The Christian Life Does Not Need & Should Not Be a Constant Struggle

How's your Christian life? If I ask you this question, what would your response be? A reluctant 'so so' or a grimace on your face? Many might not be so frank about their spiritual life and would usually answer with the expected phrase 'Fine. Praise the Lord!'

But if we are honest, some of us might even say, 'It sucks!'.

'My prayer life sucks. My devotional life sucks. My Christian walk sucks. It isn't any different from my non-Christian friends or relatives. In fact, it's even worst. And the most pathetic thing is that God doesn't seem to care.'

The christian life is a life of peace resting in the finished work of Jesus Christ.Peace Guards Our Hearts & Minds

Is that your situation?

If so, do not despair. I too was in that situation. 

Articles on the Christian Life

  1. If God Brings - Trusting God in a Difficult Situation
  2. Forgiveness is Crucial to Our Health
  3. Led by Higher Hands
  4. Less is More
  5. Jesus Healed the Crippled Woman
  6. How to Move On in Life

My Christian Life Was Once a Total Chaos

For over 20 years, life was a daily struggle. I was living a life plagued by fear. Anxiety and panic attacks were my constant companions. The scenario was totally different from what's written in the Bible. 

"Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:" - 1 Peter 1:8(KJV)

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. - John 14:27(KJV)

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. - 2 Timothy 1:7(KJV)

I asked myself where I had gone wrong. I even questioned my salvation and God's existence. Because my life was the total opposite of what a Christian life should be as described in the scriptures. I'm not saying that our lives should not have problems, or that we will not suffer hardship. No, Jesus clearly said that we will have trouble because we are in the world.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. - John 16:33(KJV)

What Is The Christian Life?

The Christian life is a journey; with a starting point and a destination.

It Begins on the Day of Our Salvation

We begin our Christian life by believing and receiving Jesus Christ into our hearts by faith. We acknowledged that we are sinners, and that Christ died on the cross to save us from our sins. We believe and asked for forgiveness. We accepted Him into our hearts to be our Lord and Saviour. That's it!

Once we did that we knew without a doubt that we were saved. That Christ had entered into our hearts. Our sins were forgiven and we had entered into a relationship with God and embarked on a journey of faith.

The Journey Itself

Unlike our salvation, Christian living is not a one time event. It's a journey that might be smooth going or it might be tough and needs much endurance.

For many Christians, life is like a yo-yo. Sometime, they are high in a mountain-top experience enjoying the grand view from above and singing and praising God all day long. But most of the time, they are in the valley struggling to live for Christ.

In fact, for many of us, praying and Bible reading make us sleepy and there are days, weeks and months gone by without us opening the Bible.

Is yours like that? Where are you now? Is your spiritual life at a stand still or are you going through some rough spots? Or is yours a life of daily constant struggle; plagued by stress, pain, anxiety, depression and uncertainty? Can you feel the Presence of God? Is He near or does He seem distant? 

Are you just enduring and thinking that your life might continue to be like this till you reach journey's end and get to heaven?

I want you to know that it isn't. God is very near you. In fact, Christ is in you and have never forsaken you. Not even a moment! The peace and joy that He promised is true. It's ours...rightfully ours to claim. It's inside us and available to us instantly.

Prayer is not boring. Bible reading is not a scheduled chore that needs to quickly get over. Thinking of God, living in His Presence and communing with Him can become natural and enjoyable.

Secret To Living the Victorious Christian Life

The Christian life is a life of faith. It's a life of abiding and resting in Christ and allowing Him to work in and through us.

I found the answer in this one Bible verse which changes my life drastically. This is also the verse that taught me how to forgive.

Colossians 2:6

King James Version: As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

Weymouth New Testament: As therefore you have received the Christ, even Jesus our Lord, live and act in vital union with Him;

Jubilee Bible 2000: Therefore in the manner in which ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him,

The receiving and the walking is the same. The same way we received Christ into our hearts as Lord and Saviour, in a similar manner, we live our Christian life.

It's by faith.

Our salvation was an instantaneous thing. Immediately after we prayed that prayer of salvation, we were forgiven and set free. Peace and joy entered into our lives. What had we done? We opened our hearts to Christ and He came in instantly and forgave, cleansed and abide in us.

As we look back, it seems so natural...so easy...so simple.

And we never ever question whether it's real or it works or not.

From that point, we know we are saved and have become a new creation in Christ Jesus.


Sometime, when I feel like I don't even have the faith to believe in a certain situation it's then that I just put my little faith in the BIG faith of Jesus Christ to work out a solution or a way for me. I just rest in Jesus's love for me.

Not Strive or Try Harder but Yield!

The Christian life is not a life of struggles but a yielded life at rest - abiding in Christ, and walking in the Spirit.

We did not need to strive, travail or wait for it. Salvation was instant! And all we did was surrender.

So just as we believe that when we asked Him into our hearts, He entered in, the same way, we yield to Him moment by moment and trust Him to work in and through us in all situations under whatever circumstances.

It's not us striving to be a better Christian; trying harder and harder to draw close to God. Praying more, going to every church service, endeavouring to read the Bible from cover to cover many times over or memorising scriptures so we can quote verses and passages at any given situation or moment. Or trying not to blow our tops at home or at work and doing all the right things; the quote and unquote 'Christian' things.

We must understand that all the strivings will not bring us closer to God. Christian living is not striving to do good. Christian living is abiding in Christ, resting on the finished works of Christ and yielding our will to Him who do all things well.

Look inside!

Christ abides in us through the Holy Spirit. Let us be aware of His Presence, yield ourself totally to Him and let Him flood our whole beings with rivers of living waters. Let the fruit of the Spirit flourished within us; love, joy, peace, hope and so forth.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. - John 15:4(KJV)

The Christian life is not a life of struggles but a yielded life at rest - abiding in Christ who has done all for us when He said 'It is finished.' - and walking in the Spirit.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. - Galatians 5:25(KJV)

The New Living Translation helps us understand this verse better. 

Since we are living by the Spirit,
let us follow the Spirit's leading
in every part of our lives.

We have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit of God is here to lead and guide us. Let's follow His leading and live victoriously in and through Christ our Lord.

Peace.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7


Peace is like a sentry guarding our hearts and minds. Anytime, peace is absent, we know something is not right. What to do?

Quickly look inside and yield to Christ. Not my will but Thine, Lord! Let your will be done. And as you yield, feel the rivers of living waters flowing out from your belly. Peace will return. Joy unspeakable starts bubbling within starting from the belly where the rivers flow.

That's what I did and do now when I felt disturbed or anxious, or when I felt that someone done me wrong.

  1. Quickly look inside myself and holding my tummy:-) That's where I daily felt muscle tightening, queasy and churning when I was living in fear.
  2. Yield my will to Christ. (You can feel it - the yieldedness. It's like you are at the middle of the road. You either cross over and be offended or you move back and yield to Christ.)
  3. Pray that out of my belly will flow rivers of living waters and flood my soul, cleanse where there's needs for cleansing, forgive whoever have offended me if I have waited too long and taken offence. 
  4. Feel the bubbling joy flowing through me. Once I felt the joy bubbling within my belly, I know that all is well with my soul.

Do I always have to do this? No, after a while, you don't have to do all these to break out of the mode of unrest into the place of peace. You'll began to get so used to peace and joy in your spirit and learn to stay there whenever you felt the shift in your spirit.


Bible verses quoted are from the King James Version. It's good also to read other versions to understand better.



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