Are you going through a tough time in your life right now? Here’s what you need to remember–if God brings you to it He will bring you through it! He who never lies has spoken, and He never fails. Listen to these words of wisdom from the pen of pastor Jack Graham:

It’s been well said that God had only one Son without sin, but he had no sons without suffering. And I would be less than faithful to the Word of God and the testimony of Christ if I somehow told, or even suggested, that you could experience life without suffering or sorrow. The Scripture promises you and me that affliction is part of living the Christian life.

In your journey on this earth, there are going to be times when you feel that you are all alone. But as a believer in Christ, you need to immediately identify those feelings as lies from the enemy.

Now if God’s character and nature were to leave you alone in your trials and allow you to walk through these valleys by yourself, then I would understand being hopeless in the midst of suffering. But the God you and I serve has promised time and time again to never leave us alone in tough times!

Yes, bad things happen to good people. But God has promised that he will deliver you from every affliction. So when the inevitable hard times of life hit, trust completely that the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will resurrect you and bring you through any suffering!

Perhaps you’ve heard someone say,”Tough times never last, but tough people do”. Nonsense! Getting through your trials isn’t about being “tough”–no one is tough enough to get through anything. I don’t care how strong you are there is something that is more than you alone can bear. It’s not about being “tough”, it’s about being “righteous”. Only the righteous person can truly say,”I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”(Phil. 4:13). Only the righteous person can claim the promise that “the LORD delivereth him out of them all”. Only the righteous can expect relief! –HDS

WHEN THE HARD TIMES OF LIFE HIT, TRUST IN GOD’S PROMISES TO BRING YOU OUT OF THEM!

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with
her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening
white pearls in a pink foil box. “Oh please, Mommy, can I have them?
Please, Mommy, please?”

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked
back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl’s upturned face. “A
dollar ninety-five. That’s almost $2.00. If you really want them, I’ll
think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money
to buy them for yourself. Your birthday’s only a week away and you might
get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma.”

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17
pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went
to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten
cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at
last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She
wore them everywhere-Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time
she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother
said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he
would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story.

One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, “Do you love me?”

“Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you.”

“Then give me your pearls.”

“Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess – the white horse from
my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you
gave me. She’s my favorite.”

“That’s okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night.” And he brushed her
cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny’s Daddy asked again, “Do you
love me?”

“Daddy, you know I love you.”

“Then give me your pearls.”

“Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new
one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow
blanket that matches her sleeper.”

“That’s okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you.” And
as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with
her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was
trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

“What is it, Jenny? What’s the matter?”

Jenny didn’t say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And
when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little
quiver, she finally said, “Here, Daddy. It’s for you.”

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny’s kind daddy reached out with
one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached
into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine
pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just
waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine
treasure. –Author Unknown

Dear friend we never out give God! We never lose when we give Him what He demands. Don’t hold out on God and don’t resent what He requires. His commands are issued out of the depths of His infinite wisdom and everlasting love. The demands of discipleship might seem extreme and unreasonable to our way of thinking, but we don’t always know what is best for us. Remember–God always gives the best to those who leave the choice up to Him. –HDS