The life of a true Christian believer is not easy. If the Bible promises us anything at all, it promises us that the way of faith is a struggle against all odds. The world is opposed to our allegiance with God, the devil and his horde of fallen spirits literally wars against us, and even our own bodies (that is, the fleshly or carnal nature) conspire with the enemy to erode our confidence and weaken our resolve to walk faithfully with Jesus Christ.

Standing firm for the Lord in a world opposed to truth and righteousness, Jesus said, is sure to bring us much tribulation and trying of the heart. Paul says that without the full armor of God we are not going to be able to stand when the days are difficult. And Paul understood what difficulty was all about.

Personal strength alone will not get us to the finish line with any spiritual victory. As admirable and valuable as such a trait is, life (especially the life of genuine biblical faith) is tougher than that. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes (more than likely, wise King Solomon) says it this way:

“The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill . . .”
(from Ecclesiastes 9:11, NKJV)

But we are not alone — we are never alone — in our struggle against darkness and sin. Jesus Christ is both with us and inside of us by the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus Himself is the secret of our life, our victory and all our joy.

Without Christ no human being can truly live for God. Religion and ritual simply cannot give us what we need. We need God's power and that power is only found in the living Christ. The whole world chases after religion and philosophies (including many theologies) and strength to get through the day. In Jesus Christ we find not only the strength to get us through a day, but the power to overcome with joy through all eternity.

How should we approach daily faith, then? How shall we respond to the difficulties and doubts, the pressures and attacks, the stresses of regular human existence coupled with the supernatural warfare of Christian life?

God's Word equips us with the wisdom, the power and the fresh hope we need in daily conflict. The Spirit of the Almighty (God's own Holy Spirit within every true follower of Jesus Christ) guides us through. The Lord Jesus Himself walks with us. And His promise is both good and very clear: no one who follows Him will walk in darkness.

Does God's help make the Christian life easy? Let me ask you this: Was the life Jesus lived on this planet easy? He faced all the temptations you and I face each day (yet He did so without sin). He faced opposition and personal attacks from the very ones who should have hailed Him as Messiah and Lord (the religious leaders in His day). He had no easy daily walk. And in the end, He was falsely accused and put to death on a cross. All who had walked with Him abandoned Him in the day of His greatest need.

God does not promise that anything in this life, in this darkened world, will be easy. The Lord does promise, however, that all who trust in Jesus will have a great reward: life with Him in eternity. As the words to the popular chorus remind us:

“It will be worth it all,
when we see Jesus.
Life’s trials will seem so small,
when we see Christ.
One glimpse of His dear face,
all sorrows will erase.
So bravely run the race,
till we see Christ.”

The face of Jesus and God's approval in Him, is all that we will need to make our days on earth worthwhile, regardless of how much difficulty we endure in this life. I am certain of that. And there are many days when I am forced to remind myself of that fact. I have no doubt you face similar struggles.

The New Testament, given to us supernaturally by the Holy Spirit of God, tells us how to run the race of the Christian faith:

Run to win the prize... (1 Corinthians 9:24)
Run with endurance... (Hebrews 12:1)
Finish with joy (Acts 20:24)

If we keep these daily goals in mind, then the apostle Paul’s personal testimony will one day be ours as well: "I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7, NKJV)

God’s very best to all who love our Lord Jesus and His appearing. Amen.
Jim Sutton
 

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