Endure Hardness

No one likes going through tough times and the disasters it can bring.

And then there are others who seem to have it all. I am not one of those people. I am almost at the point of my life where I can laugh at just about anything this world throws at me.

I said almost. I am not there yet. There is a few things that can get under my skin and enduring seems to be the furthest thing from my mind.

Somehow, I manage to pick up the pieces and keep keeping on. This is why I am so thankful for little devotional' s like the following.

Encouragement overload ahead! 

God Bless.

Endure Hardness

by Gloria Copeland

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” 2 Timothy 2:3 There are no “ifs” about it. Hard times are going to come in the life of every believer. There will be times when circumstances will seem dark, times when you face seemingly impossible obstacles, times when defeat seems inevitable. In 2 Timothy 2:3, the Apostle Paul didn’t tell Timothy, “If hard times come, endure them.” He simply said, “Endure hardness.” Some Christians become confused when those times come.

“What’s happening here?” they cry. “I thought Jesus redeemed me from the curse!” He did, but you can rest assured, Satan will challenge that redemption. He will try his best to steal it from you by pulling you off your walk of faith. Jesus warned us about that in the parable of the sower in Mark 4:14-17. He said, “Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts....” Satan will not sit idly by while you sail through life, effortlessly believing the Word of God. He’ll pressure you with hard times. He’ll attack you with sickness or lack, then he’ll lie to you and tell you that God doesn’t care. He’ll try to convince you that God is not going to answer your prayer this time. He’ll attempt to talk you into believing there’s no way out and that you will end up a miserable failure. When those hard times come, don’t cave in to pressure. Don’t give up. Stand on the Word and endure hardness like a good soldier until victory comes. Speak the Word “I endure hard times as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. I stand firm for God has given me the victory.” —2 Timothy 2:3

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