Christian struggles in life

I’ve been a Christian woman for a lot of years and I am going to share a secret with you. It’s a secret many Christians have tried to hide for generations. Ready? Here it goes… most all of us Christians are entrenched in an unrelenting struggle to do what God says to do and what we want to do. It’s true! Everyone is trying to stay on God’s straight and narrow path. Whether the struggle is remaining silent when you want to speak out, fighting a proud, selfish spirit, or letting that car [that sped past everyone else] into your lane when theirs ends. And you know what? It’s OK that we have this struggle. It’s one hundred percent normal. Christian struggles in life are real and no one is above them!

Many don’t like to think about it, but Christianity demands a continual dying of self. It means you’re no longer at the helm – the Lord is.

Sure there are highs when you feel like you’ve got it all together.

But then, reality soon hits. Inevitably, a “life test” appears and you’re tempted to act…well…ungodly. That’s the struggle – whether or not to live in our Christian identity or act like a stone-cold fool!

If you fail the test (and we all do it from time to time), you may begin to question everything you thought you believed about your personal walk with Jesus Christ.

That’s ok too, Christian Woman!

Since faith is the cornerstone of your Christian walk, you have to trust God will bring you through whatever your struggle is and rely on Him to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. You just need faith in God and His work inside you.

No need to panic at all.

No need to freak out.

No need to question whether you can do this “Christian thing” or not.

Girl, just cling to what God says about you and your struggle or your situation.

Study the Word of God to cling to whatever God tells you to do.

For instance, in the Bible, you learn what God expects of you and all the many promises He’s made to help you.

You’ll also learn things like God is unmeasurably forgiving, long-suffering, and able to deliver you from all that funky unrighteousness that holds you down and holds you back. Yay-yuh!

That’s His part of the deal and He’s astonishingly good at it.

What are some common Christian struggles in life?

Here are some things we Christians struggle with in our lives:

Lying
Idolatry (is anything that we treasure more than God. Click here to read a good article about it)
Pride
Uncontrolled Anger
Fornication (any sex outside the marriage)
Stealing
Jealousy
Lust
Greed
Laziness
Disobedience
Witchcraft (including horoscopes, psychics and fortune-tellers)
Taking God’s name in vain (irreverent use of the Bible and God’s authority)
Breaking promises
Not attending church
Disrespect of parents
Filthy talk (harsh jesting)
Unmerciful
Abortion
Drunkenness
Impurity

This list of common Christian struggles in life can go on and on and I know you do have a life to live outside reading my Christian woman’s blog. So, I’ll stop 🙂

Hmmm…I find myself on this list like anyone else. I know you do too.

I should also say, I have NO interest in debating these Christian struggles in life.

I know my job and it “ain’t” being a pastor!

I’m not a preacher and I don’t play one on tv. 🙂

Seriously, I’m not a pastor. So, if you think the things on the list are NOT sins, you need a pastor in the worse way! Run and find one – a good one.

Hey, I’m just a small-time blogger talking and sharing my Christian experience and hoping it encourages others.

Anyway, back to my point. God has a HUGE part in restoring, forgiving, and washing us clean from all these sins and more.

You and I have not been imprisoned by any of these (or any other) sins, struggles, or strongholds.

We can be free and we have a right to be! Jesus paid that price so we can be wonderfully liberated from the penalty and bondage of sin.

“What is my role in overcoming the struggles in my life?”

Consider that mess “dead” and powerless to you.

Roman 6:11 says to “reckon” or consider yourself dead to sin.

It doesn’t say you are [actually] dead to it. It simply states that you are to consider yourself that way.

Hence, the struggle ensues.

Life is life.

Periodically, you are going to struggle to obey God’s Word. I know I do.

Yep, you’ll still fight desires you know aren’t Godly. Like with your mouth, when someone bugs you, you’ll choose to shut it when everything inside of you wants to curse them out. The reason is due to the fact that you’re dead to that mess.

You’ll turn down fornication (sex outside marriage) when your body screams to move forward with that gorgeous man. You’re a corpse to that temptation. Read my post on Christians and lust.

