Daily Devotional
Victory, Not the Absence of Difficulty
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
August 18, 2026
Ponder This
God has not promised we will not know difficulty, but He has promised we will know ultimate victory. That’s the reason one of my favorite books in the Bible, if not my favorite, is Romans, and one of my favorite chapters in Romans is chapter 8. Romans 8:35-37 asks a question: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Paul didn’t say you’re not going to experience these things. Don’t get the idea that somehow these things only happen to those who don’t love the Lord. No, these are things that happen to the victorious. You see, God has promised never to leave us and never to forsake us, but He has not promised that we will never have difficulty.
- How have you experienced the reality that following Jesus does bring difficulty in this life?
- How does the promise of God’s presence help you to persevere in difficulty?
Practice This
Journal about the difficulties you are currently facing, and the ways God is bringing comfort with His presence.
For Your Gift to the Ministry
Tapestry: Promises & Prophecy Journal
What if the last days weren't something to fear, but a promise to hold onto? Tapestry: Promises & Prophecy, a devotional journal from the teaching of Adrian Rogers, guides you day by day through Bible prophecy -- so you can trade confusion and uncertainty for the settled hope that God is moving history exactly where He said He would.
