The hardest part of being a christian (what's hardest for you?)
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For me it is accepting Gods will when something bad happens, I really turned away from Him 5 years ago this month when I lost someone that was so precious to me. I really wanted nothing to do with God if He could hurt me and my family so much but then someone took me to my current church and I stayed and I healed and while I still feel sad about what happened I can live my life. I don't think I will ever understand fully why it happened but at least I can now accept that it did.
C
I used to struggle with sin temptations a lot. I wanted to have sex, drink, cuss and party like all the "cool" kids. I was angry that God would make standards that made me stay at home without a boyfriend, while my friends got to enjoy all these forbidden things. As I've matured I've realized those Biblical standards are wise and good even outside of the Christian mindset, i.e. No unwanted pregnancies, reckless behavior and wasted nights and money.
Now, I struggle most with unanswered questions about the Bible and God and the strength of my faith. I'm a logical person, but the Bible isn't always logical or clear cut. It frustrates me when there seem to be no set answers for some questions.
Now, I struggle most with unanswered questions about the Bible and God and the strength of my faith. I'm a logical person, but the Bible isn't always logical or clear cut. It frustrates me when there seem to be no set answers for some questions.
I
Hmm...this is a tough one.....
Hardest part for me I think would be trusting that God actually speaks to me,at all...like,EVER! I hear sooooo many Christians through my entire life say how they have heard from God...or that God told them this or that,and here I am thinking that I never feel as though I've heard Him once,or if I have I somehow may have heard Him incorrectly.
So the root is maybe just trust. Trusting in the truth of what the word says about me as His child,and that His plans for me are good thing's..not evil or harm. The fact that while I may not always understand mentally what I need to do in life (or not to do) that His Spirit is there to guide me,impart wisdom & truth. That if my heart of hearts really is wanting to understand Him & His leading,that He indeed has given me that measure of Faith to do so.
To add to my lack of "trust or understanding" issue,the hardest other thing might be feeling like "why??????"
It's sometimes extremely hard for me to stop questioning God as to "why?" this or that is/has/will happens/happened/happening.
After my marriage ending,Mom dying,got ill & nearly died as well,losing pretty much everything material I had,screwy job situation,feeling stranded in a place I don't wanna be...all within a year & a half's time....it's been hard not to ask God "WHY?"
Answer.....? lol I may never have one. So I have to trust Him daily. That in the end He's gonna take care of me. Period.
Not easy to do. It should be...but yanno,I'm all human & junk and I haven't fully renewed my mind via His word..so yeah...I am sure I make life on myself much harder than He wants for me.
Hardest part for me I think would be trusting that God actually speaks to me,at all...like,EVER! I hear sooooo many Christians through my entire life say how they have heard from God...or that God told them this or that,and here I am thinking that I never feel as though I've heard Him once,or if I have I somehow may have heard Him incorrectly.
So the root is maybe just trust. Trusting in the truth of what the word says about me as His child,and that His plans for me are good thing's..not evil or harm. The fact that while I may not always understand mentally what I need to do in life (or not to do) that His Spirit is there to guide me,impart wisdom & truth. That if my heart of hearts really is wanting to understand Him & His leading,that He indeed has given me that measure of Faith to do so.
To add to my lack of "trust or understanding" issue,the hardest other thing might be feeling like "why??????"
It's sometimes extremely hard for me to stop questioning God as to "why?" this or that is/has/will happens/happened/happening.
After my marriage ending,Mom dying,got ill & nearly died as well,losing pretty much everything material I had,screwy job situation,feeling stranded in a place I don't wanna be...all within a year & a half's time....it's been hard not to ask God "WHY?"
Answer.....? lol I may never have one. So I have to trust Him daily. That in the end He's gonna take care of me. Period.
Not easy to do. It should be...but yanno,I'm all human & junk and I haven't fully renewed my mind via His word..so yeah...I am sure I make life on myself much harder than He wants for me.
L
These posts share a common thread to my past, trying to hold ourselves up to God for approval. (Working) at trusting and having faith in God. Falling very short of the faith to please God. Limited sight of God based on emotions of hurt and fear. Afraid of being wrong if I trust Him like I did before. Sort of isolated in one spot not going forward., just sadly looking back or trying to hope but not sure if that is ok either so afraid too be left out there exposed with no safty net.
I'm finding out that trusting God doesn't mean we work up a back up plan INCASE He doesn't come through. That God clearly showed me when I stopped setting up the safty net He did take over. When i literally got to the point of not having strength to put up the safty net, He came in and I was safe without my own net. All of Him, none of me.
