Ephesians 6:17

This is written by Emma Jones who is a journalist. 

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ah, defence and attack. Just like in netball (which I really hated playing, by the way) you need both when you're a Christian.

It's part of a wider chapter on "putting on the armour of God" and firstly, Paul's telling us to put on a helmet. Why? It protects our heads. Protect what's going on inside your head above all else. Defend yourself against the assaults of life with the truth that you belong to God. No one can take that away from you. You're God's forever. Thinking you're a failure for whatever reason you want to believe today - my own reasons change from day to day - is simply not true. You're God's. Ultimately you know where you're going, and He's changing you day to day. That's salvation.

At the same time, we can attack our own false thinking. Paul calls it "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Thump yourself over the head with your Bible...or something on those lines. I've found it really helpful - actually essential - to carry Bible verses in my head to attack whatever situation I am facing. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in this. Right now, for example, I'm holding Romans 8, that "we know that all things work together for good to them that love God." I keep chewing on it, walking home, at work, or on the tube. God's word renews my mind and (ultimately) changes my thinking. God's word says otherwise to so many attitudes that the world thinks is normal. We all need to know it. Defend your mind, and attack your wrong thinking.