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[Ranb2khz]

The University of Adversity

"We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed." ~ 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

It’s hard to find anyone in Christian history who became a great leader without earning an advanced degree at the "University of Adversity". John Bunyan (1628-1688), the author of "The Pilgrim’s Progress", grew up in poverty and taught himself to read. As a young man, he struggled with feelings of not being forgiven by God and was tortured by visions of eternal punishment. His devout wife helped him to overcome his fear, but then, while she was still in her twenties, she died of a sudden illness. In his grief, Bunyan devoted himself to preaching. The English government, however, repeatedly imprisoned him for preaching without a license.

On one occasion, Bunyan was sentenced to three months in prison, but when he told the officials he intended to go on preaching, his sentence was extended to 12 years. John Bunyan experienced God’s presence in a special way while he was in prison. In fact, it was in his cell that he penned his enduring classic, "The Pilgrim’s Progress". It’s a book that could only have been written by a soul that was refined by the fires of adversity.

God has a mission for your life and mine. But before we can carry out that mission, we will often go through the boot camp of adversity. If this is where you find yourself today, ask God to give you His grace to walk through this time with you. He promised He would never leave or forsake us.
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~ published by: The Daily Encourager

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