What do you do when the enemy is closer than you think?

In this message from 1 Peter 5:5–11, Peter writes to believers facing suffering, fear, and anxiety. As he closes his letter, he calls them to stand firm in faith. They face a struggle within as discouragement takes hold, and an enemy without who seeks to destroy.

Suffering can make us irritable, defensive, and quick to pull away from others. Peter urges believers to clothe themselves with humility instead of allowing difficult circumstances to create division. He also tells them to cast their cares on God, because He cares for them. The same mighty hand that can carry us through suffering is a merciful hand: God gave His own Son for us.

Peter then gives a warning: “Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.” The enemy’s influence is not always obvious. It can appear in the thoughts we dwell on, the temptations we excuse, and the lies that leave us feeling defeated or alone. Peter’s instruction is clear: be alert and resist him, firm in the faith.

We can resist because Jesus has risen. God gives His people the strength to turn from temptation, remove the enemy’s footholds, and stand together through suffering. And Peter leaves us with a promise: the God of all grace will restore, establish, strengthen, and support His people.

In this message, you’ll discover:

• Why suffering can expose pride and create division
• What it means to humble yourself under God’s mighty hand
• How to cast your fears, worries, and anxieties on a Father who cares for you
• Why Peter tells believers to stay alert to the devil’s schemes
• How the enemy uses deception, accusation, and division
• What it looks like to resist temptation and remove footholds
• Why we can stand firm together, even in suffering
• How the resurrection makes resistance possible

The enemy wants you to live in fear and defeat. Peter calls you to stand firm in faith, trusting the God of all grace to see you through.

📖 1 Peter 5:5–11

Make the most of your life and every opportunity you’ve been given to GLORIFY GOD.

Get Involved: We want you to know God, find community, and make a difference. Learn more at: https://bellshoals.com/guide/

What if the obstacle you’re facing is an opportunity for God to work?

In this message from Acts 8:1–8, a wave of persecution sweeps through the church in Jerusalem after Stephen’s death. Saul goes from house to house, dragging believers into prison, while others are scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. What looks like a devastating setback becomes an opportunity for the gospel to reach new places: “The believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.”

Life doesn’t always go according to our plan, but it always goes according to God’s plan. Unexpected circumstances can leave us feeling discouraged, confused, or unsure of what comes next. Yet God’s providence reminds us that even opposition and suffering cannot stop His purposes. At times, what we see as obstacles, God is using as opportunities.

As the believers scatter, the apostles remain in Jerusalem. The message of Jesus spreads through ordinary people who carry their faith wherever they go. Philip travels to Samaria, proclaims the Messiah, and sees lives transformed through the power of God. The result? “There was great joy in that city.”

God works through ordinary people to bring joy to all places. You don’t have to be a pastor or a ministry specialist to make a difference. Wherever God has placed you, you have opportunities to share the good news of Jesus and help others experience the joy found in Him.

This same movement continues in Acts 11, where scattered believers bring the gospel to Antioch. We aren’t even told the names of the people who started this influential church, but we see what happened through their faithfulness: “The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.” Their story reminds us that the impact of our lives depends on God’s power, even when our names go unrecognized.

From the early church to our medical missions team serving in North Africa, God continues to work through people willing to trust Him and go where He leads. His plans may unfold differently than we expected, but His providence and power will prevail.

In this message, you’ll discover:

• How God used persecution to spread the gospel
• Why unexpected setbacks cannot stop God’s purposes
• How God works through ordinary people to make a difference
• What Philip’s ministry in Samaria teaches us about bringing joy to others
• How unnamed believers helped establish the church in Antioch
• Why obstacles can become opportunities for the gospel
• What it means to trust God’s providence through hardship
• How your life can bring the hope of Jesus to your city and the world

You may not have chosen the circumstances you’re facing, but you can trust God to work through them. What feels like a setback may become an opportunity to grow your faith, share your story, and help others discover the joy found in Jesus.

📖 Acts 8:1–8; Acts 11:19–26

Make the most of your life and every opportunity you’ve been given to GLORIFY GOD.

Get Involved: We want you to know God, find community, and make a difference. Learn more at: https://bellshoals.com/guide/

What if what you’re going through is something God will use to make a difference?

In this message from John 9:1–5 and 24–33, Jesus encounters a man who has been blind from birth. His disciples immediately ask whose sin caused his blindness—his own or his parents’. But Jesus redirects their attention from assigning blame to seeing what God will do: “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him.”

