Struck down, not destroyed

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” 2 Cor 4:8-9
In life hard times will come. Attacks will come. When we take a stand for Jesus it angers the devil. He will send fiery darts in our direction and try to bring us down. Persecution will come when we go against the norms of culture and cling to the Word of God. And it is in those times that we need to cling to the promise of God that He will never forsake us. Though the attacks may sting they will not destroy us. In Christ we have the ultimate victory. We will not be destroyed by persecution, but strengthened! Though we may get knocked down, through the power of the Holy Spirit we rise up again. The enemy can’t keep us down. He will not crush our hope or steal our joy when our hope is in God our Father. Circumstances may temporarily have us afflicted, but they are temporary. God promises we will not be crushed, we will not be driven to despair and we will not be destroyed. If you are going through hardships, unexpected difficulties or persecution at the moment because of your attempts to live for God take heart – the sufferings we face now are momentary, and the glory that is to come for us is eternal. God will bring us through the momentary affliction, and He will lift us up when the devil tries to knock us down.