Originally posted on Facebook on Thursday, January 30, 2020.

May I be honest? I'm struggling.

In difficult seasons I sometimes feel like I must have done something wrong or that God doesn't approve of me in some way.

It's easy to see why some would feel that way. Church culture teaches and acts like "believing" makes us God's favorite people who get preferential treatment and should have no trouble in their lives. But that isn't biblical. (John 16:33)

If it were true that believers shouldn't struggle, riddle me this: Why is every believer given a helmet, breastplate, waistband, boots, sword and a shield as standard issue? (Ephesians 6:11-17) Armor makes it pretty obvious we should fully expect and be prepared for a fight.

There are no magical words, including the name of Jesus, that will make our problems go away.

Sometimes life is just hard. The full armor of God: truth, righteousness, understanding of the gospel, faith, salvation, and Scripture are weapons granted to us for dealing with every difficulty all of us are certain to face.

So be encouraged, fight on and do not lose heart. Victory is assured for those who endure to the end.