Is walking away really the best thing to do? You, the one struggling in your faith right now. Maybe you aren’t struggling with who Jesus is, but you find yourself struggling with what Jesus wants you to do. “It’s all too hard some days,” you say to yourself. That little voice inside of your head says it’s better just to walk away, stay quiet, and blend in.
Of course, that little voice would say that. Why? He’s the most selfish being of all. Satan, the deceptive one so filled with pride that he was kicked out of heaven. He wanted so badly to be like God, maybe even one-up God, that he lost his place in a perfect heaven. And, ever since his expulsion, he has done his best to get as many people as possible in his realm.
Being a Christian has never been easy. Jesus didn’t have it easy. The first disciples didn’t have it easy. The early church didn’t have it easy. Countless men and women throughout history haven’t had it easy. Some remained steadfast until the end. These men and women were firmly planted and rooted in Him. Others, their roots weren’t as deep and when life got hard, their shallow roots dried up. And for many others, their roots were never established, to begin with.
As a Christ-follower, the world is not your friend. You live in the world, but you shouldn’t be of it (John 17:14). Yet, far too many are falling to the ways of the world and when the weight of it all is too much, reconciling the world with our Christian convictions is too much to bear. So, many choose the easiest route, the widest path, and succumb to the world. The problem with this is that even if your salvation is secure, the choices you make to abandon the commands God has given because they are too hard, or just too much, affects your future generations.
When individuals actively choose to walk away from the commands of the Lord, they leave collateral damage for those after them to clean up. So, not only will those who come after you have to fight the battles you, yourself, are contemplating walking away from, they will have to clean up your mess, too. Is that really what you want to be known for?
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. (John 14:26)
Throughout the Old Testament, there are examples of messes made and cleaned up. Accounts of how one person, or many people, caused God to turn His back or unleash the enemy. Broken walls, broken families, death, destruction, and wanderings in the wilderness are woven throughout the words of Scripture. While we are able to see the beauty from the ashes because we see the complete story, many of those living through it never saw the beauty. If they were lucky, many simply survived in the aftermath.
Don’t walk away. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with courage and strength. Ask him to fill you with tenacity to stay the course. Don’t allow the enemy to break down walls or tear apart your family. Ask him for help. He knows the enemy doesn’t want you to succeed. But God does. He loves you that much
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Sandalfeet Ministries
Featured Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
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