Pride comes in many forms. Guilt is a form of paying God back. Trying in our own strength to be GOOD enough for God to swoop down and fix our problems. These forms of getting to God did not work for me. Because they were self focused not Jesus focused. I didnt know i was even doing that. I had the spirit of fear in me and God did NOT give me that spirit of fear. That fear was such a part of my life i didn't know where my responsibilty was supposed to stop and God's work begin.
When Adam sinned it passed on us all. The sin, guilt, weakness AND confusion. Subject to the world and it's influences. Having to work our way to God in our pride. The law given, we failed at keeping it...
The message is we CAN'T be good enough, think well enough, be pure enough in our heart motives. As we daily try to be good enough, worthy enough we fall back every time. Pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps only lasts while we have the strength. For some it may be for 5yrs, some 25yrs. or even more. Soon the foolishness of that plan becomes real and we are left with the big question. Why isn't God helping me?
I'm speaking of saved blood bought people here.
No more safty net. Coming to the place where I take hold of His Son's work on my behalf. We are the righteousness of God in Jesus, not our human selves. As Adam sinned and sin passed on all for all have sinned., Jesus was the second Adam. His righteousness is now ours and we can go to the Father and say Abba Father. No longer alienated from the promises of God. In Adam all sinned, In Jesus all are made righteous. If Adam's sin so horribly caused mankind to be guilty and in debt, how much more to the extreem does Jesus righteousness cause us to be saved and our sins paid for-- past, present and future. In Him we are righteous.
If we are in Jesus we can call to the Father. Claim the inheritence and begin to walk in His power. Faith is a gift. If we begin with just a tiny mustard seed He works amazing things. We can't look at others around us. Can't look at other christians who have more or less than we have. God deals with us individually and warns us of comparisons to others.
Like John when he began walking on the water to Jesus. John began alright but then looking around he saw the ENORMITY of his situation and it was then he began to sink. He took his eyes off of Jesus. That is what the enemy wants us to do. Look at the ENORMITY of our situation whether it be no money, no job, no home, no friends, no clear thinking, no health. The enormity of life will cause us to look away from Jesus and then we feel no hope. The enormity of our situation on earth is real. But we are IN Him and He said He has overcome the world and in us He will still be doing that even in our lives day to day when we look to Him and not our own ability. literally. Is He able to take care of us and the enormity of our situation?? YES
Will He?? YES!!!
Faith looks to the source not the circumstances. He is faithful who has called us and He will do it. Amen. And in His dealings He gives us all sorts of encouragements to keep on keeping on trusting Him. The joy of the Lord is our strength. amen!!!! This is a daily walk with God individually and we grow to treasure it. The love of God brings us to repentence and also to His feet. When we know we r loved there is no barrier and we will dare to step out to the ONE who really loves us. Our sins are no longer between us and God because of Jesus continual cleansing stream. "There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanual's veins, and sinners plunge beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains"
We will see Him face to face some day but NOW He wants us to experience His love and presence as He works in us and our daily lives. My biggest daily work is to REST and keep on entering into His rest. I hope this encourages someone. I just typed myself happy as this truth never fails to bring great happiness and joy!!! It is new every day.
I'm finding out that trusting God doesn't mean we work up a back up plan INCASE He doesn't come through. That God clearly showed me when I stopped setting up the safty net He did take over. When i literally got to the point of not having strength to put up the safty net, He came in and I was safe without my own net. All of Him, none of me.
Pride comes in many forms. Guilt is a form of paying God back. Trying in our own strength to be GOOD enough for God to swoop down and fix our problems. These forms of getting to God did not work for me. Because they were self focused not Jesus focused. I didnt know i was even doing that. I had the spirit of fear in me and God did NOT give me that spirit of fear. That fear was such a part of my life i didn't know where my responsibilty was supposed to stop and God's work begin.
When Adam sinned it passed on us all. The sin, guilt, weakness AND confusion. Subject to the world and it's influences. Having to work our way to God in our pride. The law given, we failed at keeping it...
The message is we CAN'T be good enough, think well enough, be pure enough in our heart motives. As we daily try to be good enough, worthy enough we fall back every time. Pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps only lasts while we have the strength. For some it may be for 5yrs, some 25yrs. or even more. Soon the foolishness of that plan becomes real and we are left with the big question. Why isn't God helping me?
I'm speaking of saved blood bought people here.
No more safty net. Coming to the place where I take hold of His Son's work on my behalf. We are the righteousness of God in Jesus, not our human selves. As Adam sinned and sin passed on all for all have sinned., Jesus was the second Adam. His righteousness is now ours and we can go to the Father and say Abba Father. No longer alienated from the promises of God. In Adam all sinned, In Jesus all are made righteous. If Adam's sin so horribly caused mankind to be guilty and in debt, how much more to the extreem does Jesus righteousness cause us to be saved and our sins paid for-- past, present and future. In Him we are righteous.
