Spiritual Weapons: Trusting God's Presence Through Trials

Devotional

Day 1: God is With You in Every Season

No matter what you face—betrayal, hardship, or uncertainty—God never abandons you. Even when you feel alone or misunderstood, His presence remains constant, guiding and sustaining you through every trial. Like Joseph, who endured the pit, false accusations, and imprisonment, you can trust that God is working behind the scenes for your good. When friends or family walk away, remember that God is the one who stays, and His faithfulness is not dependent on your circumstances or feelings. You may not always see or hear Him, but you can trust that He is with you, orchestrating your story for His glory and your growth. [04:17]

Acts 7:9-10 (ESV)
"And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household."

Reflection: When have you felt most alone or abandoned, and how might you look for signs of God’s presence with you in that very place today?

Day 2: Use Negativity as a Weapon for Growth

Sometimes, those who should support you—family, friends, or leaders—may doubt, criticize, or even reject you. Joseph’s own brothers sold him into slavery, yet he did not let their negativity define him or derail his God-given dreams. Instead, he pressed forward, using their rejection as fuel to keep pursuing what God had placed in his heart. When others fail to check on you or acknowledge your struggles, you are still called to encourage yourself and keep moving forward. Their lack of support does not determine your destiny; only God does. Use the negativity you encounter as a weapon to propel you toward your purpose, not as a reason to give up. [19:41]

Genesis 50:20 (ESV)
"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today."

Reflection: Who in your life has doubted or discouraged you, and how can you turn their negativity into motivation to pursue what God has called you to do?

Day 3: Learn from Difficult Places and People

Joseph found himself in Pharaoh’s territory—enemy ground, a place he never wanted to be. Yet, instead of simply complaining, he learned from his environment and used every opportunity to grow in wisdom, leadership, and skill. Sometimes God places you in uncomfortable jobs, relationships, or seasons not just for survival, but for preparation. The very things you dislike about your current situation may be the tools God is using to equip you for your future calling. Don’t just endure these seasons—take notes, learn, and let God use even “Pharaoh” as a weapon for your development. [24:18]

Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

Reflection: What is one lesson or skill you can intentionally learn from your current “Pharaoh” situation, and how will you put it into practice this week?

Day 4: Bless Those Who Have Hurt You

Joseph’s story comes full circle when he is able to bless the very family members who betrayed him. Instead of holding onto bitterness or seeking revenge, he chooses forgiveness and generosity, providing for those who once rejected him. This is a powerful picture of Christ, who blesses us even when we have failed Him. Your response to those who have hurt you can be a weapon for healing and restoration—not just for them, but for you as well. When you choose to bless instead of curse, you reflect the heart of Jesus and open the door for God’s greater purposes to unfold. [34:05]

Matthew 5:44 (ESV)
"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

Reflection: Who is someone that has hurt or rejected you, and what is one practical way you can bless them or pray for them this week?

Day 5: Your Life Paints a Picture of Jesus

How you handle rejection, hardship, and blessing paints a picture of Jesus to the world around you. Joseph’s life foreshadowed Christ—the one rejected by many, yet who became the cornerstone of our faith. When you respond to mistreatment with grace, forgiveness, and love, you show others the true character of God. Your life becomes a living testimony, inviting others to see Jesus through your actions. Remember, the way you treat those who don’t treat you well may be the clearest gospel some people ever see. [37:38]

Matthew 21:42 (ESV)
"Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes"?'"

Reflection: In what ways does your response to rejection or mistreatment reflect the heart of Jesus, and how can you be more intentional about showing His love to others who may not treat you well?

Sermon Summary

Today’s focus is on the truth that God has given each of us spiritual weapons, and the greatest assurance we have is that God is with us in every season. Looking at the story of Joseph in Acts 7, we see that even when Joseph was betrayed by his own family, falsely accused, and placed in difficult circumstances, God never left him. Joseph’s journey reminds us that God is not an absentee Father—He walks with us through every trial, even when we can’t see or feel Him. Sometimes, God’s last word to us is still the word we need to obey, even if it was spoken years ago. Our faith is built not on constant new revelations, but on trusting that God is present and faithful, even in silence.

We’ve explored the many “weapons” God gives us: perspective, potential, position, pounding, priesthood, praise, pressure, protector, and peace. Today, we add three more: patriarch, Pharaoh, and picture. “Patriarch” reminds us that even when those in authority or family don’t support us, their negativity can become fuel for our purpose. Joseph’s brothers turned on him, but he didn’t turn on himself—he kept pursuing God’s call. “Pharaoh” represents the difficult environments or people we find ourselves under. Even in enemy territory, Joseph learned and grew, using every opportunity to prepare for what God had for him. Sometimes, the job or situation you dislike is the very place God is equipping you for your future.

