Week 3 Day 5
Friday – Brave when discouraged
READ: 2 Corinthians 4:8-9; Mark 10:27
SOAP: 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
There is something truly remarkable about a person whose faith is consistent. I have been in conversation with someone who is smiling and full of joy and shocked to find out mid-conversation the trials she’s had in her life lately. Her smile and joy aren’t for masking her discouragement, but evidence of the God who is bringing her through it. Her faith in God is consistent despite her discouragement. The Bible says there will be troubles, we will be perplexed, and even knocked down. But God is always with us, protecting us from being crushed, driven to despair, and destroyed. We can stay strong in the face of trials because of the promise that God will never abandon us. With God on our side, we can withstand and persevere in all circumstances, and we will grow in faith, trust, and endurance. We are called to be brave when we’re discouraged and display a consistent faith because our God is consistently faithful.
God thank You for promising to never abandon me. Thank You, Lord, for saving me from being crushed and destroyed. Lord, I want to be like Paul and Silas, praising You even in a prison cell. Father, You are faithful and when I am discouraged, I will be brave to have consistent faith in You. Amen.