Life rarely takes us in a straight line from where we are to where we want to be. We face obstacles, painful circumstances, and questions we can’t answer. While suffering exists because we live in a world broken by sin, every hardship is not a punishment for something we personally did. Jesus reminds us that our suffering is subject to God’s sovereignty. Even when we don’t understand our circumstances, God can work through them for His glory.

Sometimes God heals. Other times, He sustains us through what we wish He would remove. Either way, He can display His goodness, power, and faithfulness in our lives. You’re going through something, but God is getting you to something.

When Jesus opens the man’s eyes, the religious leaders question him and challenge his story. He doesn’t have an answer to every theological question, but he knows what Jesus has done: “One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!” His testimony reminds us that we don’t have to be scholars to be effective witnesses for Jesus. When God changes your life, you have a story worth sharing.

This miracle also points to our deepest need. Jesus is the Light of the World, and all of us need Him to open our spiritually blind eyes. Through this man’s testimony—and Eva’s story from our own Bell Shoals family—we see how God can use what we’ve been through to help others see who He is.

In this message, you’ll discover:

• Why suffering is not always the result of personal sin
• How God can display His works through difficult circumstances
• What it means that Jesus is the Light of the World
• How God works through both healing and sustaining us
• Why this miracle points to our need for salvation
• How a simple testimony can become a powerful witness
• Why your story of life change is worth sharing
• How God can use what you’ve been through to make a difference

You may not understand everything you’re going through, but you can trust the One who sees you. God can use your circumstances and your story to draw others to Himself.

📖 John 9:1–5, 24–33

Make the most of your life and every opportunity you’ve been given to GLORIFY GOD.

Get Involved: We want you to know God, find community, and make a difference. Learn more at: https://bellshoals.com/guide/

What does biblical submission actually mean—and what does it look like when following Jesus gets difficult?

In 1 Peter 3:1–7, Peter continues his instructions to Christians living in a culture that often misunderstood and opposed their faith. His challenge is clear: Don’t allow bad circumstances to justify bad behavior. Instead, followers of Jesus are called to live in a way that reflects Christ—even in the most difficult relationships.

In this message, we unpack one of the most misunderstood passages in 1 Peter and discover what biblical submission is—and what it isn’t. Submission does not mean tolerating abuse, compromising obedience to God, or believing one person is more valuable than another. Rather, biblical submission is rooted in confidence in God and a desire for our lives to point others toward the gospel.

Peter specifically addresses husbands and wives, reminding believers that Christlike character can have a powerful influence inside the home. For wives, Peter points to the strength of a life marked by godly character, respect, and hope in God. For husbands, he gives an equally serious command: know your wife, honor her, and treat her with the dignity she deserves as a coheir of the grace of life.

In this message, we’ll discover:

• What biblical submission really means

• Why the context of 1 Peter 3 matters

• What submission does—and does not—require

• Why internal character matters more than external appearance

• How a believing spouse can influence an unbelieving spouse

• What God expects from husbands as spiritual leaders

• Why strong marriages begin with each spouse pursuing holiness

Ultimately, Scripture’s focus isn’t simply on how to have a happy marriage, but on how to become a holy person. When husbands and wives individually pursue Christ, their relationship with one another begins to reflect Him more clearly.

Put your hope in God. Your circumstances may be difficult, but they never have to determine your character.

Get Involved: We want you to know God, find community, and make a difference. Learn more at: https://bellshoals.com/guide/

What does it look like to live faithfully when you know Jesus is coming again?

In this message from 1 Peter 4:1–11, Peter reminds believers that “the end of all things is near.” We may not know when Jesus will return, but we know that He will. What we believe about the FUTURE should inform how we live in the PRESENT.

Peter was writing to Christians who were experiencing suffering, opposition, and even slander because of their faith. Following Jesus didn't remove the struggle—it changed how they responded to it. Instead of living for human desires or returning to their old way of life, Peter challenged them to spend the time they had left pursuing the will of God.

So how should we live while we wait for Jesus to return? Peter gives us a practical picture: pray regularly, love constantly, live hospitably, serve faithfully, and speak wisely. In a world filled with chaos, prayer keeps our hearts focused on God. Don't let the chaos AROUND you create chaos WITHIN you.

Peter also reminds us to “maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.” Not every offense needs to become a conflict. There are times when sin must be confronted with grace, but there are also moments when love means forgiving, overlooking an offense, and moving forward. You can't have deep relationships without deep forgiveness.

