We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Ever faced a blow or a setback and you thought that’s the end? Sometimes we need to learn to differentiate between “getting struck down” and “destroyed”. Paul said,

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”

We cannot expect to live a problem-free life. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that His life will be revealed in us. This means you can expect to be struck down but you won’t be destroyed. You will go through an experience where you will be perplexed but you will not be in despair. There is always the safety net of God’s sufficient Grace and his power which will be made perfect in our weaknesses.

Few week’s back my both kids got sick at the same time. I had a tough time in my ministry and in my job. I thought my world was collapsing. It was then God reminded me that every storm is a perfect opportunity to see God’s power working in us and through us.

Paul was struck down many times. He faced several setbacks but every time he got knocked down he came back stronger. Once he was bitten by a venomous snake in an island. Everyone thought he was going to die. Everyone thought that’s the “final blow”. But Paul shook the snake from his hands and continued as normal. He then prayed for people in that island and people got healed and they started to think he was God!

William Carey was a British Christian missionary who went to India and translated the Bible into Bengali, Oriya, Assamese, Arabic, Marathi, Hindi and Sanskrit. Many of these languages had never been printed before; He had to create punches for the type by hand.  On 11 March 1812, a fire in the print shop caused £10,000 in damages and lost work. But he persevered and went on to print and distribute the Bible in whole or part in 44 languages and dialects. William Carey’s ministry was “struck down” when his printing press caught fire but it was not “destroyed”.

Are you facing setbacks and feeling you have been struck down? If so, it’s time for you to bounce back stronger and see the power of God working in your weaknesses.

(This message is written by Bro. Davidson Samuel who is an IT Professional / Subject Matter Expert in Banking domain, based out of Scotland, UK)