Here in Paul's Letter to the Philippians the Apostle Paul thanks the Philippians for the willingness of their hearts as they reach out to him while he is in a Roman prison after what scholars believe to be 2 years of no contact. Even in Paul's time of apparent suffering, he rejoices at the Philippians care of him, and assures them that God has provided everything he needs, and God will do the same for them by and through Christ Jesus. We struggle with placing our own fleshly wants above the needs of others, but God has provided a way for us to make a difference in the world around us, as long as we don't allow Satan and the desires of the flesh to lead us astray. When we put Christ first and foremost in our life we will be provided opportunity after opportunity to lift one another up and rejoice him. If we solely pursue our superficial happiness we will bring suffering to ourselves and our neighbors. When The Lord blesses us, let us be willing to be used by God to bless our neighbors.

When we see our lives as being filled with uncertainty, we can be assured that The Lord God has provided us the way to have peace and joy in our lives. A relationship with God will give us all the direction we need, and He alone is the one and only true way. Our modern technological day gives the false sense that everything we need to know is at our fingertips, yet many today are spiritually lost and unaware of the dreadful destinations they are headed.

James, the half-brother of Christ, is addressing those persecuted Christians who are going through trials and tribulations in their lives. His message to those stuck in hardship, troubles, and pain is when the test of life comes our way, we should count it in joy. The Lord God loves us and His passions fail not. He will help us endure through our strife and troubles if we trust in Him, and will bless us with the patience and endurance we need to get through our hardship and into victory. None of us like trouble and worry, but when we are at our lowest God is at his nearest, and he will never leave nor forsake you.

Our witness and testimony are precious to us and therefore should be protected. Satan has a desire to subvert and destroy, but God has a desire to safeguard our faith for his glory. A firewall can do a great deal in protecting a computer from hackers, but pales in comparison to what God can do to protect us from the ways in which the devil wishes to distract and cause harm.