Have you seen the wicked doing well and those living a holy life struggling? How often have you been frustrated with life not being fair? Discouragement can become a problem and cause one to make bad decisions.

Christianity is a process and it takes time to have the faith to change one’s life and perspective. A Christian must learn that the promises that God guaranteed works and will help one to overcome life’s struggles and frustrations.

Who controls the world in which we live? You can tell it is too messed up to be God. The Bible tells us it is Satan. Yet, many Christians live the ways of the world rather than God’s way. Our flesh is weak and easy to be tempted. I recently read that a poll of Christians was taken and the question asked was: “Why do you not witness more?” The number one answer was: Because I don’t live any different from others. There are many reasons a number of Christians do not live a holy life. They struggle with all kinds of problems. One is the inability to forgive another.
Matthew 6:14 – 15 – “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” This is a greater problem than many realize. Someone may have done something terribly bad and you cannot make yourself forgive them. Have you ever done anything so bad that Christ could never forgive you? Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption and it should be enough incentive to live righteously and speak godly communication. To live like a Christian we must not be bitter, raging, angry, brawling and slandering or all forms of malice. Our behavior should be kind, compassionate and forgiving just as Christ forgave each of us.

Do you have a problem continually sinning? Romans 6:6 – 7 – “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” All of us have self-centered natures capable of sinning. It is so much easier to trust in ourselves, which is our comfort zone, than trusting Christ. This is why we too often do things without asking for the Holy Spirit’s help. If this is a problem, your life can be a struggle. Yet, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit will give us a new nature and we will no longer be a slave to sin. If you sin and are not convicted, you are not where you should be spiritually.

Do you really know that you have been saved? I John 3:10 – “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.”

Romans 1:17 – “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Martin Luther used “The righteous shall live by faith”, Scripture as the chief foundation of all of his doctrine. Righteousness means we are right in the sight of God. If we are not living to please God we are probably not living a righteous life. The end result is a cause for a Christian to struggle with life.

Are we truly a disciple of Christ’s? Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Luke 13:26 – 28 – “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers! “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out.

We often do not understand why Christ did not know them if they professed to be a born again Christian. The Bible tells us we must have a personal relationship with Christ. The reason He never knew you is your lack of developing that relationship. If you are a Christian and have not developed a relationship with Christ, you will struggle with life. You never want to be told by Christ that He did not know you.