When people first come to Jesus, they flourish. Then they start to waiver. They thought being a Christian would be easy and everything would turn to roses and rainbows. But that is not what occurs. In fact, at times, it’s harder to be a Christian than a nonbeliever.
At first, Christians flourish and blossom in God’s
word only to wilt later in their faith.
There are several reasons why this is.
- We, as Christians, think we need to be perfect once we become saved. Not true. No matter what, we will all sin. However, once we become Christians, we should want to do better. It’s even stated in the Bible we will sin. Romans 3:23 reminds us that For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. So don’t run away and hide from God when you sin. Instead of trying to be perfect, fall to your knees when you’re not.
- Too many people think Christians are evil. It’s easy to tell who the bad guy is in a mystery if there’s a Christian on the show. The media portrays most Christians as crazy. We need to realize that it is rarely true that Christians are evil. Realize that most of what occurs in Hollywood is not Godlike. In fact, Satan has a stronghold. We need to stand up and prove to the world that these shows are untrue.
- People who claim to be Christian harmed another. This turns out to be our focus (especially the media) instead of the good other Christians have done. While there is some evil in the church, we must also look at the positive. Did you know that more Christian organizations feed the hungry than any other religion? Focus on the good and Jesus to get through your anger when others hurt you. And never allow the evil one to use another, even a supposed Christian, to turn you from God.
- The Church is out of touch. The leaders don’t speak on issues that affect our lives. This is no truer than with the homosexual debate. Some church leaders blame homosexuals for all things wrong in the world refusing to focus on problems like adultery, pornography, and thievery. Did you know that the divorce rate among believers is equal to that of nonbelievers? If your leaders are keeping silent on important issues that affect Christians, then talk to them. The best way to get the church to listen is to join small groups and get involved.
- Science keeps trying to disprove the existence of God. True scientists don’t try to prove or disprove, they go where the evidence leads them. A 2009 Pew Research poll showed that 51% of scientist believe in some form of deity or higher power.[i] If you believe in God, the last thing you’re going to do is try to disprove Him. And the more research these scientists do, the more they grow in their faith. And so should you.
51% of scientists believe in a higher diety.
It can be hard to be a Christian, but we need to stand firm in our belief and not waiver. The stronger we stand, especially with other Christians, the more we will show that our faith is true.
Remember Jesus is about the only stronghold left in this world. We must hold tight and not allow any hardships to harm our faith, no matter how hard it might be to stay true.
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[i] http://www.pewforum.org/2009/11/05/scientists-and-belief/
