Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Today's shout-out goes to Stan Jackson from Farmington, MO. Thank you for your partnership with us through Project23. Your commitment is helping deliver God's Word with clarity and conviction. This one's for you.

Our text today is Judges 3:1–4.

Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. — Judges 3:1-4

What if the struggle you're facing isn't punishment—but preparation?

God didn't clear the land all at once. He left enemies in place. Why? To test Israel. Not to crush them—but to train them.

Think about that. God could've snapped his fingers and wiped every enemy away. But he didn't. Instead, he left battles to fight, not because he was absent, but because he was present in a different way—training his people to lean on him, sharpening their obedience, and forging their faith in fire.

Life's tests work the same way. They're proving grounds. The challenges you're staring down right now may be God's way of toughening your spiritual muscles. Like a trainer who won't lift the weights for you but won't leave your side either, God sets you under the bar to see if you'll trust him for the strength.

Don't despise the battles God leaves in your life. That demanding boss, the marriage struggle, the nagging temptation—they might be the very tools God is using to test and teach you. Tests aren't about failure; they're about faith.

The question isn't why is this happening to me? But how will I respond? Will you trust God when it's heavy? Will you obey when it's easier not to?

Your test today might be the training ground for tomorrow's victory.

ASK THIS:

1. What's one battle in your life right now that feels like it should already be over?
2. Do you tend to see trials as punishment or preparation?
3. How can you reframe a current struggle as training from God?
4. Who in your life needs encouragement to keep fighting their God-given battles?

DO THIS:

Identify one struggle you're facing today. Instead of asking God to remove it, ask him to use it to strengthen your faith and obedience.

PRAY THIS:

Father, help me see my battles not as punishments but as proving grounds. Give me the strength to trust you and obey, even when the struggle feels endless. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Battle Belongs."