Living in the last days also means recognizing that Christianity isn't a spectator sport. God has saved and gifted every believer to serve others. Whether your gift is teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, serving, or showing kindness, God has given you opportunities to use what He's entrusted to you for the good of others and for His glory.

In this message, you'll discover:

• How the return of Jesus should change the way we live today
• Why struggle can be part of faithfully following Christ
• How prayer brings peace in the middle of a chaotic world
• What it means for love to “cover a multitude of sins”
• When an offense should be confronted and when it should be overlooked
• Why Christians need community and shouldn't live as “lone rangers”
• How God has gifted every believer to serve others
• Why our words matter and how to use them wisely

We are living in the “45-second window” between Jesus' ascension and His return. We know He's coming—the question is how we will use the time we've been given.

📖 1 Peter 4:1–11

Make the most of your life and every opportunity you've been given to GLORIFY GOD.

Get Involved: We want you to know God, find community, and make a difference. Learn more at: https://bellshoals.com/guide/

What if spiritual growth isn’t measured by how long you’ve been a Christian, but by how much you’re becoming like Christ?

In this message from 1 Peter 2:1–10, we discover that new birth in Christ is meant to lead to new growth. Just as children need the right nourishment to grow physically, followers of Jesus need the truth of God’s Word to mature spiritually.

Peter challenges believers to put away the attitudes and behaviors that stunt spiritual growth—malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander—and instead develop a hunger for God’s Word. Because what you feed, grows.

But spiritual maturity isn’t something we pursue alone. Peter describes followers of Jesus as “living stones” being built together into a spiritual house. The church isn’t simply a building we attend or an event we watch—it’s a people who are growing up, growing together, and proclaiming the goodness of the One who called them out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

In this message, you’ll discover:

• Why new birth should produce new growth
• The attitudes and behaviors that can stunt your spiritual maturity
• How to develop a greater desire for God’s Word
• Why spiritual growth requires intentional discipline
• What it means to be a “living stone” in God’s church
• Why church is a people, not a place
• How we can grow up and grow together as followers of Jesus

📖 Key Scriptures:

1 Peter 2:1–10 • 1 Peter 1:23 • Ephesians 4:14 • Matthew 5:6 • 1 Timothy 4:7–8

New birth brings new growth. God hasn’t called us to remain spiritual infants or spectators. He has called us to mature in our faith, grow alongside His people, and proclaim His goodness to the world.

Get Involved: We want you to know God, find community, and make a difference. Learn more at: https://bellshoals.com/guide/

What does it look like to follow Jesus when doing the right thing still leads to suffering?

In this message from 1 Peter 3:13–22, we discover that following Jesus isn't a spectator sport. Peter was writing to Christians facing opposition because of their faith, yet instead of telling them to stay quiet or blend in, he challenged them to live boldly as witnesses for Christ. We aren't called to simply watch from the sidelines—we're called to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is within us.

As followers of Jesus, suffering will sometimes come because we're doing what is right. Other times, we suffer because we live in a broken world or because of our own choices. Scripture reminds us that there is a difference. It's better to suffer for doing good than to suffer because of our own bad decisions.

Ultimately, Jesus is our example. Christ suffered even though He was completely righteous, but His suffering wasn't meaningless. Through the cross, what looked like defeat became victory. Jesus died for the unrighteous to bring us to God, rose from the grave, and now reigns victoriously over every power and authority.

Peter even points us back to Noah and the flood to show us an important truth: the same waters that brought judgment to the world also carried Noah and his family to safety. In the same way, the cross that took Jesus' life is the cross through which we receive life. What looked like destruction became the means of deliverance.

In this message, you'll discover:

• Why God saved you to be a witness, not a wallflower
• How to stand for your faith with gentleness and respect
• The difference between suffering for doing right and suffering because of our own choices
• What Peter means by the mysterious "spirits in prison"
• How Noah, the flood, and baptism point us toward the gospel
• Why Jesus' suffering accomplished God's plan rather than preventing it
• How God can use what you're going through to get you where He wants you to be

You may be going THROUGH something right now, but God may be using it to get you TO something. Throughout Scripture, God used seasons of suffering in the lives of Joseph, Job, Moses, Naomi, David, and countless others to accomplish purposes they couldn't yet see.

📖 1 Peter 3:13–22

Suffering is never for nothing. We suffer patiently because Christ reigns victoriously.

Get Involved: We want you to know God, find community, and make a difference. Learn more at: https://bellshoals.com/guide/