It is not easy being a christian. It is a hard and narrow path. We go through the wilderness for our faith and suffer tribulation and persecution but at the end there is glory and salvation. It is all worth it.
Why?
- Thread starter Cosmicwaffle
- Start date
My struggle is I feel I don't suffer enough. I feel I am not narrow enough. I am afraid I will not make it through. I know it's by the blood of Jesus, but I feel I don't know/love him enough. I don't want to bring Jesus down to my understanding, I need to bring my understanding up to him, but the gap is too far. I'm too sinful.
Don't be concerned about this. God doesn't want you to suffer but my gosh you have much yet to experience. As you know there is much pain and suffering in the world.
Jesus stoops down to our level. Jesus "stooped down and wrote in the dust" (John 8:6). He could have stood but He dedcended lower than the people.
Jesus stooped to wash feet, embrace children. He stooped to pull Peter out of the sea, to pray in thr Garden. He stooped before the Roman whipping post. He stooped to carry the cross. He brings Himself down to our level to help us.
I'm sorry for posting this. Sometimes I just can't handle the way things are.
That's okay, don't be sorry. There are times we all feel like this. It is very understandable. I do believe you will receive more strength from this. Even when we feel at our lowest and don't know how much more we can take God comes to lift us right back up. He gives us extra strength through His power working in us. It is hard, every day we have to keep building ourselves up in the Word to be strong in this world. You are to be a light to many, we must never give up, our blessing is close.
Immediately the fire of the lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The lord —he is God! Yes, the lord is God!” Then Elijah commanded, “Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don’t let a single one escape!” So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there. (1 Kings 18:38-40 NLT)
Do you know what to Elijah next?
Do you know what to Elijah next?
Absolutely correct. No one ever said that following Christ would be easy. However, it is necessary!
Think back to what was done to Christ. Think about what happened to all of His disciples.
Cosmic, the problem is that you are trying to change and perfect your sin nature. Your sin nature has been nailed to the cross and buried. It is not about fixing your sin nature. It is about learning to walk more and more by the Spirit of God that is already in you. It is about surrendering your thoughts, actions, will to God's will and power and that power is already within you through the Holy Spirit. It is not about building your own power.
"for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2nd Timothy 1:7)
You already have enough power and self control. However, it is not in your own self but in the Spirit within you which when you submit to God's Spirit you have the power and self control to walk according to God's will.
When you are submitted to God's Spirit then you don't try to produce your own fruit, but God's fruit works through you spiritually by faith. Faith is what submits you to God's will, not works.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).
Life in God is submission by faith. All works done by the believer are by faith, not by self control unto action. Faith causes God's Spirit to give you the love, and joy, and peace, and kindness, and gentleness, and self control, and endurance to do all that God would have you to do, but this is not burdensome but rather resting in God's will letting God's righteousness (not your own) work through you.
I can't help thinking about Golem from Lord of the Rings. The unsaved person focuses on their selfish desires / pride / pleasure and they become increasingly evil as they give in further to it.
Why? God is good. God gives mankind the power and space to exercise their free will. But make no mistake the evil, do not last long. You have to try put yourself in God's shoes too. He wants Hitler in Heaven. But how much evil can He tolerate from him before he is considered / judged as beyond hope? You should read Jonah. It is interesting to hear how Jonah knew God would be longsuffering and merciful with those in Nineveh. It was his justification for not wanting to preach to them.
You need to get the horse before the cart. You can't be Christ focused and sin focused at the same time. Sin has to fall off you. If you have to remove it, something is wrong inside.
Ditto! it really is hard, but hey..he didn't say it would be easy
so he did give us a headsup...but yah..Im like God ..Id rather be a robot..b/c idk what im doing w/ my life.
itdbe so awesome and perfect..to loveHim perfectly, love and make your parentspround of you ..and justdo well in general.
can't waitto go back to that ;3
justask God to help you..EVERYDAY.
we all need God to help
you arentthe only one.
This means you don't understand the gospel as you should...if your strength is REALLY in Gods grace, then you know as long as you stay in His Grace you cannot fail or fall. Now that same grace..not some doctrine..but the Spirit of Grace will empower you unto a godly lifestyle....this is the gospel! All else is just mans relgion, and if you have believed in mans religion, you are trying to have faith in man and of course man cannot stand. "by grace ye stand" if you don't understand it? Then be humble and learn from those like myself who have the true gospel.