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Christian Struggles
by Henry Miranda 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NKJV) "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed" We all struggle with such things as depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, gambling habits, or homosexuality, a speech impediment, back pain, poor eyesight or hearing loss. Also, many struggles socially in business, education, parenting and relationships. Widows experience sorrow and loneliness. AND there is always domestic violence. When we become Christians, just because we become born-again believers in Christ does not make us exempt from those struggles that all humanity faces. We were alone facing those situations in our lives, but now we as Christians, we have a friend in Jesus who we can turn to and ask for help in any struggle. Christian couples still get divorced. Just because we struggle with difficulties in our life, we should not blame God for our struggles. Some Christians may even struggle with, slander, pride, envy and gossip. Everything we do will be flawed, but it is encouraging to know that although God knows us intimately, He accepts us as we are despite our failings. Spiritual warfare is a reality The minute we became Christians our spiritual warfare begins. That's where the devil comes in. He starts to work on your daily struggles. Just because we became Christians doesn't mean that we became perfect. The Bible speaks about being a new creation in Christ. But that's where our journey begins. As Christians, we must overcome the things of the world. The good news is that we don't have to do it alone. We will always have struggles as long as we are in this fallen world. Sometimes we may bring the struggles upon ourselves by not seeking the Lord with the choices and decisions of our life. Life is a struggle, and as Christians we struggle with the same life experiences that non-Christians do. And in addition to all the struggles common to man, a committed Christian has the additional struggles of overcoming sin and following Christ. I often have struggles in my life, but the Bible talks about the struggles in the midst of our warfare. We must not get the idea that just because we became born-again Christians that everything is going to be different. It is just the beginning of a new lifestyle. We were in the world and we lived as the world succumbing to all life's pleasures. But our lifestyle must completely change to the will of God. Living to the praise of God's glory in the midst of the storms that are sometimes of our own making. Satan doesn't bother those who aren't a threat to him, he goes after Christians to turn them back to his world. The choices that we make to a path of turmoil and pain. But remember that God is always with you. We must die to our old self and forget the things of the past to continue to grow even though we may struggle with trials and tribulations. When you accepted Christ as your personal Savior the Holy Spirit came into your life and sealed you forever as a child of God. God wants to use and bless you to your maximum potential, but you must be willing to step out and trust God in faith. As Christians our desires should be to make sure that we are fully submitted to God to resist the temptations and struggles the devil may throw our way. For we are promised that no temptation will be too difficult for us because God himself will make a way for us to stand up under every temptation (1 Cor. 10:13). We may suffer or struggle and it may be difficult, but we can overcome them in Christ. It is often a vicious cycle of one bad choice leading to another. Scripture is so helpful in this matter and shows how we need to completely rely on God and not to follow the foolish wisdom that comes with listening to our society or our culture. Until the return of Christ, we will always have the battle with the flesh. We must not let it consume our lives, but instead always turn to the Holy Spirit. Would you like to get saved and born again? You can by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Just Pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart. Let heaven be your destiny. Evangelist Henry Miranda earned a Bachelor of Christian Ministry degree @ Christian Leadership University. Evangelist Henry Miranda is a Bible Teacher, Author, and Guest Speaker and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, has written ten books. You can reach @ //www.evangelize-for-jesus-ministries.co Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |