Today is OVCF’s (the church I pastor) 14th Anniversary! We will also be dedicating the youth addition. it is fitting this devotion comes on a day like today.

It is easy to feel as though I am in this battle alone. Oh, I know I’m not. My head tells me that. But my heart is a different story. Each morning I wake up to a new day, a new set of challenges. Someone has said, “I can wake up and say, ‘Good morning, Lord!’ or I can wake up and say, ‘Good Lord, it’s morning!’ ” While I don’t use phrases like the latter, I do sometimes not always have a good perspective. That perspective is often formed by my time with and in the Bible.

I simply cannot take the Bible for granted. Part of the armor is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” I am not left to my own resources. When my strength is depleted and I feel wiped out, the Bible is at my beck and call. The words contained in it give me life. They show me where my strength is. Page after page show me the way to defeat the enemy. It shows me the importance of and the “how to” on strengthening my faith…and of winning daily victories…battles…and ultimately, the war.

“Father, may your Word come alive in me. May I see it as a vital part of my life, not just an ‘add on.’ Your Word teaches me You are my life, my all. Help me not to give into fear but to draw strength from You and Your Word.”