Struggling as a Christian in 2021

As Christians, many times we fall into this mindset that we have to be perfect; that if we aren't perfect, we're doing something wrong. This is true especially in those, such as myself, who have not been dedicated to living a godly life for long. It's come to my attention that quite often we think that as soon as we become Christians our lives will become radically changed; and in a way this is true, but not in the manner that many of us have come to think.

To give you a perfect example, I'll share with you something which happened to me today. I had just finished up my workout, got in my car, flipped on the radio, and was headed home when a song came on that sort of made me uncomfortable. Now, here's the funny thing, it was a Christian song; but the way the artist sang, so openly, and the words he was speaking, just showed me how short I fall in my praise life. I've always been a quiet individual, someone who never really speaks out or puts any emotion into a speech or a song; but hearing this showed me an area I was struggling with.

So what exactly was it that was being said, what was it that was being pointed out to me specifically? The artist was singing about God, how he created all of the stars and had names for each of them; how amazing God truly was and doing it so openly. There's no doubt about it, I love my God, but He pointed out to me through this song that I struggle with being open about my faith. Around my own family I'll often times wrap up my prayers quickly just because I hear someone about to walk into the room. It's not always necessarily because I'm embarrassed about prayer, but I do get uncomfortable when people watch me from time to time or ask me to pray out loud.

Here's the message that I want to relay today, when you become a Christian, not everything is going to be perfect, you will struggle. I pray on a daily basis that God will show me areas of my life that I can improve on, asking Him to come into these areas of my life, take over, and change them for the good of our relationship. By no means am I struggling in my walk with God on a personal level, but in regards of letting others know about it and sharing my faith with others, definitely. This may not be your problem, you may struggle with something completely different, such as giving up something in your life which you know is sinful; whatever the issue, we'll never be perfect, and it takes time to mature as a Christian.

 Many people think that those who are in leadership positions live perfect Christian lives, such as pastors and assistant pastors; do you really think they don't fall short on a daily basis. The Bible tells us this, all people sin and fall short of the glory of God; it's not just talking about non-believers, it's talking about Christians as well. I guarantee you that there are many pastors, deacons, and other leaders who struggle with lust, pride, and money on a day to day basis. Don't fall into a manner of thinking that just because you have a minor set back that you're disappointing God, God loves you unconditionally and wants you to bring these problems before Him; don't just push them aside and belittle yourself.

You need to understand this, those who have been saved and continue to sin without seeking forgiveness, are failing to live a good Christian life; they are growing further and further from the Lord by failing to bring their problems before Him. But those who realize they are making mistakes, bring them before God, seek forgiveness and the strength to overcome, are doing exactly as they should be. God is more compassionate than we could possibly comprehend with our human emotions, He desires to carry all of our burdens for us, displaying His awesome power; all He asks is that we put our faith and confidence in Him. It's not by our own abilities and power that we make it through these struggles, it's by God's grace and mercy.

So next time you come across an area in your life that you're just struggling with, and you're not sure what to do about it, I want you to do this. Stop what you're doing, calm yourself, try to find a quiet place, and say this prayer:

"Father, I know that you already know what I'm struggling with, but I'm going to show some humility and bring it before you anyway. I'm struggling with (whatever your struggle is), I can't overcome this on my own Lord, I need your help carrying this burden. Father I just humbly ask that you would bare this burden for me, carry these emotions of stress, disappointment, and (whatever it is your feeling) so that I don't have to. Come into this area of my life God, (ask for forgiveness if it's something you've done), grant me the strength to overcome this obstacle and to focus on you. I know it's by your power and your blessing that I will overcome this, not by my will alone; thank you Father. I pray and ask that all of these things would be done in Jesus name, amen."

It may not happen immediately, God works on His own timetable, but you can have faith that He will allow you to overcome whatever it is you're facing. If you don't believe me, let me give you another perfect example from my life. For the longest time I had an addiction with pornography, I couldn't stop watching it and I just struggled with it almost every single day. When I rededicated my life to God, I continued to struggle with it, but I began asking for forgiveness and the strength to say no, I don't want to watch this. It didn't happen immediately, but over the course of about a month, God allowed me to reach that point where I no longer desired it and didn't have to watch it or even look at it. Do I still get urges to look occasionally? Of course I do, I'm a man, but I also have someone much greater than sin on my side; you do too.

If there is something which you're struggling with and would like to have others help you pray over, please leave a comment on the prayer request wall. I would like to thank you for dropping by, feel free to share this article with all of your friends and family, there are share buttons located at the top of each page; also please consider voting me up with a +1 with Google Plus. To continue growing as a Christian, why not consider reading about The Ab Workout of Christianity? Feel free to leave me a comment or some feedback about what you thought below.

God Bless!