‘…A brother is born for adversity.’
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Nehemiah discovered that not everybody will be happy about your success.
‘Sanballat …sent to me, saying, “Come, let us meet together”…But they
thought to do me harm. So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing
a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease
while I leave it and go down to you”? But they sent me this message four
times, and I answered them in the same manner’ (Nehemiah 6:2-4 NKJV).
Note the words, ‘I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down.’
That could be classified as an Academy Award-winning response to attack!
Any time you stop the work God has given you to do and step down to the
level of your critics, you’ve sent the devil a signal that his strategy
is working. So you can expect more of the same. Think: if God can
deliver you in times of trouble, surely He can defend you in times of
misunderstanding! So get back up on the wall He has called you to build
and keep working. Don’t get distracted. There are three kinds of people
you will meet in life: 1) The critic. They’re the first to point an accusing finger and the last to extend a helping hand. 2) The cautious.
When you’re in trouble they’ll distance you lest they become tainted by
your perceived liabilities. These people are not bad, they’re just
self-serving. Don’t put your trust in them. 3) The committed.
‘A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’
Recognise such people and build your life around them because they are a
gift from God.
Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.
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