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Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.—Hebrews 10:35-36 (KJV)Thoughts on Today's Verse...Some tough times come with living. They're inescapable. There can also be even tougher times for those who believe and seek to share Jesus. We call that persecution. That's when our confidence in the LORD's salvation and our relationship with him get tested! It is one thing to sing "it is well with my soul" at the end of a peel-the-paint worship service. It is quite another to be able to sing those words when they auction your house off at the courthouse steps, you are told you have a long-term debilitating illness, you lose a child to death, or you are ridiculed and persecuted for your faith. Faith can't take a holiday when we travel through the suburbs of hell - when times are tough. If we quit then, we'll never find our way out. We must persevere. So don't throw away your steadfastness in faith. Hang on, hang in, persevere! Don't give up. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, trusting that God will give you the strength for the next step. No matter how hard it is at the moment, please don't give in to despair. Be like Job or Jeremiah, who both argued and complained to God, but never let go of God. Don't quit. Christ is coming for you with grace and glory. His deliverance awaits! My Prayer...Holy and Almighty God, today is a good day. However, I am deeply aware that some of those I love are close to giving up their confidence in your love, mercy, grace, peace, and deliverance. Please use me to encourage them. Even more, dear Father, I ask that you use your Holy Spirit to renew their hearts. I pray that you intervene directly to change the course of events, give them relief, and make your gracious presence known to them. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.