Down But Not Out
Proverbs 24:16 (NLT) “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.”
To be direct, the Bible never sugar-coated the truth about going through tough times. Yes, many scriptures say God places a hedge of protection around you. And He will not allow the righteous to be forsaken or forgotten. Even Jesus said to His disciples, “In this world, you WILL have tribulation.” The question is, why? Why does God allow us to stumble? Why does God allow problems? Why must we suffer pain? Got your attention yet? Ok good.
The answer is, I don’t have all the answers. An enemy in the world seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. The enemy does many things illegally to Christian believers. There are also things Christians do unknowingly, opening a door to allow the enemy in. So again, I don’t have all the answers. But I do know that if God allows it, then He has a plan, and YOU must do your part to participate.
Many Christians read this scripture nonchalantly. But something important is overlooked. Yes, you may fall seven or up to 100 times. The question is, “If you are falling that many times, what is causing you to fall?” Here is another question for you. After you have fallen so many times, HOW do you get back up again? Some people are so discouraged that they don’t have the ambition to get up one more time. You can tell in their voice, “Nah… I’m good.” The Enemy’s biggest weapon against Christians is discouragement. Losing the will to get up. Ever been there?
Finding out why you keep falling, and finding the strength to get up again, has a simple answer. Here is something very simple. It requires total submission, total surrender, and total humility before God. I’m talking about calling on God for everything. Placing Him first in everything. In fact, He gives you the answer in this scripture:
James 4:10 (NKJV): “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
Notice it didn’t say, “Do what you think is right and God will back you and pick you back up.” God also reminds us in the book of James to count it all joy when we fall into various trials and tribulations, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience. (James 1:2,3) You will have trials. You will fall. But humble yourself to God, and He will lift you back up!
Be Blessed!
Ron
Ron Cobbs Ministries © Copyright October 6th, 2026, All Rights Reserved