And you’ll struggle to love those that hate you and treat you wrongly. It’s all a part of being deceased to that sin!

Think to yourself “I am not powerless to this ________, I am dead in Jesus.” You’ve died to it and that sin is dead to you. You only fall into it when you make the choice to do so.

Back to Romans…and our Christian struggles in life.

In Romans 7 chapter, Paul puts all this into beautiful perspective for us.

He flawlessly and accurately illustrates our Christian struggle in one compelling thought.

Read it when you get a chance. You’ll be strangely comforted by his explanation of our almost “schitzo” Christian reality.

We are bad; we are good. It’s hilarious when you think about it.

It’s like we live a spiritual tennis match – back and forth we go. 😀

When you read it, you’ll see the twisted battle of living in two realities (one of a born-again believer and the other of a flesh-driven sinner).

As you read it, be sure NOT to stop in Romans 7! The most important thing about Romans 7 is the following chapter – Romans 8.

Oh, the splendor of Romans 8! The eighth chapter of Romans is a fabulous chapter to reference when you think of your Christian struggles!

It reminds you that you are free from condemnation, guilt, and oppression.

Verse 12 illuminates your understanding even deeper and talks about your Christian liberty.

It states we have no obligation to the sinful nature- NONE. So, Romans 7: we are a hot mess, but it’s okay and here (Romans 8) is how to overcome that mess.

Then, you’ve got 1st John!

1 John3:3 actually states we can purify ourselves by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”

Isn’t that stupendous news???

We can actually surrender ourselves (the good and the bad) as a sacrifice to God.

I love it!

That very surrender makes us slaves to righteousness and not the stank sinful nature.

Are you just starting out, Christian woman? Here is what to know…

If you’re a new Christian, you probably want to know how all this comes to be. How do you get this strength and power here on earth?

I’ll tell ya, you get it from Him – Jesus Christ. When He died, He made it all available to you and me! It’s like you were adopted into some really good stuff! Effortless as it was – you’re in!

At the same time, you do have work.

Bible reading, regular teaching from a good church, and a lifestyle of prayer doesn’t hurt; it helps enormously.

Now, that’s power and freedom unlimited!

Christian struggles will, in some form, plague us while we have a heartbeat and live on this earth.

You have no detour from them – no off-ramp. You cannot avoid them.

What you do have…

You’ve got the Holy Spirit, Girl!

He’s with you all along – comforting and advocating for you.

He empowers you with super dynamite power so you can I can live the Christian life victoriously.

Did I say struggle-free? I think not.

Sin-free? Get real.

Temptation free? Get outta here!

If you stumble, here is what you need to know:

Along the same lines, when worse comes to worst and you make a mistake, you have an advocate and a whole lot of forgiveness too.

You will be restored to “start.”

Jesus will hit the “reset” button on your life, dust you off and get you back on track. No need to hide the fact you struggled or feel ashamed after you confess it.

You gotta just “werk” the resources the Lord gives you and here is what you do:

1. Recognize everyone does struggle.
2. Remember you’re free from the power of sin and condemnation. So don’t condemn yourself.
3. Read your Bible for strength and walk in it’s truths.
4. Find a good church. Here are my tips!

So, there you go, now you know how to handle some of the Christian struggles in life.

God has you covered.

Here are some great Bible Scriptures for you!

Scriptures to check out on Christian Struggles:

From Exodus 20:1-17, you can read the 10 commandments.

20 Then God spoke all these words, saying,

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of ^[a]slavery.

³ “You shall have no other gods ^[b]before Me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself ^[c]an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

⁷ “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not ^[d]leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

⁸ “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who ^[e]stays with you. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Jesus didn’t do away with the 10 Commandments…He just brought some grace. 🙂 Oh yeah, and some power by way of the Holy Spirit!

Matthew 5:17
¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

Galatians 5:19-22
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: [a]immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, [b]factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Galatians 4:7
So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Romans 6:11
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 John 3:3 The Message (MSG)
2-3 But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.