A Great Fight

L-R Delana, me, Carolyn, and Ann
Armor of God friends, 1990s

"Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad - for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world." (1 Peter 4:12-13)

I've learned to expect a fight with the devil the week before Bible studies begin, and this semester is no exception. Yesterday, by God's grace, I won the battle with a UTI and scratchy throat. Today, I'm fighting a belly ache, upset tummy, and cell phone on the blink.

Today's encouragement for us, beloved, comes from Pastor Deron Spoo's The Good Book: "What great fight do you face today? Ask God not only for a good outcome; ask Him to also produce a more confident character in you through that experience."

"Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials." ~ Smith Wigglesworth, early twentieth-century pastor.