This year our faith has been tested, but we have also seen God's faithfulness. God is always with us through every storm. There is no greater time to recognize that God is with us than Christmas when we celebrate Emanuel, which means God with us. God put on flesh and became Emanuel, God with us.

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has plans for us that will not harm us. The context of this scripture is that the people of Israel were in a state of great vulnerability. They were in Babylonian captivity, yet the Lord tells them to build houses, plant gardens, and give their sons and daughters in marriage. This does not sound like a short-lived exile; their captivity was going to continue for 70 years in exile, waiting on their deliverance. The Israelites need to focus on the season that they're in so that they can thrive and prepare for the next season.

In our “Spiritually Strong” series, we have been learning about the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the helmet of salvation. Today, we are talking about the Sword of the Spirit. Even when the enemy attacks us, we can be spiritually strong and focus on God. The word of God defends and strengthens us.

When God begins to sanctify us and rid us of sin, it’s because he has a purpose and a plan. We are set apart. When we experience this kind of life change and transformation in Jesus, we have to recognize that there are going to be spiritual battles and storms in our lives that will require us to strengthen ourselves.

We are called to be strong in the Lord and put on the armor of God. Salvation is not something that we have to put on every day, but rather, we are called to put on the helmet of our savior so that we can fight the good fight of faith. God has given us everything that we need so that we can live a victorious and overcoming life.

The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the whole armor of God. Paul encourages us to go against the dark forces that are unseen so that we can stand in the day of evil. There is a battle between the forces of good and evil, but we have tools and weapons like the Belt of Truth and the Breastplate of Righteousness to help us in the fight.

In Luke 14, Jesus is sitting at a table with all kinds of people. Jesus loved gathering. He loved a good party. In this passage, he tells the parable of the Great Banquet.