“Dear friends, don’t give in to thinking that God doesn’t care about the very difficult trials you’re going through. You are actually closer to him than ever, because you’re going through things he did. They’re training you to live in and express his glory in increasingly powerful ways that will make you truly joyful” (1 Peter 4:12-13, paraphrase).
The trials you face are never to prove your worth to God. Just the opposite—he loves you so much, he’s turning every attack of the enemy into opportunities for you to experience greater measures of his love, grace, strength, peace, and joy. Instead of destroying you, every difficulty is equipping you to be more brilliant in the life for which Jesus has already made you worthy.
Stay in love. Pray for those who hate you. Bless them, and refuse to be their enemy. Determine to be more aware of God’s peace than you are of the enemy’s chaos. Choose to live, move, and have your identity in Jesus. Resolve to let everyone you meet have an experience with God’s grace. The enemy will be intimidated by your ferocious love, disempowered by your confident joy, and silenced by your immovable peace.
Equip Your Spirit 