to do the right thing. THEN, when his mind assessed this situation with Mary and, based on all the information he had, the righteous thing to do was to divorce her quietly, he was ready to do it. If he hadn’t been living this way, anger, fear, social pressure, and a lot of other things could have pushed him in the wrong direction. Help this process to not sound cold and mechanical. Help it not make Joseph sound like some kind of robot. Show me that this is not what is being said.

Jesus, over all the years of Joseph’s life he had been making EXPOSURE choices; and, he had been make TRUTH choices. Let me follow his example and choose to expose myself to the right things. Help me believe those things that are the truth.

1. Help me willfully choose to expose my brain, mind, and heart to memorizing, studying, and understanding God and the things of God.
2. Help me willfully choose to expose myself (my spirit being) to God and the things of God.
3. Help me willfully choose to accept God and the things of God as good and everything contrary to that as bad.
4. Help me willfully choose to accept God and the things of God as true and everything contrary to that as being false.
5. Then when this type of trying situation comes my way, I will willfully choose to do the right, good, and righteous thing.

Jesus, teach me that I AM and will become a product of those things I willfully choose to expose myself to; I also choose what I believe (the things I accept as true) out of those things I have allowed myself to experience. I then start making my life decisions based on this exposure and belief system. Help me understand that if I am exposed to something and I don’t accept it as truth, it is rejected in my mind and heart. But, if I accept it as truth, it becomes truth to me and it becomes a part of my decision making process. The question is, was what I have been accepting as truth actually the truth? Help me put on the helmet of salvation because it only allows truth into my heart and mind.

Jesus, help me see that once I allow You to guide my exposure and acceptance of what is truth, You will start showing me what decisions to make. Guide me like You did with Joseph in what he should do with Mary. Mat 1:20 (NIV) But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Teach me that this is the way to keep the helmet of salvation covering my control center.

As I looked at people like Joseph and wondered how they kept making such godly decisions, I can now see what they did. They had been taking good care of THEIR command center. They were empowered to respond to Your will for their life. Mat 1:24 (NIV) When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. Let me be like Joseph, empower the helmet of salvation to help me take good care of my command center. Let my helmet of salvation provide me with the filtering process whereby I allow some things to enter into my command center and disallow others. Let this make me into a person filled with truth in my brain, heart, and mind.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7). Jesus, I accept that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, is guarding my heart and my mind in You, Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7).

And the peace of God: Jesus, You have powerful emotions for my heart that will flow right through the helmet of salvation. Since this helmet is designed to accept true feelings and reject negative, destructive feelings that keep me from feeling like I will win and succeed, empower me to keep it on at all times. When I would typically be debilitated by fear, frustration, anger, hopelessness, and depression, they will always be blocked off. And, the peace of God will always flow through the helmet of salvation and empower me to move forward and win.

Which transcends all understanding: Jesus, You have knowledge, understanding, and wisdom for my mind that will flow right through the helmet of salvation. I now ask for all of it to flow into me. Since the helmet of salvation is designed to accept truth and reject lies, misleading, and half truths, help me never take it off. Even if something is true but wouldn’t be good for me, let it resist it and protect me from things I am not ready for yet. Since the four parts of my command center are so important, let this filter guarantee life success for me as I wear it.

Will guard your hearts and your minds: Jesus, You know everything, even the future; You also know everyone. It is easy for me to be fooled by not trying something I should get involved in. And, it is easy for me to be pulled into something that will hurt me and those around me. Let this guarding piece of armor protect and expose me to those truths You have provided. Since it doesn’t just block everything off no matter what it is, let it be an open door to everything right, good, and righteous; and let it be impossible to penetrate when it is wrong, bad, or evil.

In Christ Jesus: Jesus, when I got saved and justified, You came into me and I was included in You. I was, from that moment on, protected by You Who love me more than I love myself. I am protected by You Who knows everything about the past, present, and future. You have all knowledge, understanding, wisdom, power, and love. There is nothing You will do that is wrong, bad, or evil; and, there is nothing You won’t do that is right, good, and righteous. You are surrounding my command center with a protection that is far beyond anything I could ever hope for.

Jesus, God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in You, and through You, Jesus to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through Your blood, shed on the cross. Once I was alienated from God and was an enemy IN MY MIND because of my evil behavior. But now You have reconciled me by Your physical body through death to present me holy in God’s sight, without blemish and free from accusation (Col 1:19-22).

Since this is the gospel of peace that provided me the helmet of salvation, and once I accepted the gospel message, it made the helmet of salvation available to me. It was ready to start protecting my brain, heart, and mind. Show me that this peace, that comes as a part of the helmet of salvation, has powers that are superior to my human thinking. Teach me that the guarding power of this peace keeps me from doing things that will get me into trouble.

Jesus, when I allow fear to come into my life, I find myself running from things that don’t even exist. I worry about things that aren’t even a problem. I prepare and brace myself for things that aren’t coming. I am afraid to try things that You would bless. Let the helmet of salvation protect that peace in my heart and mind. Let it keep the peace in and the fear out.