Finally, “picture” is our weapon. Joseph, who was rejected, became the very one who blessed those who hurt him. This is a picture of Christ, the cornerstone rejected by many, yet the foundation of our faith. How we handle rejection and adversity paints a picture of Jesus to the world. If we respond with grace and blessing, we reflect the heart of Christ. Even when others don’t recognize or support us, God’s favor and purpose remain. Our calling is to use every season, every challenge, and every relationship as a weapon for God’s glory, trusting that He is with us and working all things for our good.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s Presence Is Constant, Not Conditional No matter what season you’re in—whether you feel abandoned, misunderstood, or alone—God is with you. He doesn’t save you and then leave you to figure things out on your own. Even in silence, God’s presence is real, and sometimes the last word He spoke is still the word you need to walk in today. Trust that He is walking with you, even when you can’t see the way forward. [04:17]
2. Negativity from Others Can Be a Weapon for Your Growth When those closest to you—family, friends, or leaders—don’t support your dreams or even turn against you, it doesn’t mean you should give up. Joseph’s story shows that rejection and negativity can become fuel for perseverance. Use the lack of support as motivation to keep pursuing what God has placed in your heart, knowing that your calling doesn’t depend on their approval. [15:16]
3. Difficult Environments Are Training Grounds, Not Just Trials Being in a place you don’t want to be, under authority you don’t like, or in a job that feels beneath you can actually be God’s way of preparing you for your destiny. Joseph learned skills in Pharaoh’s house that equipped him for leadership. Instead of just complaining, take notes—God is using your current situation to train you for what’s next. [24:18]
4. How You Handle Rejection Paints a Picture of Christ Joseph blessed the very people who betrayed him, just as Jesus blesses those who reject Him. The way you respond to those who mistreat or misunderstand you is a testimony to the world about who Jesus is. If you respond with grace, forgiveness, and generosity, you reflect the heart of Christ and become a living picture of the gospel. [35:11]
5. Your Blessing Is Not Dependent on Others’ Recognition Joseph’s family didn’t recognize his value until they needed him, but that didn’t stop God from elevating him. Your worth and your future are not determined by who supports or acknowledges you. Stay faithful, keep serving, and trust that God will use you to bless even those who once rejected you, just as He did with Joseph.

** [34:05]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:38] - Introduction: God Has Given You Weapons
[04:17] - God Is Not an Absentee Father
[08:51] - The Word of God Has Ammunition
[10:50] - Stephen’s Trial and the Power of Memory
[11:36] - Law vs. Faith: A New Mindset
[13:14] - Joseph’s Story: Rejection by Leadership
[15:16] - Using Negativity as a Weapon
[19:41] - Encouraging Yourself When Others Don’t
[21:41] - Pharaoh as Your Weapon
[24:18] - Learning in Difficult Environments
[28:59] - Adjusting Your Attitude Toward Pharaoh
[32:05] - Picture as Your Weapon
[33:02] - Blessing Those Who Hurt You
[35:11] - Joseph as a Picture of Jesus
[38:24] - The Rejected Stone Becomes the Cornerstone
[39:30] - Prayer and Call to Salvation
[40:23] - Closing and Dismissal

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Acts 7:9-16 (ESV) — 9 “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him 10 and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 11 Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. 13 And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. 14 And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. 15 And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, 16 and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.”

Observation Questions

According to Acts 7:9-10, what happened to Joseph, and how did God respond to his situation?
In the sermon, what are some of the “weapons” God gives us, and which three new ones were added this week? [08:51]
How did Joseph’s relationship with his family and with Pharaoh change over time, according to the passage and the sermon? [15:16]
What does the sermon say about how Joseph treated the very people who betrayed him? [33:02]

Interpretation Questions

The sermon says, “God is not an absentee father.” What does it mean for God to be present with us even when we feel alone or can’t hear Him? [04:17]
How can negativity or lack of support from family, friends, or leaders actually become a “weapon” for our growth, as seen in Joseph’s story? [15:16]
The pastor described Pharaoh (difficult environments or people) as a “weapon.” In what ways can being in a hard place or under tough authority prepare us for what God has next? [24:18]
Joseph’s response to his brothers is described as a “picture” of Christ. What does this teach us about how we should handle rejection or mistreatment? [35:11]

Application Questions

The sermon says sometimes God’s last word to us is still the word we need to obey, even if it was spoken years ago. Is there something God told you in the past that you haven’t acted on yet? What’s holding you back from obeying it now? [04:17]
Think about a time when someone close to you didn’t support your dream or even turned against you. How did you respond? How could you use that negativity as motivation to keep pursuing what God has put in your heart? [15:16]
Are you currently in a job, relationship, or situation that feels like “enemy territory” or just plain hard? What practical skills or lessons might God be teaching you right now for your future? [24:18]
The sermon challenges us to “take notes” instead of just complaining about our situation. What is one thing you can start learning or doing differently in your current season? [28:59]
Joseph blessed the very people who hurt him. Is there someone in your life who has mistreated or misunderstood you? What would it look like to respond to them with grace and generosity this week? [33:02]
The pastor said, “Your blessing is not dependent on others’ recognition.” Are you waiting for someone’s approval before you step into what God has called you to do? How can you move forward in faith, even if you feel unseen? [34:05]
How does your response to rejection or adversity “paint a picture” of Jesus to those around you? Is there a specific relationship or situation where you want to reflect Christ more clearly? [35:11]

