God does not promise smooth sailing for His children. We would like to think so, but when you choose to believe God, repent of your sins and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, and follow the Holy Spirit in obedience, a great tension occurs between heaven and earth. While you have gone from dead in your trespasses to eternally alive in Christ, the war in the spiritual world (that is around us) heats up. This war has been waging for centuries and it will continue until Jesus returns to put evil in its rightful place.
Jesus is already the victor for He conquered death on the cross by resurrecting from the dead.
Until this day, there are hurdles to jump over, battlefields to dodge, obstacles to push around, and steep hills to climb that cause you to stumble in your faith on a daily basis. Often, you stumble over barriers that you erect yourself. A barrier can look like a wall to keep people and especially God at a distance. A barrier can be driven by fear, inadequacy or doubt. These halt the maturing process that God wants to work in you. Barriers keep you from experiencing the fullness of the Lord. Barriers guard your flesh, and they feed your sinful nature. Barriers hinder the Holy Spirit from transforming you into the image of Christ.
When barriers are erected, God cannot move you forward, and the enemy gains a foothold; thus you stumble around in your faith.
Then you have the enemy. He is out to take you down and every other believer. If he can’t get you to stop believing and follow Jesus, then he will place any and all derailments in your path to cause you to stumble. Satan works hard at keeping people from going all in for Christ. He gets you to settle for a little bit of God. He will squelch relationships, especially marriages. A marriage is the greatest reflection of the Trinity, and Satan hates the harmony between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If Satan can get you to believe in just the Father, he wins. Okay, believe in Jesus too. Your getting there but you still aren’t a threat to his agenda. Satan and his demons believe God and Jesus too; see James 2:19. You become his nemesis when you also obey the Holy Spirit.
When you engage in all three Gods of the Trinity, you become a true believer and Satan’s biggest pain in the neck!
The enemy is convincing people to invest in the things of this world. By loving the world, he can easily convince you that it’s not really worth following the Living God. “Is He really real?” “Can you truly trust Him?” “It’s okay to own this or buy that or go here and there. God wants you to enjoy your life on earth.” “It’s all about you.”
Has the enemy convinced you that the Bible is just a book on history? “All the sins you read about, they are for others, not you.” Do you read the Bible as a personal love letter to just you? Begin to read it as if you were the only one it is for, and ask God to reveal Himself to you. Watch Him awaken you to the most wonderful words ever given to man.
In 1 Peter 1:13-25 and 2:1-3, you learn what holy living looks like that will lessen how much you stumble. There are 10 simple lifestyle changes that will benefit your faith: 1. Think clearly. Know the Bible and obey the Spirit as He leads you; listen and do. 2. Exercise self-control. Jesus walked a disciplined life. You are too. 3. Look forward to your gracious salvation. God chose you and your salvation is a gift. There is nothing you can do to earn it. 4. You must live as God’s obedient children. Peter mentions another barrier. Be careful to not slip back into your old ways to satisfy your own desires.
NOW, 5. You must be holy in everything you do. God is holy and He chose you. 6. Pray to the heavenly Father who has no favorites. He will judge you according to what you do (or not do). 7. You must live in reverent fear of God in this time that you have on earth as a foreigner. Remember, your life on earth is not your home. Live like Christ did in His 33 years on earth. 8. Show sincere love to one another. Love people deeply. 9. Get rid of all evil behavior. Just be done with it! Anything that is not from God is considered evil. Examples would be deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, unkind speech. 10. Begin to crave pure spiritual milk. Today is the day of your salvation. Grow into all its fullness. Cry out for nourishment. Why? Because you have tasted the Lord’s kindness.
Peter gives us a dose of reality in why you are to live in such a God-honoring way. God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your earthly parents. Jesus is your ransom, and God will reveal Jesus to you in the most intimate ways. It is only through Christ that you come to trust God. You must place your faith and hope in God. You are cleansed from your sins when you obey truth.
A lot is at stake, my friend, and Satan will do anything to keep you from craving God, desiring Jesus, wanting the Holy Spirit, or even seeking the goodness of God. Don’t let him or your own earthly desires keep you from the Trinity. Not only will your life be messy, but you will stumble, trip, and fall short in the end if you do. God wants more for you. Trust Him.
Carol J German 