Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. – Ephesians 6:11 (NLT)

Have you noticed that you face battles in life? Life would be a lot easier if God just granted you all your wishes. Then, if you face something tough in life, you could just wish it away on God, and it would be gone. Unfortunately, our battles in life don’t go away by wishing. 

But it’s not all bad news. God furnishes you with the armor you need to fight your battle. Your job is to pick it up and use it when facing the battles of life.

Today’s Truth: God Has Given Us What We Need to Fight Our Battles

Those battles look different to each of us. Sometimes the battles of life are difficult circumstances. At other times you may battle fear and it causes you to not step out and do the thing God is calling you to do. Then at times, you fight against lust or things of the flesh and it can be hard to stop doing the things that are wrong.

However, the important thing to remember is that God has given you all the tools you need to fight. You just have to stand up and fight believing that you’re equipped and that God is on your side. Regardless of the battle, you can be encouraged, you’re not alone. You have the weapons you need to fight your battles each day.

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded – 2 Chronicles 15:7 (NIV)

It’s so easy to want to give up. Especially when things are taking longer than you expected. Maybe you thought that you’d be promoted at your job by now. Perhaps there’s a promise from God that hasn’t come to pass yet in your life. Whatever it is that you’re waiting on, today’s Bible verse is for you.

This verse encourages us to not give up. As we all know, patience is hard. No one likes waiting. Yet it’s in those times of waiting that we often have the chance to develop character. You might realize in those times that you need to work on improving our attitude. Possibly you realize that you’ve based your happiness on things other than God.

Often, it’s during difficulty that we begin to see what our hope really is in. If waiting has you down and discouraged, it might be an indicator that you’ve been placing your happiness in your circumstances rather than in Jesus.

So today, if you’re having difficulty being patient, don’t give up. Know that your work will be rewarded and that God sees it. Choose to put your happiness in Jesus and don’t let circumstances dictate your joy.

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Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. – Ephesians 4:11 (NLT)

Leadership can be hard sometimes. You might be in a place of leadership in your school, church or home group and you might feel overwhelmed. There can be times in leadership where you simply aren’t sure what to say or what to do.

In the body of Christ, God has put many different spiritual gifts. And each place of leadership in the church is important. Regardless of where you’ve been place to lead, here are a few things to remember.

1. Keep Learning.
   Keep reading your Bible. Listen to good Bible and leadership teaching. Grow each day. If you approach your leadership always learning and growing, you’ll go far as a leader. Regardless of how far you’ve come, there are always ways to learn and improve.
2. Rely on the Holy Spirit
   You have the Holy Spirit to help lead and guide you. So when you don’t know what to say or what to do in a difficult situation, rely on the Holy Spirit. He will give you ideas and help that will be vital to your success as a leader.
3. Give yourself Grace.
   As a leader, you’re not always going to be perfect, and that’s ok. Give yourself room to learn, make mistakes, and grow. Don’t expect perfection from yourself or others.

Being a leader in your school or church can be fun, but also challenging. Know that if God has called you to a place of leadership, you’re equipped to do it. Don’t be afraid to walk in the things He’s showing you to do.

that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. – Philemon 1:6 (NKJV)

Sharing your faith can really seem overwhelming. You might question whether you really know enough to tell someone else about Jesus. And that question sometimes causes you to be quiet rather than share your faith with others.

Today’s verse helps make sharing your faith a bit easier. The end of the verse talks about the acknowledgment of every good thing that is in you. So rather than being concerned about whether you know enough to answer all of people’s questions, realize that simply sharing the good things God has done in your life is an effective way to share the gospel with others.

So what has God done for you? Has He healed you? Have you been freed from fear? What has God done in your life? Think about that and then ask God how you can let others know. God will give you creative ideas on how you can share what God is doing in your life.

Maybe He’ll lead you to post something on social media. Or perhaps He’ll show you someone you can write a card or letter to. However He leads you, don’t be afraid to step out and do it. Sharing your faith doesn’t have to be scary or hard, sometimes it’s just telling others the good things God has done for you, and then inviting them to get to know the Jesus that has set you free for themselves.

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the LORD God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation – Isaiah 12:2

Have you noticed how crazy your emotions are sometimes? You can be having the best day, then something bad happens and your emotions change from happy to upset almost instantly. Emotions are very unpredictable and often unstable.

The interesting thing is that your emotions follow your thoughts. If you find yourself overcome with fear, you need to stop and think about what you’ve been thinking about. Have you been focused more on the problems going on or on God?

Today’s Truth: Your Emotions Follow Your Thoughts

God wants us to trust in Him. He shares in this verse that He is your strength and song. If you think on this truth and think about the fact that He is your salvation, your emotions will eventually line up with this truth. So today, if fear has been an issue in your life, be encouraged. Focus on the goodness of God and choose to let Him be your strength. As you do this, your emotions will follow too.

A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls. – Proverbs 25:28 (NLT)

When emotions are unchecked in our lives, we’re like a city with broken-down walls. If a city didn’t have strong walls, they were able to be attacked by their enemies. The city couldn’t experience good things because it was vulnerable to attack.

In the same way, if we don’t determine to develop emotionally healthy habits, like self-control in our lives, we are not going to be as successful in life.

If we want to walk in the freedom and the good things God has prepared for us, we’ve got to choose to walk in self-control when it comes to our emotions. It’s easy to let our emotions run wild and react rather than sit back and think. However, if we just react emotionally, we might react too much or we might react too little. When we take some time to think about our response and learn more of the facts, is when we’re able to give the right response.

So today, take some time to think about how you’re responding to situations around you. Are you overreacting? Under reacting? Spend some time getting all the facts before you respond. When you do, you’ll make better decisions and be walking in more self-control.

may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen. – Hebrews 13:21 (NLT)

It can be easy to think that what God is calling you to do is too big or overwhelming. You might think of all the reasons why you can’t do what God is telling you to do.

However, today’s verse says that God will equip you with all you need for doing His will. Isn’t that good news? God will give you everything you need to do what He is calling you to do. Even when it seems scary or even overwhelming, God will help you do what He’s called you to.

So today, don’t give up on doing what God has called you to do because you feel afraid or overwhelmed. Know that God is going to equip for what He’s called you to. Walk in faith, knowing that God will help you do what He’s called you to do!