Just Wondering;

When one becomes Saved as well as decides living a life for Christ, it is normal that life will not always become much easier for you as a beleiver. Jesus never promised to us that when we were following Him we would have less troubles, and many would hate us because of Him.

I used to having two friends of mine, they too had found Jesus and received Him into their lives. One received Him when she was 16 years old, the other one received Him in the start of her 20ties somewhere.

The one that had received Him when she was 16 told me that her life became much worser after she had became a Christian, something she didn't understand as life was supposed being easier for her then, or this is what she thought herself. At the time that I learned knowing her a bit, she could suddenly go from being in a very praising mood towards God and then to suddenly start screaming and being angry towards God. In the start I found this rather confusing, and my other friends that knew her much better than me, said that this was a very normal attitude from her. And that she needed to vent out her feelings on God. Later when I talked to her she mentioned that she was a lot angry towards God, mostly because her life wasn't that easy to handle after the time she had become a Christian. AS she thought everything would become easier then.

Then when it is about the other one that received Him during her early 20ties, what we learned about her is that this is the kinda girl that never faced much struggles in her life. Even after becoming a Christian she still had a very easy life. Although she herself told us that she wished that she could also face some hardships during her life, as this way she would grow more in her faith. But she still remains having a very easy life, although she has difficulty seeing herself having to suffer for Christ if she would ever face persecution or martyrdom during her life. This is something she has confessed that she do not know if she would ever manage doing this.

So my point to all of this, as well as something that I wonder about; Do you think Christians learning about everything in life becoming easier for them once they receive Christ into their lives in church, as well as those Christians that never face much struggles in their life as well as not thinking of themselves managing to suffering for Christ if persecution would happen to them, do you think such Christians are capable of still keeping a strong faith for a long time? Or do you think they will more likely fall away from their faith after a long time?

Please share your thoughts and opinons on this.

Really, i think, its hard for most people to know if they will stand strong in the face of serious persecution. But persecution isn't the same as facing the normal trials of life. I have faced a lot of hardships in my life, but not a lot of persecution. I feel confident in handling hard times without losing my faith, but honestly i don't know how i would handle a severe persecution. I'd like to hope so, but i can't say for sure, even in light of the hardships i've endured.

Life does not get easier. It does get more joyful and more rewarding. The trick to keeping your faith is getting some of the right teaching early. Teaching about purification, fire tried gold, building patience, those kinds of things. The teaching keeps the right perspective when the trials begin.

I wont give you my thoughts, but the word of God, lets get down to the basics of what a true follower of Jesus Christ is, and also this will surely determine what you consider the narrrow way few will find!

I pray you will find it, and the spirit will lead you into all truth!


"If you Love Me, you will Keep My Commandants!" John 14:15
"You are My Friends if you do whatever I command you." John 15:14

"Now by this we know that we know HIM, if we keep His Commandments! He who says, ‘I know Him’ and does not keep His Commands is a liar & the truth is not in him." 1Jh. 2:3-4
Set aside your religious notions for a moment and ask yourself: "What is my eternal destination and what evidence can I produce that I KNOW I am keeping God’s Commandments?"
The Bible plainly says that IF you Love Jesus, you WILL Keep His Commandments. What exactly does this mean to you? That you can keep some and not others, or only the ones you prefer and you can disregard the rest? MOST professing Christians live as though none of these things matter. Do you?
What are the most important truths? When Jesus preached the Gospel message He told us that the Way was Difficult and the Gate Narrow and only a FEW would be able to enter in. In fact, He told us to MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENTER IN!
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and not be able!" Lk. 13:24
Most of the professing Christians who attend church regularly aren’t making the slightest ‘effort’ to ‘Enter by the Narrow Gate.’ WHY? Scripture commands it. Jesus Himself told you the way to life is Narrow and difficult and the way to destruction is broad and wide.
Why are the preachers telling something different? The real question is: "Who are YOU going to believe?"
Every Bible tract in existence indicates that the Way to life is a simple ‘repeat after me’ formula that confesses Jesus as Lord and acknowledges that you believe in Him. Millions have done this very thing and consider themselves ‘born again’ and 100% certain of heaven when they die!
Yet Jesus said, "More blessed are those who hear the Word of God and Keep it!" Lk. 11:28
How important is this? Is the ‘Word of God’ merely to ‘believe’ in Jesus and forget the other things He said?
Regardless of where you THINK you stand on this matter, the important thing is ‘Are you KEEPING His Commandments?’ And that includes a WHOLE lot more than just knowing He is the Son of God.
Even the devils acknowledge Him as God! James 2:19 Does that save them? OF COURSE NOT! Faith alone is Not the Saving Faith described in scripture. The Faith Jesus spoke of involves the following:

