If you think or believe that your struggles are more challenging than anyone else, you are mistaken!
Living a biblical Christian life is difficult no matter what your circumstances are. Whether you are working at a law firm, construction worker, CEO of a corporation, or pastor, a biblical Christian life is hard to live. I believe it is essential to explain why I am using the term biblical Christian. From experience, I know that many people who claim to be Christians do not define Christianity the same as I do. Some people claiming to be Christians do not entirely follow the Bible. They use the Bible more like a book for life guidance. A biblical Christian believes the Bible is inerrant and infallible. In other words, the Bible does not contain errors and is not wrong in any way. Another way to put it is that the Bible is the foundation and source for absolute truth. Since the term biblical Christian is now defined for this blog, I will simply say Christian moving forward.
Throughout the Bible, one can see the difficulties people faced when living a Christian life. We are no different. There seems to be a misconception that being a Christian in the military is exceptionally different than living such a life in any other career or lifestyle. Of course, it has some unique aspects. Nonetheless, the difficulties are the same as in any other occupation. So, with what does the average Christian contend?
It is challenging to live a Christian life because we are all sinful creatures. Starting in Genesis, Adam defied God and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It has been downhill ever since. Adam caused all of humanity to be born with a sinful nature. The consequences of his actions are why we now struggle with things like selfishness, pride, and lust. We battle daily to avoid these things and have a God-focused life, even as pastors and chaplains.
If you think or believe that your struggles are more challenging than anyone else, you are mistaken! Let me clarify that statement. If we decide to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savoir at some in our lives, we all start as immature Christians. We begin to read the Bible and live our lives based on what we learn. However, our understanding is limited because we are just starting the journey to becoming mature Christians. Typically, this is one of the most complex parts of the Christian journey. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we have to change almost everything in our lives completely. Eventually, we find our new standard with our new life in Christ. With the new life, some old sinful habits fall away. However, some remain. In essence, your life is easier because you have shed some sinful habits and are making better decisions, but the desire to sin remains.
How does one face the challenges of sin? Read the Bible and grow in spiritual maturity. The key to living a Christian life in any circumstance is studying the Bible and applying its teachings to your life. When I say study, I mean a deep daily dive into God’s word, the Bible. You should be spending a minimum of thirty minutes a day reading and studying the Bible. Psalm 1:1-3 states, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Joshua 1:8 states, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” The success spoken of here is the success in following God’s laws and defeating sinful temptations in your life. If you are not studying God’s word daily, you are doing the equivalent of going into battle without a weapon; it is impossible to please God and live a Christian life without studying the Bible.
If you would like to begin studying the Bible and maturing spiritually, I recommend getting John MacArthur’s Study Bible to help you in your studies. The MacArthur Study Bible has commentary (notes) on the bottom of the page explaining the scriptures in detail. He reviews the settings of the books and provides word studies so you can know what selected words mean in the original Greek language. This Study Bible will jump-start your study beyond what you could ever imagine. You can purchase it on Amazon. In addition, the Navigators organization offers a free e-book entitled: How to Study the Bible (see order website below).
Amazon Link:
Navigators Link:
https://www.navigators.org/mk202109-how-to-study-the-bible/?
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