If we are in Jesus we can call to the Father. Claim the inheritence and begin to walk in His power. Faith is a gift. If we begin with just a tiny mustard seed He works amazing things. We can't look at others around us. Can't look at other christians who have more or less than we have. God deals with us individually and warns us of comparisons to others.
Like John when he began walking on the water to Jesus. John began alright but then looking around he saw the ENORMITY of his situation and it was then he began to sink. He took his eyes off of Jesus. That is what the enemy wants us to do. Look at the ENORMITY of our situation whether it be no money, no job, no home, no friends, no clear thinking, no health. The enormity of life will cause us to look away from Jesus and then we feel no hope. The enormity of our situation on earth is real. But we are IN Him and He said He has overcome the world and in us He will still be doing that even in our lives day to day when we look to Him and not our own ability. literally. Is He able to take care of us and the enormity of our situation?? YES
Will He?? YES!!! Faith looks to the source not the circumstances. He is faithful who has called us and He will do it. Amen. And in His dealings He gives us all sorts of encouragements to keep on keeping on trusting Him.
The joy of the Lord is our strength. amen!!!! This is a daily walk with God individually and we grow to treasure it. The love of God brings us to repentence and also to His feet. When we know we r loved there is no barrier and we will dare to step out to the ONE who really loves us. Our sins are no longer between us and God because of Jesus continual cleansing stream. "There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanual's veins, and sinners plunge beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains" We will see Him face to face some day but NOW He wants us to experience His love and presence as He works in us and our daily lives. My biggest daily work is to REST and keep on entering into His rest. I hope this encourages someone.
I just typed myself happy as this truth never fails to bring great happiness and joy!!! It is new every day.
L
Oh, and please remember each day we are subject to falling and failing. The enemies trick is to say "you say u r a christian!? you say you are following Jesus!? you are a failure, you are weak, you always let God down., "
And soon if we fall prey to this tactic the enemy has us believing his lies and our mind begins saying "I'm a failure, I'm not a good christian, I'm a hypocrite, I'm weak, I'm always letting God down..." And the devil suceeds in getting our minds on our performance and not Jesus. Please beware and keep going to God daily without guilt. We can't pay for our sins with staying away from God feeling guilty. Jesus paid for our guilt and shame.
And soon if we fall prey to this tactic the enemy has us believing his lies and our mind begins saying "I'm a failure, I'm not a good christian, I'm a hypocrite, I'm weak, I'm always letting God down..." And the devil suceeds in getting our minds on our performance and not Jesus. Please beware and keep going to God daily without guilt. We can't pay for our sins with staying away from God feeling guilty. Jesus paid for our guilt and shame.
The hardest part for me is in dealing with other believers. There is a big push for homogenization within the church to "look like us, think like us, be like us." But I'm not like that. My parents raised us all to be free-thinkers, not just to believe something because someone else said it. If it can't be backed up with scripture, then I can't just go along with it. I'm a divorcee in a world of married homeschooling moms. I don't want to go to ladies group to make a little craft and sing a little song and hear a little story in cute little voice. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I want meat! (spiritually and literally) I crave deep discussion, thought-provoking banter. And I'm not going to make something a priority just because my culture tells me to.
Again, I really don't fault these people in how they choose to live; I just want to hear that who I am is pretty awesome, too. In a group wearing pastel J Crew, I'm the one in the hot pink pencil skirt dragging around the theological tomes.
Again, I really don't fault these people in how they choose to live; I just want to hear that who I am is pretty awesome, too. In a group wearing pastel J Crew, I'm the one in the hot pink pencil skirt dragging around the theological tomes.
J
I can so sympathize with you, lady. You go to a ladies Bible study and no one seems to be talking much about the things of God/richness of the Word beyond what they read in the most recent christianese best seller. I'm not interested in sharing recipes, looking at pics of children or making paper flower ink pens. I can do that on Pinterest. (Like that's really gonna happen...)
You go to a ladies Bible study and no one seems to be talking much about the things of God/richness of the Word beyond what they read in the most recent christianese best seller. I'm not interested in sharing recipes, looking at pics of children or making paper flower ink pens. I can do that on Pinterest. (Like that's really gonna happen...)
Hmm...
For me it's the dichotomy of knowing where I end and Christ begins. Understanding what it means to die to yourself, but being alive to God. Understanding how "I" fit in the whole equation.