1. Daily Self Denial.
2. Walking in the light as he is in the Light.
3. Purity of heart and life.
4. Enduring to the end!

These descriptions of saving faith refer to the scriptures of Lk. 9:23, Jh. 8:12, Matt. 5:8, 10:22, 7:24-27, Jh. 3:20-21.
Understand that IF you are still in bondage to your selfish nature and lustful thoughts, you have NEVER experienced the kind of Faith Jesus is talking about! Real Faith in Jesus Sets you Free from those things:
"IF any man be in Christ he is a New Creature, old things have passed away, all things become new" 2Cor. 5:17
"I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me!" Gal. 2:20
"Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin!" Rom. 6:6-7
The reason your religion is so cold and lifeless, full of lust and carnality, is simple: NO ONE is dying to their selfish ambitions and crucifying the flesh! Certainly, you are SAVED by Grace through Faith, not of self; it’s a gift of God, lest anyone should boast! Eph. 2:8-9
BUT NOT BEFORE you are crucified with Him, made dead to sin, and raised together with Him into Newness of Life! (Rom. 6:4, Gal. 2:19-20) Then and only then will you walk in Obedience to His Commands, because they are WRITTEN upon your heart! Ezk. 36:25-27
Otherwise it’s continue in your religious facade, making a ‘profession’ of faith, but denying the Power of God to deliver you from your secret sins. Titus 1:16 No wonder the Bible says, "How can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation!" Heb. 2:3
God has provided these ‘Exceeding great & precious’ promises that through these you may escape the corruption that is in the world through lust! 2Pet. 1:4
And all you can do is make excuses for your sin, justify your complacency and pretend you have assurance!
How sad it will be at the Great Judgment when the Lord sends you away with the multitudes of professing believers who ‘worked’, ‘prayed’, went to church, and did their best to convince themselves and others they were saved. "I NEVER KNEW YOU." The Lord will say, Matt. 7:21-23, "Depart from Me."
"When did you ‘Deny’ yourself anything this world has to offer? When did you empty your heart of selfish motives and allow ME to fill it with MY LOVE? At what point did you partake of MY CUP and crucify your flesh with its passions and desires? And by what form of doctrine were you delivered, that you obeyed from the heart and became a slave of righteousness, bearing fruit to holiness that ends in eternal life!"
What are the Most Important Truths? You have yet to ask yourself if a true faith abides in your heart. Outward appearances may persuade those who compare themselves with others, but TRUE RELIGION consists in OBEDIENCE to God’s Word! James 1:27
What have you chosen to ‘believe’? Are you filled with your own devices and the fruit of you own ways? Have you turned your ear from the True Knowledge of God and shunned His Commandments? Thus you are still in bondage to your sin. The Promise of God is heart Purity and a Clear conscience! (1Pet. 1:22, 1Tim. 1:5-6) ANYONE who has the True Hope of Christ in him PURIFIES himself just as he is Pure! (1Jh. 3:3)
The Most Important truth is the most basic: Have you died to self so Christ can live through you? Can you truly say that your life is hidden with Christ in GOD and Sin no longer has dominion over you? If not, you’re only fooling yourself. God knows your heart.

I also sometimes see it this way; When someone has a child, I have understood that most of them have so much love for their child that they would even be willing to going through fire and water for their child, even to the thought of dying for their child, since for most parents their child is the most precious that there is for them.

So if a parent would be willing to dying for their child's safety, why couldn't one that loves Jesus as much not be willing to doing the same for Him?

