At the end of this post I have a special announcement to make and a number of free resources to offer you. Permit me to explain why this is on my heart…

The battle is real and our Captain has given us weapons with which to fight. Scripture teaches that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:4). Spiritual weapons are few and all-sufficient. We have the truth of the Word of God (Eph. 6:17), the power of the Holy Spirit (Zech. 4:6), and the indwelling Christ (Rom. 8:37). Nothing can substitute for these weapons.

However, the believer is not only embroiled in a war, he is also engaged in a work! Like Nehemiah of old, we are building and battling at the same time. While we fight the devil and sin, we must also seek to build godly hearts and homes.

As surely as we need weapons, we need tools. They cannot substitute for the worker. They certainly cannot take the place of the power of the Holy Spirit. They are merely resources placed in our hands with which to do a more effective job.

• Tools are to be collected.

Through the years I have learned to collect all of the tools I can, to add them to my toolbox for future work. My desk is covered with them. My office full of them. Ideas. Books. Devotional resources.

There is no perfect resource but the Bible. Yet resources that are based on biblical truth or lead you to a greater study of the Word of God can be a wonderful tool to have on hand. Gather all you can.

• Tools are to be sharpened.

Grandpa had a shop and a barn full of tools. No one knew exactly how he had them organized, but he knew where every one was! And he kept them in good working order.

“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend” (Prov. 27:17). Allow others to sharpen you. Keep the ideas you gather. Put them where you can find them.

• Tools are to be used.

In our world it is easy to gather so many resources and do nothing with them. Plan to put in practice something that you receive. In the words of one of my favorite Bible teachers, Dr. Frank Sells, “Make that your own.”

Apply in some way what the Lord allows to come to you. Often I will glean just a seed thought from someone. You do not have to use everything! Take what you need and adapt it to your own life and ministry.

• Tools are to be shared.

When you have an effective tool you want others to benefit from it. Pass it along. Allow the Lord to use you to help someone else.

And this is what I want to do. Each month this year I plan to post some free, downloadable resource to our website, enjoyingthejourney.org. These will be simple tools that can be used to help you in a variety of ways.

The goal is to provide tools that will help to evangelize, encourage, and equip.

If you will subscribe to our blog we will notify you each month when the new resource is available for download. My prayer is that you will use them with great effectiveness, and that you will do what I am doing – pass them along to others.

The first tool will be available one week from today! I hope you will watch for it and plan to add it to your toolbox.

May God preserve you in this war and may He bless you in your work!