Does it feel like the attack coming against you right now is more than you can bear? If so, read this: ‘Pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope’ (vv. 3-4 AMPC). Notice that you can reach a place of spiritual maturity where you automatically respond to difficulty with ‘joyful and confident hope’. It’s easy to say, ‘Don’t worry.’ But to actually do that requires experience with the faithfulness of God. When we trust God and then see His faithfulness in our lives, it gives us the confidence needed to live without fear and anxiety. That’s why it’s so important to continue to have faith in God and learn to trust Him in the midst of trials. With God’s help, we can overcome the temptation to give up when the going gets rough. God uses those hard, trying times to build in us patience, endurance, and character that will eventually produce ‘the habit of joyful and confident hope’. Always remember that when you are in a battle, you are gaining valuable experience that will benefit you later on. You will more easily trust God when difficulty comes, and you will be able to testify to others regarding the goodness and faithfulness of God. If you are in a battle right now, you can let it defeat you or make you stronger! Make the right decision, and let it help bring you to a deeper level of spiritual maturity.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.