This also says a lot for how much we love our Lord, the more you love Him, as well as fear the Lord, the more you will become willing to suffering for Him as well as even dying for your Lord. Whether this is always an easy choice, it most likely aren't. But as I have understood, a lot of those who were true beleivers in Christ, they all were willing to remaining strong in their faith also to the point of death. Although one should also ask the Lord for strenght during such a time.

Most of us in the free countries that we live in that allows us the freedom of religion may not suffer persecution. But in a lot of Islamic countries we see the persecution of many who will not deny their faith and love for the Lord and submit to the Beast, be raped, beaten, tortured, murdered, and beheaded. While we may see though the media these persecutions from time to time, imagine the persecution of those saints that we don’t see though the media. Only the Lord truly knows how many.

With Stephen being the first saint to suffer persecution for his faith in our Lord, many have followed, even unto this day. Some great readings about our fellow brethern that held their faith even unto death can be read in such great books as Foxes Book of Martyrs by John Foxe, and Martyr’s Mirror by Thieleman Van Bragt.
Another great read is Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand, who is the founder of the Voice of the Martyrs.

The following links will allow you to read Foxes Book of Martyrs and Martyr’s Mirror online.
http://www.biblebelievers.com/foxes/findex.htm
http://www.homecomers.org/mirror/

The next link you might find interesting also.
http://www.persecution.org/awareness/persecuted-countries/

Scripture says…
2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
My thought is if we are not suffering persecution are we truly living godly in Christ Jesus.

In Christ, 1Christianwarrior316

Thank you for those links 1ChristianWarrior316, I will check them out later.

I have read both of the books titled Jesus Freaks These are one of my favourite books.

I do still think that the possibility of that even us living in free countries might also face persecution, we should never think that this can never occour to us, as the world is also more and more making our faith in Christ Jesus looking bad. As liberalism is sneaking more and more into countries, same as with humanistic thoughts. I don't know how the developement over there in U.S.A is when it comes to these kinds of happenings. I do see this happening a lot in europe, and a lot of people that are against the faith of Jesus are trying everything to making our faith looking bad, as well as gaining more and more people to disliking a lot of beleivers, as well as the church...

Something I also have had in mind, who says that all persecution is meant as in being chased out from your town, tortured, and to only becoming killed 'cause of your faith? These are things that we all know about, and do see happening with other beleivers of Christ in other countries. But to be persecuted could be a lot the same if your family no longer want you in the house because of your faith, people that mock you for your faith, hurt you in any way... Although I have understood this is mostly only trials, yet when the BIG trial is here then many will also face persecution.

With the last one I think that as long as you keep yourself close to Jesus, and work on your relationship with Him, as well as take time reading in His Word, one will become more and more Christ-like. And what matters most is to be having a strong bond with our saviour. Then when we do get a close relationship with Jesus, whenever any difficulties or persecution might happen before us, then it is also more likely that we will manage getting the strenght from Him to remaining strong faithed during such a time as well.

My thoughts ,
I can not imagine my life being any different than what it has been for one thing. everything me an Jesus have come through had its reason . Regardless of me back sliding or Jesus leading me somewhere I needed to go ...Jesus bailing me out of rebellion ... every single event was me becoming who I am in Christ today ... the blessings the horrors the grief all of what life threw at me all that the enemy grabbed through open doors ....I think we all want to know what we know now and begin earlier with such knowledge... this much I know we must so many time get out of our own way ...be grateful in all things good,bad, ugly, beautiful,and scary . tested by fire so to speak . Christian life just makes us brighter targets for the enemy ...when things get ruff your doing or gonna do something really right . and the devil is doing his best to ruin it fast . at some point in your walk you need to remember who you are in Christ really know who is in control ...THE ENEMY HAS NO MORE POWER OVER YOU THAN YOU BELIEVE THEY DO ...so much that we suffer through never had to be so hard . they more you surrender to serve the brighter your light and greater threat you become to the enemy . but they enemy is not the boss of you not in control when you remember who you are . Wear your armor, live a prayer filled life rejoice and forgive and never let the devil set your agenda . Be in the world beloved not of it . seed the world ...everything we do all for the Glory of God. Jesus we thank you we praise you .