I just finished writing this after a night of wrestling in thoughts and prayer for a friend who has a hard struggle with drugs and is married to an alcoholic who is called to the ministry and walks with faltering steps. She pleads with me not to stop being her friend because, she says my friendship keeps her strong.  You're welcome to share it with anyone who you think might benefit by it. Keep praying for people like this, but don't fail to warn them when they so flagrantly walk the wrong way.  In His love, Becky                              

When it’s Hard Being a Christian

There are people who call themselves ‘saved’ and yet they keep walking as a lost person. They call themselves “Baptized in the Holy Spirit” which the Bible says gives power to walk with God and to do His will.

There are people who still bow to the wants and desires of their flesh, and allow those fleshly desires to rule them… saying “I’m trying, but I just can’t help it.”

There are those of us, and I have been one myself, who live in denial… praying for God to have His way in their life and yet living according to what makes them happy. This kind of people are bowing to the lower nature of man and failing to see the great need to live in the Spirit of God and not give in to those things the flesh so greatly desires.

What God’s Word says about this is, “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16. “I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish”.

In our flesh there is nothing perfect. Our natural mind is weak and needs to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. It takes a choice! Either obey the natural weakness of our minds and the lusts of our flesh, or run to Jesus each and every time an evil desire comes to mind, such as lying, stealing, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, drunkenness, taking drugs to get high or change the thoughts of your mind. Go to your Bible. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide and correct you before it’s too late.

Mind me… our flesh wants to rule us. God tells us to overcome the desires of the flesh. It’s not an easy thing to do. We have to truly, truly, deeply want to let the Holy Spirit rule in us. I myself can not be strong for anyone. God has given each person a measure of faith, and we are responsible for using that faith to follow and obey Him. I can’t do it for you. All I can do is write or say things to encourage you to shape yourself up. STOP finding excuses to do wrong. You belong to God. You do not belong to yourself.

Sometimes it might take a big calamity in your life to make you bow down to the desires of God and stop giving in to your flesh. Big calamities are painful! Embarrassing. The dictionary says that a calamity is “deep trouble or misery, any extreme misfortune bringing great loss and sorrow; disaster. When this kind of thing comes from God it is known as Chastisement… and “He chastises the child that He loves.”  You know that chastisement means punishment to bring correction. You can’t blame the devil and try to rebuke him for your problem. It is you who made the choice.