Series “#OOTD” – Sermon #6  “Divine Hope” 

Series “#OOTD” – Sermon #6  “Divine Hope” 

Ephesians 6:10-13 (TPT) “Now my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through you.”

Watchman Nee (Sit Walk Stand) “For our part, we need not struggle to occupy ground that is already ours. In Christ we are conquerors, nay, “more than conquerors” (Rom. 8: 37). In Him, therefore, we stand. Thus, today we do not fight for victory; we fight from victory.  We do not fight in order to win, but because in Christ we have already won. Overcomers are those who rest in the victory already given to them by their God. When you fight to get the victory, then you have lost the battle at the very outset.”

Ephesians 6:14 (TPT) “Put on truth as a belt to strengthen you to stand in triumph.,…” 

Ephesians 6:15 (NLT) “For shoes, (having NKJV) put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.”

Ephesians 6:15 (AMP) “Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

Notice the different tense:

First three pieces of armour:  “Having put on”

Second three pieces of armour:   “Above all lift up”

The first three are armour that you establish yourself in continually.

Ephesians 6:17 “Put on salvation as your helmet,”

Hope of salvation guards your mind.

Helmet does three things:

1. Identifies You.   2. Protects You.    3. Emboldens You

1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NLT). “But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence (Hope NKJV) of our salvation.”

Hope:—  (elpis) joyful and unshakable, confident expectation, to anticipate with pleasure.

Salvation:— (sōtēria)  To save, deliverance, preservation, safety, health, provision. Present Benefit

It’s not just about being saved—it’s about having a mindset anchored in the confidence that your salvation is secure, your future is bright, and your victory is already won.

Romans 8:28-29 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.”

Romans 5:3-4 NLT “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”

Stronghold:— Thought patterns that govern behaviour. 

Any area of your life that is not saturated with hope exposes you to a lie that can become a stronghold of the devil.

Patterns can become ruts. Ruts become seemingly uncontrollable behaviour.

Evil Stronghold:– Demonically induced and possibly controlled pattern of thinking. A dwelling place that I have created or allowed to exist, which gives ground for demonic influence. 

2 Corinthians 4:4 “Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe,…”   

Evil Stronghold:— any area that is considered normal that is not the normal of the kingdom.

Everyone is in debt.           Everyone gets sick.        Everyone has relational problems.

Any bondage is a house of thoughts.

Fear – Anger – Addiction – Lust

The circumstance, behaviour or substance is not your problem.  The way you think is the problem.

You decide what you think and what you think shapes your world.

The mind Is The Battlefield

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “…weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

Any thought not taken captive can take you captive.

Thoughts not taken captive have you captive now. 

Captivity (Aichmalotizo) :— To lead away at spear point

Obedience (Hupakoe):— Listen and under, subject to, compliance

You’re the gatekeeper of your mind.

The devil can’t think for you and God can’t think for you.

You decide what will dominate your mind.

Your thoughts determine your life.

2 Corinthians 2:16 “But we have the mind of Christ.”

What were you thinking?

The helmet blocks the outside noise and allows you to stay focused on the voice of God.

Dr. Caroline Leaf “All this thinking activity is real” “Recent research has shown that there is an ‘optimism bias’ wired into our brains. We seem to be ‘wired for love’, in other words, we are wired to expect good things for ourselves; we are wired for the positive.”

“And science is showing that meditating on the elements of Jesus’s teachings rewires healthy new circuits in the brain.” 

“Because we are made in God’s image (Gen 1:26) and have the ‘mind of christ’ (1 Cor 2:16), our normal state is one of perfection.”

“…your genes may provide the blueprint, but they hand over the control to the brain.” Dr. C Leaf  

A mind surrounded by the confident hope of salvation allows you to think your way out of anything.

1 Peter 1:13 “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;”

Loins (Osphus) :— the place where generative, procreative power resides

Psalm 42:5 NIV “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

Romans 15:13 “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.”

You can enter every situation with confidence because you have the promise of salvation surrounding you. 

Promised victory in every circumstance guards my head!

Introduce every circumstance to the promise of God.