HOPE
Ephesians 6:17 - And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
Helmet of Salvation: 1 Thes 5:8 says, “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.
3 abiding realities of spiritual experience
1 Cor 13:13: - And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (Biblical faith is of the present, in the heart. Hope is of the future, in the mind. Putting on the hope of salvation as a helmet is what protects our minds.)
Optimism
(dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation)
Colossians 1:27 - To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (The glory is in the future)
1 Corinthians 2:9 - But as it is written: "EYE HAS NOT SEEN, NOR EAR HEARD, NOR HAVE ENTERED INTO THE HEART OF MAN THE THINGS WHICH GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM." (Rom 8:25 reminds us that true hope is set upon for what we cannot see. In this scripture, there is also hope beyond our hearing and the realm of our heart. This living hope stirs us to hold onto God and the wonderful life in Him now and in the ages to come.)
Ephesians 2:12 - that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (This shows just how intimately connected hope is to our salvation. Without hope, we are not in Christ and have no relationship with God)
Hebrews 6:19 - This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil. (Through hope is how we anchor ourselves into the Rock of Ages)
Psalms 43:5 - Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
Revelation 21:4 - And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Even in the most difficult circumstances of our present lives, we are to be encouraged from this wonderful reality)
Romans 4:18 - 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." (In the natural it made no sense for Abraham to put hope in and believe in God’s promise. He believed first then supernatural hope came. He stirred himself up with what he knew to be true and fed his spirit man. This generated life and therefore hope)
Romans 8:24,25,28 - For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (We are to train our minds so we can live by this truth.)
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.
Hopelessness
Proverbs 13:12 - Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life. (It is natural to have expectations of how things will turn out. However, life is messy and our desires not being met in the way we expect can be devastating. We will have trials in this world. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” So what do we do? Set our desires on loving Him; our hope upon what He has prepared. Let His faith at work in us deal with the present.
Some quotations & metaphors
- “Do not look to your hope, but to Christ, the source of your hope.” – Spurgeon
- “Hope itself is like a star, not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity but to be discovered in the night of adversity.” – Spurgeon
- “Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune w/o the words & never stops at all – Emily Dickinson
- What is hope but a feeling of optimism, a thought that says things will improve, it won’t always be bleak, there’s a way to rise above the present circumstances. – Wayne Dyer
- Those who are animated by hope can perform what would seem impossibilities to those who are under the depressing influence of fear. – Maria Edgeworth
- Hope is a song in a weary throat. – Pauli Murray
- Dreams nourish the soul just as food nourishes the body – Paulo Coelho