So - I've finally decided I'm going to focus on the BIG ONES...
1. Love God
2. Love People
3. Forgive all
4. Have mercy on all
5. Pray for people
6. Focus on Him not on Sin
7. Walk in Peace & Joy
8. Be lead by His Spirit
10. Not argue & correct the world
I know I'm a new creation, but am I the new creation, or is it Christ in me? And if it's Christ in me... when I die does my personality go? I used to use my charisma, personality, etc for evil. Now I am discovering it's not evil, but God given. So - the question is how do I walk fully in Christ? Does it mean turning off "me" and only walking in a place of joy, peace, and righteousness? Or does it mean embracing both at once? Personality and all? And knowing that Christ is in me, and I am in Him, and all of me is found fully in Him?
One thing I do know is that I'm definitely not the same person, when He revealed Himself to me, my world imploded in an awesome deliciously profound way...
So whatever it means to die to me, I do believe that even if I do give all, He is well able to raise me like a phoenix from the ashes. Even Into a more "glorified" me. And even if I just lay in the ashes after giving all, then I believe I will be still found in Him and His Person in some way.
But it IS a dichotomy to me!
C.
For me it's the dichotomy of knowing where I end and Christ begins. Understanding what it means to die to yourself, but being alive to God. Understanding how "I" fit in the whole equation.
So - I've finally decided I'm going to focus on the BIG ONES...
1. Love God
2. Love People
3. Forgive all
4. Have mercy on all
5. Pray for people
6. Focus on Him not on Sin
7. Walk in Peace & Joy
8. Be lead by His Spirit
10. Not argue & correct the world
I know I'm a new creation, but am I the new creation, or is it Christ in me? And if it's Christ in me... when I die does my personality go? I used to use my charisma, personality, etc for evil. Now I am discovering it's not evil, but God given. So - the question is how do I walk fully in Christ? Does it mean turning off "me" and only walking in a place of joy, peace, and righteousness? Or does it mean embracing both at once? Personality and all? And knowing that Christ is in me, and I am in Him, and all of me is found fully in Him?
One thing I do know is that I'm definitely not the same person, when He revealed Himself to me, my world imploded in an awesome deliciously profound way...
So whatever it means to die to me, I do believe that even if I do give all, He is well able to raise me like a phoenix from the ashes. Even Into a more "glorified" me. And even if I just lay in the ashes after giving all, then I believe I will be still found in Him and His Person in some way.
But it IS a dichotomy to me!
C.
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Lol, I was gonna say other Christians too... But that's more cause I don't wanna be grouped with most but I shouldn't care what others think and just live my life as a Christian should and maybe people will see a difference.
I'd say the hardest thing is not doing stupid stuff to make ya feel alive. I get so bored that getting wasted, promiscuous sex, dancing in front of death, and other destructive behavior seem very inviting. One thing God blessed me with though was really good self control but even so sometimes you're just dreaming for this "sense of peace" it feels these destructive actions would provide. So the hardest thing is keeping your chin up knowing God wants you to prosper and has better plans. Sometimes you feel you've been waiting so long though, it just isn't gonna happen... Remembering Gods words and sticking it out is hard in those times. I think that's the hardest thing IMO.
I'd say the hardest thing is not doing stupid stuff to make ya feel alive. I get so bored that getting wasted, promiscuous sex, dancing in front of death, and other destructive behavior seem very inviting. One thing God blessed me with though was really good self control but even so sometimes you're just dreaming for this "sense of peace" it feels these destructive actions would provide. So the hardest thing is keeping your chin up knowing God wants you to prosper and has better plans. Sometimes you feel you've been waiting so long though, it just isn't gonna happen... Remembering Gods words and sticking it out is hard in those times. I think that's the hardest thing IMO.
T
Even though you hide your feelings, the kids always know
you are a great role model for having them know about Jesus Christ. The fact that you had tough times and did not give up on yourself or children makes you a wonder woman ( a super hero). You find parents that give up on their kids/ life when stress hits but you are still there. God blessed
that's easy for me to answer... the short version is:
when people use Jesus or Christianity to be mean to others. often via self-righteous or faux faith to cloak themselves in. i have a few of these in my life and it drives me to distraction.
you didn't ask, but the best thing is being loved (when i was still a lost sinner) and being saved by grace. next best thing is that i really don't worry anymore.
when people use Jesus or Christianity to be mean to others. often via self-righteous or faux faith to cloak themselves in. i have a few of these in my life and it drives me to distraction.
you didn't ask, but the best thing is being loved (when i was still a lost sinner) and being saved by grace. next best thing is that i really don't worry anymore.