Life is the one thing every person on earth is trying to figure out. We try to make it as easy and smooth going as much as possible while still trying to get the most out of it. To do this we try to learn from experience, we read books, we see life coaches, we go to conferences and the list goes on. It has always been this way and it will continue to be this way probably till Jesus returns.
One of the problems we are facing in the world is that most Christians have this miss construed idea that the closer we get the God the easier life gets and the more money we have in the bank. Now this is a very novel idea but it isn't completely true.
Let's look at the Israelites in the Bible for one second: They went trough many different situations, good and bad. But the one thing that stands out is the fact that when they stuck to close to God, they came out better on the other side, usually after travelling a long distance or defending their land by means of war. Usually, not always, these hard times were caused by their own choice of not listening to God when He gave them good instructions. We sometimes forget that even though God loves us and forgives us, the consequences of our actions many times still persists.
They simply kept on messing up and missing what God was trying to teach them. Much like us today... But we have their history to learn from, not to mention the Holy Spirit to guide us. So the question remains: Which path shall we choose?
We sometimes forget that we constantly need to seek God, and even more so during the good times. We simply need to be thankful for what was given to us and always be prepared for the constant and approaching war. I feel we relax too easily in the good times, then when life hits, we don't know where to turn. So often our lives seem to be going smoothly with no issues in sight, but then suddenly we find ourselves in the middle of a very difficult situation. The situations obviously vary, but it doesn't make them easy. They can be persecutions from non-Christians and Christians alike, to the simple temptation of the flesh we feel on a day to day basis.
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
- 2 Timothy 3:12 KJV
- Ephesians 6: 10-11
We also need to start realizing that this is not a bad thing. We need to change our perspectives:
If we want to get to the other side alive. We need to know how life works. The Bible tells is things will sometimes be difficult. But when we focus on God and do our best to live by the Spirit, we can get to the other side alive.
Unfortunately there are no 12 steps to perfect godly living, but the basic place to start I believe is: Read your Bible and pray as much as you can. Build the relationship you have with our Heavenly Father, and if you don't have a relationship with Him, receive one, God is inviting you to have a relationship with Him. For more information about this, please follow this link to Finding The Only Hope.
- James 4:7 KJV
The only advice I believe I can give here is to flee by replacing bad habits with good ones. Don't try to fight it by yourself, don't just stop bad things in your life, replace them. Because simply taking something away will make you feel empty at times. But replacing them with something godly will give you fulfilment like never before and get you that one step closer to a Spirit led life.
At the end of the day life is a battlefield, but when we make that decision to follow Christ AND build that relationship, it can be a wonderful experience. So the choice I want to remind us all about is:
Will we be waging war with God or against God?