Let’s get a few things straight right from the beginning… Life as a believer is wonderful and filled with great gifts from the Lord but 9 times out of 10 is not easy and requires work. We face so many different kinds of challenges to our faith on this earth. We must work diligently toward the ultimate goal of being in the presence of the Lord for eternity. Matthew 7:13 speaks to the many challenges we face in this world in this way, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” In other words, if we want to be with God in eternity we must find and pursue the way of the narrow gate. The way of the narrow gate requires discipline, perseverance, and devotion to God among many other things.
I believe the best way to overcome the challenges we are faced with is first to define them so that we can prepare. I asked our followers on Facebook and Instagram to give me some insight into what they felt were some of the biggest challenges Christians face in this world and here are the responses.
Laws
As we know there are many written and unwritten laws that stand in opposition to our religious beliefs. In the US we have many freedoms that protect our right to practice our religion but this is not the case in many counties around the world. We should pray always be praying for those who create the laws in our county and for those who do not have the freedom to practice their faith.
Persecution because we follow Jesus
Our society is set up to oppose our Christian beliefs and to question guiding principles. Society cannot grasp why we would actively choose to serve others before ourselves, why we would give without wanting anything in return, and why we would love those who hate us. These fundamental blocks we have in our faith go against the world’s thoughts of self-service, take whatever I need, and hate all who are different than me. John 15:19 explains this in this way, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
The inability to forgive and love others who have hurt you
All of us have been hurt by the words or conduct of others. In this case, we are called to forgive and love them despise of that fact. Ephesians 4:32 instructs us to, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” It is not our place to avenge the pain that someone has caused in our lives.
The inability to be a true disciple of Jesus
We are called to be a true disciple of Jesus and to strive to emulate how He conducted Himself while He was on Earth. We all know that this is a very lofty goal and we will not be able to attain it. The key is to attempt to be more like Jesus every day and give ourselves the grace to forgive and do a better job at it when we fall short. If we are being honest we know that we get it wrong more than we get it right and God’s forgiveness and grace are the only things that keep us moving forward.
The inability to keep faith in the Lord
It seems too good to be true right?!? I mean the Son of God came down to earth and suffered in order to save us. We are such sinful people who do not deserve to be saved but that is not how God saw it or how He sees it today. God fights for us daily and as such, we should be fighting to keep the faith every day as well.
Overstimulation
I have written of this before in The Voice of God post. In a world filled with so much noise, it is hard to hear the voice of God. No matter where we turn there are always voices telling us what we should do and how we should do it. With so many voices it can be hard to know which ones are of the Lord and which ones are not.
The fear of being different than the world
Romans 12:2 tells us that we should be different than the world, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” When we stand out from the world it shouldn’t be because of our judgment of the world but of the love, we have for others that are different from us. People should wonder how and why we continue to love and have joy in the midst of all of the challenges we face.
These are just a few of the challenges we might face as a follower of God. Although we don’t like to hear it the truth is that we are not promised that everything will be excellent or that we will never face tough times. What God does promise He will make it all work for good and that through our challenges we will develop endurance. So when challenges come your way I hope that you will remember what Romans 8:18 says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” We will only have to endure the pain of this world for a little while and in return, we will receive the Kingdom of God forever.