Victorious Spiritual Warfare
Pt. 5 The Helmet of Salvation
Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
The Roman soldier’s helmet was made of heavy iron and could withstand a direct ax or sword stroke from the enemy. It was covered on the inside with cork to make it more comfortable. Soldiers were allowed to have different shapes and symbols on their helmets (horse, bear, lion, etc.) and others had feathers on top.
The most unique feature of every human being is our MINDS — the way we THINK.
Human beings think 30,000 thoughts a day.
The brain has the capacity for 6 million years of memory.
Every second our brains facilitate 1 billion actions to our body.
There is GENIUS in every THINKING PERSON.
1 Thessalonians 5:8-9
8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
The Bible further describes the Helmet of Salvation as the Helmet of the Hope of Salvation.
HOPE IS THE BELIEVER’S HELMET!
hope: (elpis) joyful expectation of good, confidence, to anticipate with pleasure
Hope is the oxygen of the human soul; without it, we suffocate and die. Hope heals. Hope restores. Hope overcomes. Hope attracts. Hope leads. Hope helps. Hope celebrates. Hope worships. Hope believes.
Romans 5:1-5
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Find and learn from somebody who’s been through hell but still has great HOPE.
HOPE is easy when you know you’re LOVED.
1 Corinthians 13:7
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Hope is a heavenly LIGHT in a dark world.
Romans 15:4, 13
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
abound: (perisseno) to superabound, have excess, excel, greatly surpass
Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
1 Corinthians 13:13
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
When HOPE walks OUT, DISCOURAGEMENT walks IN.
Psalm 42:1-11
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”
4 When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.
6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar.
7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my Rock,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a breaking of my bones,
My enemies reproach me,
While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.
Romans 4:17-18
17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 6:11-12, 19
11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
Reading the Bible gives us HOPE.
Prayer gives us HOPE.
Worship gives us HOPE.
Testimonies give us HOPE.
Prophecy gives us HOPE.
Never make an important decision when you are DISCOURAGED.
Our HOPE is HEAVENLY not CIRCUMSTANTIAL.
Lamentations 3:21-26
21 This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
Romans 12:12
rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
Titus 2:13
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Hope safeguards our minds from every negative thing or thought the enemy throws at us.
Hopelessness is oppression and suffering.
The hopeless mind is a tormented mind, filled with every manner of diabolical lies and deceptions.
Satan rules over the hopeless.
Heaven rules over the hopeful.
It is unnatural for believers to not have HOPE.
HOPE is a GREENHOUSE OF LIFE that allows the promises of God to FLOURISH in our thoughts and life.
You cannot afford to live very long without HOPE.
Hope offends the FEARFUL.
Negative people defend themselves by saying “I’m just a realist” or “I’m just being real.” But there’s nothing more real than hope.
Hope comes from God and when we have HOPE, we correctly represent GOD.
HOPEFUL people are HAPPY people.
When a person with a PROPHETIC GIFT is also lacking HOPE, they will inevitably misrepresent the Heart of God by being harsh, negative, and critical.
The UNHEALTHY heart will always produce INACCURATE ministry (prophesy).