I’ll have to confess, the notion of it being easy or hard to achieve (or, compose the effort toward) is something I never considered beforehand. Spinning such yarns is a primary example of a Christian not truly believing in their own sin nature, as I mentioned above - not to mention that it is, most often, a blatant lie.
Embrace your sin nature; not to give it ground, mind you - but to be honest. Instead, we do the best with what God gave us with the lack of perfection as a guiding rod which points to the need for salvation. The things which never affected you before, God is now calling you on - so man (or woman) up and take responsibility. Christians don’t (or shouldn’t) ever try to be ‘perfect’, such an undertaking would drive a person insane. Some wear the “sin” badge as a way to paint themselves like everyone else, like the world - but few truly accept it as a fact in their lives. Look it in the face and say ‘no matter what, you’re not going to beat me!’ Sin, stumble, come up short - but be honest about it, get up, wipe yourself off and press on. Christian’s stumble. However, whether we wear the title of “Christian”, in an attempt to portray our alignment to Christ, and not as a punch line or for lack of a better term, soon after we should try our best to live it. However, it has been a creeping hand on my shoulder since I chose Christ. The world knows or cares not about heaven, and that’s completely understandable. You won’t idiot God, but with every tale of innocence, you rob Him of His truth and your own honor.
Truth is truth, no matter what folly is drawn as a blanket by it.
Christian’s fail. The point however is, God would much rather us be up front with our shortfalls, bereft of excuses. Your Pastor? Those are facts so paramount to our lives that they are often overlooked in the beginning. The realization of the difficulty doesn’t come until the walk is attempted. We don’t. Yourself? Remember, excuses don’t work on God, so who are you spinning them for? Your Friends? I will submit; to quit in that manner is worse for the end than someone who has never believed. So why try?
I don’t think it’s a secret, for anyone who tried to truly live a Christian life, that attempting such a feat is very difficult. Christian’s on the other hand, are driven to obey, with the desire for something greater in the kingdom of heaven. certain, we can speak of perseverance and not quitting, but considering we hold so much personal possession by our “own life”, those helps won’t do much good once the decision to quit has been made. that is considering of the blatant denial which must overpower the belief, a denial which is nothing more than an attempt to justify the truth away - which cannot be done. In fact, I am willing to bet that most who’ve known the truth, but next have fallen away, are victims of the same thing, to a point. We’re all going to have vices and regular things which form us stumble, but what gets my goat is excuses. No matter how you slice it, sex can’t be an accident or something which one didn’t “intend” - it’s impossible. Those who don’t believe have an easy life, no conviction and nothing to hold them accountable. As I’ve said, that’s fine and within them and God - none of us should hold any ill regard toward them. certain, some who have tasted God’s gift, even just a bit, but chose to throw it away, “might” still have the pang of truth in their hearts - but it’s easy for them to cover it up. Christian’s sin. In many lives, it’s the first instance accountability has been an issue, with all of the things one “used to do” coming to light as unacceptable. It’s not easy. Of course, I won’t explain that considering it needs no explaining - whether you want to play dumb, that’s your signal. It doesn’t matter who you are, humans aren’t perfect and - dare I say - we don’t even possess the potential for perfection. After all, in the now, it isn’t tangible, isn’t seen and cannot get anyone the phone number of the woman at the end of the bar and put her into bed with them.
Those who mock Christianity are those who simply don’t want to submit to anything beyond themselves. Pre-marital sex, for example, is often met with “it was an accident” - “we didn’t mean to”; does anyone see the logistical impossibility of that?
[Source] JCsZealot
