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You might not be in an environment where you see despondent and sad Christians by the dozens. If you aren’t, be thankful. This is not to say that Christians should never be sad or depressed, because all of us encounter life challenges that will seek to pull us down mentally and emotionally. We have to cry sometimes, and that’s the simple truth of it; but most of us get back up. We do so stronger, wiser, and better able to reign in our own lives. One of the things that we are witnessing disproportionately today is a number of Christians that are not getting back up. Instead, they are actually considering leaving the Christian life all together. Their investment in the faith hasn’t been enough glue to cause them to want to stick to the life that God has called them to. It’s unfathomable to many of us I’m sure, but it’s happening, and we need to make sure we’re girded up with some fundamental truths to stand guard.
Know Your Identity
Colossians 3:3(NIV) says, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Our born-again status cements this. We are new creations in Christ Jesus and this was God’s plan all along. We know that God is all-knowing, but a very wise person said that God sees the end before He begins. This put everything in context for me, because when God looks at us, He doesn’t see our mistakes and missteps. He doesn’t see all of our faults, He sees the Christ in us. He sees what we will be. Our human shortcomings are not visible because the totality of our existences is hidden in the reality of our Lord. God sees the person He created us to be in Christ, and this is why destiny is such an important word. God knows our end—He knows our destination. He knows that we will be perfected in Christ, basking in the light of His glory.
It delights the Father to see us this way, but we must get to a place in our lives where we see ourselves the way that He does. Ephesians 2:10(NLT) tells us, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” The Christ in us makes us this masterpiece that God has created. So, we have to look in the mirror and see an accurate and awesome reflection of Jesus Christ, because he is our true identity.
Running away from our reality in Christ is the same as running away from ourselves. It’s running away from life; because John 14:6 declares that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. We are the truth because he is the truth. Again, your identity in Christ is the real you, and it is based on God’s love. Problems, obstacles, and difficulties are not going to go away just because we think we can opt out. Overcoming through Christ is in our DNA. We have already won, and running from this victory in Christ (even if we’re still in the midst of the battle) doesn’t make sense.
Erroneous teaching and false doctrine has taught some of us that God punishes people when they do wrong—that He has favorites, and that He doesn’t love the sinner, but none of this is true. He loves everyone so very much, and He wants every person to be saved. 1Timothy 2:3-4 (NLT) affirms, “This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” We have to remember that as God’s chosen ones, our responsibility is to pray for everyone, particularly those who don’t know Christ, and we need to encourage people (saved and not saved) in this season more than ever.
Jesus Christ is our bridegroom, and we’re his bride. He’s the head and we’re the body. Revelation 19:7-8 (NLT) says, “7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. 8 She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear. For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.” Until this is our reality, until the revelation of it unfolds vibrantly in our hearts and minds, we’re going to experience some bumps and bruises along the way. God knew that we would have challenges with pressing towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of Jesus Christ, and He has given us a wonderful comforter, friend, and teacher to help us get over the hurdles. We need to lean on him, the Holy Spirit, for strength and power.
There Is A Prize!
Philippians 3:9 tells us that God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. We can’t make ourselves righteous. God made a way through Jesus Christ for us to stand before Him with no sense of guilt, sin, or condemnation. Because of Christ we are fully clothed in God’s righteousness. What a gift! God has done this because He loves us—He loves us even though we’re not perfect and we make lots of mistakes.
Life will present us with opportunities and lessons that help us to continue walking in righteousness in the fullness of Christ. As we mature spiritually and hold before ourselves the mirror of his example, we begin to see more openly things about ourselves that need to be released.
God wants our hearts flooded with His love, so that He has greater room to move within us. He wants our minds to match His mind, and our hearts to match His heart. Growing in His nature day by day is what our earth experience is all about. Spiritual growth dictates that we release the things that hold us back so that we can embrace more of the things that propel us forward. We need to release the fears that block our faith and tell us that God is not going to help us. As we release, greater faith in God’s love is gained, and our efforts to grow in the Spirit are rewarded.
Each of us has something in our lives that needs to be confronted and eradicated. It is different for all of us. For one person, it might be insecurities about their looks. For another it could be a fear of making decisions. All of us have something that we struggle with, and it keeps us from being our best for God and spills over into other areas of our lives. It may take us a lifetime to work on it, but we shouldn’t sweat it and we certainly shouldn’t entertain leaving the faith because of fear.
Sometimes it feels as if we’re all alone and there’s so much pressure on our backs—coming at us from every direction. Some of us feel a bit like we’ve been through the wash cycle of a washing machine because we’ve had so many ups and downs. The reality is that we’re going higher and higher in the Lord, even if it doesn’t look like it to us. God is with us every step of the way. He has purchased our lives through Jesus Christ, and we belong to Him. So, if ever you’re feeling so depleted that you want to abandon the most precious thing that you have, know resolutely that it is because you’ve released something that is trying to hold on. Don’t let your faith go. Release the blocker and you will receive the reward. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Releasing the Blocker” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2017. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
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