Far off, men swell, bully and threaten: bring them hand to hand, and they are a feeble folk.

If your faith is based on lack of affliction, it's on the brink of extinction and is only a frightening diagnosis or a shattering phone call away from collapse. Token faith will not survive suffering. Nor should it.

1 Peter 5 - Be well balanced because Satan 'roams about like a hungry lion seeking who he can devour.

When you put your feet on the floor every morning, Hell should shake!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you. Isaiah 43:2

Habakkuk 3:19 says that the way we develop hind's feet (a hind is an animal that can climb mountains swiftly) is "to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon" the "high places [of trouble, suffering or responsibility]!" The way God helps us make spiritual progress is by being with us to strengthen and encourage us to "keep on keeping on" in rough times. It's easy to quit; it takes faith to go through.

If someone hurts you, cry a river, then build a bridge and get over it. Unknown

He did not send the power of His Spirit into our lives so we could be weak-willed, wimpy, or the type of person who gives up when the going gets tough.

Faith does help us navigate difficulty while trusting God to deliver us at the right time.

Proverbs 24:16,…a righteous man falls seven times and rises again.… God

being afraid does not change the experiences the enemy uses to make us afraid. Fear will never make circumstances better, but it will rob us of our strength to deal with them and of our ability to think clearly in the midst of them.

Eagles are not intimidated by the heights and forceful winds that other birds may fear. Instead, they take advantage of the gales, flying into the wind, setting their wings so the gusts only lift them higher. Nor do eagles waste time battling with other birds that are pests to them. When attacked, they simply mount up higher and higher until they reach an altitude in which their enemies cannot survive.