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"Tough times do not last forever, tough people do".

A quote our leader @sirknight used when he was addressing the parishioners of Venezuela some time ago. A quote that caught my attention. A quote that has changed how I see the struggles of life. A quote that I intend passing to my kids just the way the Knights father passed it to him.

Life sometimes has a way of twisting dreams and making reality uncomfortable. Look at Bro. Job in the Bible, a faithful servant of God, diligent, dedicated and trusted by God himself, had all that's required to make life enjoyable. He was faithful to the point that God had to brag with him, "... Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil." (Job 1:8).

Wow! What a profile Job had in the sight of God. But then the devil envied his faithfulness. Satan tried everything he could to make Job deny God but he did not succeed. He took away his possessions and made him sick. Yet Job didn't speak ill of God. This is because Job's heart was not on his wealth, but on God. Many of us today would quickly go astray if our possessions are taken away from us. But Job was tough enough to keep going.

No wonder the Bible said in Matthew 6:21 that where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.

Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

What of Abraham, a faithful servant of God. A true believer and a righteous man. Abraham walked with God till he was tagged as God's friend, he was so close to God that even when God wanted to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, He said, I can't hide this from my friend Abraham. He even had a negotiation with God, begging Him to spare Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 18:17-23

Genesis 18:17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18:18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

18:20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 18:21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 18:22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD. Genesis 18:23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

You'll comfortably say that a man with such nice profile in the sight of God would have zero problem. But guess what, Abraham didn't have a child. Tough stuff! A friend of God with a stigma of barenness, that must be tough. But Abraham was tough enough to keep going. You'd probably conclude that having no child would be the toughest situation he would ever pass through. A child finally came and boom, God instructed him to sacrifice the child to Him!

At this point, I wondered what was running through Abraham's mind. Mind you, he was fully human and had emotions too. He must have felt depressed, discouraged and wished he was the one God wanted as a sacrifice. But then again he was tough enough to keep going, he made the huge sacrifice of attempting to sacrifice his only child. This showed that he could give God anything. I'm sure by now you must have discovered the similarity he had with Job. Both of them had their heart in eternity and not in any earthly possession.

Abraham was tough enough to keep going and it was accounted unto him as righteousness, which is why we can boldly say today that "Abraham's blessings are ours."

Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

What of Paul who went from prison to prison just because of the word of God he shared, he never stopped his evangelism, he never considered his effort fruitless, it was tough but he kept moving, even till the end. Before his departure on earth, he made a very heroic statement.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Should I mention Shedrach, Meshach and Abednigo who faced death, a horrible death by fire, yet they never renounced their faith? What of Joseph, who was faced with having an option of a relationship with his boss' wife and prison, he never defiled himself? Need I remind us of Daniel who was commanded not to pray? He never considered the consequences, he went ahead and prayed. It was tough, considering his position, he was ready to let everything go.

All these men passed through tough times, yet they kept moving. How about you, what are you passing through? Is it really worth worrying? Get up, freshen up and put it behind because you serve a God that has never abandoned His own. Be tough enough to get going!

Thank you for reading

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@prinxeton