Sermon Clips

We talked about all these weapons that you have at your disposal, if you're willing to pick them up and take them from God. Come on. Come on. I know a lot of y 'all carry. But even when you carry your gun, there are bullets on the inside of that. Come on. You don't carry an empty gun. You carry a gun. So, watch this and place bullets on the inside of it just in case you need to use it. Why is that important? Many of us are walking around as if the Word of God has no ammunition. Dear brothers and sisters, you just got the safety on. You got to take the safety off and utilize it and quit, uh -oh, and not allow the world to make you think that you are a vulnerable weakling. You got weapons. But it's up to you to use them. [00:09:14] (54 seconds) #ArmYourFaithWithAction

He is standing trial, dear brothers and sisters, because he was accused of speaking blasphemy or blasphemous words against Moses and God. Because watch this, and against the Holy Spirit. Additionally, they accused him of saying that Jesus would destroy both the temple and the customs delivered by Moses. The problem that they had was that they weren't understanding what it is that Stephen was trying to say. So they accused him of saying stuff because they weren't able to interpret what he was saying. Come on. They were still under the old mindset. Come on. While he has transitioned into a new mindset. Come on. Meaning he has moved, watch this, from cassette, come on, to DVDs. They still on eight tracks, but now he's on downloadable music. So they're sitting there saying, hey, what you utilizing, we don't understand. And he is sitting there saying, I have moved on. I just need you to catch up. [00:11:13] (75 seconds) #EmbraceTheNewCovenant

And for some of us, dear brothers and sisters, we have treated God, come on, as he's still over here when he's sitting there saying, baby, I done moved on five years from now. Come on. And so he was sitting there saying, they put him in defense because they were sitting there saying, hey, what you teaching, we don't understand. Come on. That's why I said it's halfway geeky, but stay with me. But he was trying to help them understand what I am treating, teaching you is something that you need to comprehend because now I am moving from law to faith. Come on. So they were still under the law covenant, okay, and he has moved on to the faith covenant. Meaning there are a lot of churches that still teach law more than they teach faith. Come on. Law, it says, you got to do this in order for God to bless you. Faith sits there and says, even if I do that, I still believe God going to bless me anyway. Come on. Coming to church does not add bonuses to your life in the eyes of God. Oh, yeah. Coming to church allows us to encourage each other during this Christian walk. Whoo! Come on. [00:12:28] (85 seconds) #UnshakenByBetrayal

So, what you have to understand is when we come to church or whatnot, we are bridging and merging our faith and while also understanding the law. Okay? Stay with me. I'm going somewhere. I told y 'all it's halfway geeky. So, now, while he is standing trial and while they are accusing him of something, he has a memory of scripture. While he is standing there, he says, hey, don't y 'all remember the story of Joseph? The story of Joseph took place in the book of Genesis. Stay with me. And he says, the way you all are treating me is the same way the forefathers treated Joseph. Whoo! Come on. I'm trying to teach and preach. And he sat there and said, listen, you got to understand that the patriarch leadership treated, mistreated, I'm sorry, one of their own. [00:13:53] (62 seconds) #TurnNegativityIntoStrength

One of the things that I do appreciate is that my family supports me in this ministry. But at the same time, even if they don't, I'm still going to preach. Come on. Because I was preaching before they joined this ministry and help us out. And guess what? God willing, they keep staying here. But if they don't, I'm still going to do what it is that God has called me to do. And you got to have that same attitude. Hey, they don't support you? All right, cool. Come on. It's all right. Everything's going to be all right. [00:21:15] (34 seconds) #LearnFromEverySeason

And they're brothers and sisters, the picture is a weapon because how we handle rejection shows a picture of how Jesus handles rejection, you're painting the picture in somebody's face of how you handle rejection, of how they think how God is. Come on. If you're always fussing and cussing and not blessing people that don't bless you, that's how the world sees Jesus and God sometimes. But if you handle rejection the right way, it paints the picture of this who my God is. That's how Christianity blew up so fast. It blew up not because they treated people that treated them well, but they treated people well that didn't treat them. And if we want the church and Christianity to blow up like it used to, we got to treat people that don't treat us well, we got to treat them right occasionally. [00:37:01] (74 seconds)

The stone that was rejected is the chief cornerstone. We lay our foundation of who we are based off of the person that everybody rejected during the New Testament called Jesus. People keep saying, oh, I can't wait till Jesus come back. But see, when Jesus comes back, some of us ain't going to recognize him. Because he's going to come in a way that we didn't see. John the Baptist, one of the closest, even questioned Jesus. His own cousin sat there and said, oh, are you the one? Come on. Some of the disciples walked away because they couldn't understand what he was doing. And we keep saying, oh, we're looking forward to when Jesus is returning. But are you going to recognize him when he comes? [00:39:03] (46 seconds)

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