Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. — Psalm 119:105 NLT

I am a tool man through and through. If something around the house is broken and needs repairing, I feel giddy, rather than inconvenienced. I like bolting to my man cave, and dig through my arsenal of contraptions, gadgets, and thingamajigs in search of just the right tool for the job.

I enjoy the process of restoration, making whatever has been damaged whole again. However, there are moments when I will emerge from the mancave feeling frustrated and incompetent because I can’t find what is needed to finish the work. Progress is halted until the proper tool is located.

How do you respond when something in your life breaks and needs to be repaired? Do problems prompt anger, or are you able to receive them with a sense of anticipation? James 1:2 – 4 shows us how trials can benefit us: “When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (NLT). When struggles come our way, we don’t ever lack the right tool for the job. We have one multipurpose tool—the Word of God—which is capable of guiding us through every repair job we encounter. The Bible is both a lamp and a light, which means that it shines brightly into our circumstances as well as illuminates the steps we should take. If we embrace this powerful tool God has given us, we will experience peace and hope, even during the most difficult challenges of life. Because, in the words of my handyman husband, “Having the right tool makes all the difference.”

Testimony about the Daniel Fast–When I heard about the idea of a Daniel Fast, I wondered how it could benefit us as a church and as individuals. Well, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. After going through our first fast of twenty-one days in January, my wife and I can say that it was a great blessing in our lives personally, and I believe we will be seeing the long-term results at our church. It’s amazing how focused you can become during a fast. I believe this could become a unifying experience for our entire church family, so we plan to call a Daniel Fast at the beginning of next year. — PASTOR D. MERCALDO

Verses for additional study:

Psalm 19:8

Psalm 119:11, 33 – 35

Proverbs 6:23