Being a Christian is not for wimps! Following the King is the hardest thing we can do in this life. It will put us at odds with almost everyone on earth, including some of our closest family members and friends. At times we will likely be at odds with others who are following Him. Then we have our own carnal nature that is constantly at war with us and our walk with the Lord. If that is not enough, God cast the devil and all the fallen angels to the earth, and they are intent on attacking those who follow the Lord!
Who would sign up for such a life? Only those who love God above all else and love His truth enough to die for it. If the Lord had wanted it to be easy, He could have at least cast the devil and his hordes into the abyss immediately. But He did not for our sake. He did not want it to be easy but hard. The harder it is, the higher the calling.
Without a question, the Christian life is beyond any human ability to live at least in our own strength. We don’t have to. He will give us His strength for everything we face. To a large degree, maturing in Him is learning to live by His strength and wisdom, not just our own. We do this by seeking to abide in Him in everything. Does this mean we need a word or directive from the Lord for everything?
Needing a word for every little thing is a sign of immaturity, not maturity. The younger the child, the more they need constant direction. As we mature, we should grow in wisdom and understanding and need less direction. The same is true after we are born again and begin to grow spiritually. For this reason, the apostles were not led around by the hand but were sent out by the Lord. In the Book of Acts they made decisions, but only when they made a wrong decision did the Lord appear to them in a dream or vision to redirect them.
So, as we mature, we should come to know the ways of the Lord well enough to know what to do in most instances, and not need a word from Him or counsel from others. However, we still must do everything with the Lord, abiding in Him and growing in His ways.
When I write, I ask the Lord to guide me and lead me by His Spirit. I ask for correction in anything that is not right. I feel Him with me as I write, and at times I receive specific guidance by a quickening, a revelation, or a word from Him. Most of the time, I just sense His presence as I write and know if He is not specifically addressing something, it must be okay.
That is not to imply everything I write is His word on the matter. I am not writing Scripture. However, like the Apostle Paul who wrote, “according to my judgment,” and “I think I also have the Spirit of God” in this matter (see I Corinthians 7:40), I write mostly that way. Paul may have been a chief apostle, but he was not overbearing in his leadership. He was gentle and open to being entreated. We see the Lord Himself being this way. Even under the Old Covenant, He tried to entreat Israel many times.
If you have known many serious warriors (like special ops types) they understandably have an edge to them. Some face more life and death situations in a single assignment than most people face in a lifetime. In the spiritual realm, we are as embattled as they are, and perhaps even more so. On top of all the challenges we have, we must fight with a different spirit—the fruit of the Spirit. We cannot hate our enemies; we must love them.
So, we’re fighting the world, the devil, and his hordes, and even our own fallen nature, and we must do it in love! There may not be a greater challenge in the universe, but this is the character required of sons and daughters of the King.
