Strong, Brave, Loved by Holley GerthÀpẹrẹ

Day Three

Never Defeated

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:10

A few years ago, I uttered a frustrated prayer in my car. “God, why does the enemy seem so determined to destroy my joy?” And it felt like I heard a whisper within my heart in response: “He’s not really after your joy. He’s after your strength.” 

Immediately I thought of Nehemiah 8:10. Ah, yes, now it made sense. The enemy of my soul wasn’t simply out to make me have a bad day. Instead, he was trying to do something far more sinister: Make me ineffective in the Kingdom. Weaken my faith. Quiet my voice. Make sure I cower in fear rather than stand in faith. 

We’ve all probably had well-meaning people say to us, “Just be joyful!”, like it’s an easy thing. As if the moment we decided to follow Jesus our lives would be cotton-candy happy forever, so we should just get with the program. But here’s the truth: Joy requires all-out war. Every day. For the rest of our lives. 

Here’s the good news: We aren’t fighting alone. God is with us, for us, and on our side. He is even more committed to our victory than we are. We’re told to put on the armor of God, and there is only one offensive weapon in it: “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). We guard our joy with truth. When the lies come, we have to slash them with what God says instead. 

Lie: You’re not doing enough. Truth: I only have to do what Jesus wants me to today, and he will enable me to do so (Philippians 4:13).

Lie: You’re letting people down. Truth: I’m not perfect, so sometimes I will let people down. What matters is being obedient to God (Galatians 1:10).

Lie: When are you going to get it together? Truth: I’m human, and as long as I’m on earth, I’ll still be in progress. But God is growing me each day (Philippians 1:6). 

We’re not weaklings. We’re warriors. So let’s stand firm. Raise the sword of truth. Never surrender our joy. It’s time to fight like women who belong to the God who can never be defeated—which means we can’t be either. 

God, we will live in the truth. We will guard our joy. We will listen to Your voice. You give us the strength to fight and to win. Amen.