Previously we compared the Christian life to a walk — a process involving steady movement forward.
But, for some, the Christian walk seems to be more like one step forward and two steps back — a real struggle. Others seem to keep losing their balance and often fall — a life filled with ups and downs.
Why is walking the walk a struggle?
Continuing to liken the Christian walk to physical walking, we can find a few reasons walking the walk might be a struggle.
Maturity: You are either a new Christian or haven’t sufficiently matured.
Newborns haven’t developed the muscle strength to hold themselves up. Even with assistance, they just don’t have the ability to walk. As children grow and get stronger, they need to learn to walk. At first they must really focus or concentrate on each step, overcoming fears and insecurities. They fall but get up and try again until eventually they don’t have to concentrate near so much and they become steadier and steadier as they walk.
The Need for Walking Spiritually: Grow and keep growing through the study of God’s Word so you develop spiritual muscles (Heb. 5:14; Phil. 3:12-14).
Blockage or Disease Affecting the Brain: Sin is blocking fellowship or communication with the Head, affecting your ability to walk. (Isa. 59:1-2)
Since the brain controls our movement, anything preventing proper communication between the brain and our legs will affect our ability to walk.
The Need for Christian Walk: Apply God’s RX: Repent, confess your sin (1 Jn. 1:5-7) and then grab hold of God’s grace and power to rid yourself of sin (Rom. 6:11-18; Titus 2:11-12).
Heart Problems: An divided heart can cause problems. (Ps. 86:11; 1 Kings 8:58)
Physically, a bad heart can cause us to get out of breath as we walk. Such difficulties can make walking difficult. Yet, walking can actually strengthen the heart and as it does, it becomes less of a struggle, if we persevere.
The Need for Walking the Walk as Christians: Pay attention to the condition of your heart above external conformity. Ask God to teach you and turn your heart wholeheartedly toward Him (1 Kings 8:58; Ps. 86:11). Above all, guard your heart (Prov. 4:23).
He never said it would be easy, but He did say….Behold I will be with You all the days of your Life. Thank God for being Emmanuel!!!! Keep Walking and then after steady balance the run will Kick In. Never quit.
Encouraging words, Arleseha. What a difference it makes when we realize He is there with us each step of the way!
I am struggling with MY walk with God…I can’t make myself go to church read his word and pray consistently. this has been going on for 2yrs.. I have asked Gods forgiveness and i know he has. Don’t know what to do please help…have anybody else had this experience?
Carolina, you are not alone. I can give you some general thoughts but since I don’t know the particulars that led up to this spiritual drought in your life, what I say may seem simplistic. You may also need to work through issues that got you to this point. Perhaps you can find someone local to meet with who is willing to come alongside of you. God doesn’t intend for us to go it alone. He uses fellow believers to provide the encouragement and accountability we need. Sometimes we need someone else to help us get over the hurdles.
In Psalm 46:10, God says “cease striving (be still) and know that I am God.” Times like what you are describing aren’t necessarily times to try harder but rather to rest more in Him. Start from the premise that “I can’t” do this but “God can.” Be honest with Him about where you are. Sometimes we just have to lean more into God’s grace and strength to move forward. Sometimes it as simple as focusing more on God and what He does above what we do or should do. The more we experience His love, grace, and mercy, the more motivated we become. It’s about constantly reminding ourselves about not only how great God is but also how good He is (Ps. 27:13; 42:5).
If the Christian life becomes more of a drudgery or duty, it’s easy to struggle in our walk with God. Sometimes the way we think about the Christian life needs to change. Maybe these articles can be of help:
Christian Life: Drudgery vs Joy
Christian Life: Duty vs. Delight
I struggle in my christian life with anxiety and depression and not bearing fruit and doing any good works. I want to do good works and go to church and be around christians but my social anxiety and depression keep me at home by myself. I hate wasting my life just working, sleeping and trying to get through each day without any friends. Sometimes it feels like I am not saved as I cant see much growth in my life even though I desire to grow and please God. I also wonder if I need deliverance. I want to be baptized in the holy spirit as well.
Mate Milinkovic, the fact that you are even thinking along these lines suggests that God is at work in your life seeking to draw you closer and closer to Himself. Sometimes anxiety and depression do indeed hold us back from living in the fullness of life Jesus came to bring us. They’re like the thief that “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” but Jesus came so we “may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn. 10:10). God’s goal for you isn’t to simply make you “feel” better but to make you whole. That often requires walking through those valleys and working through issues at the root of our anxiety and depression. Let me point you in three directions: 1) Check out the resources on anxiety and depression listed in the Support Groups Resources page under the ‘Specific Recovery Resources’ tab. 2) Seek out someone local, a Christian with whom you can share your struggles and pray together. 3) Look for a Christian counselor with whom you can get more in-depth. — It may be helpful to do all three but any step you can take to get to the root would be a start. If this is something God wants you to work through, it will be difficult to do so until you get to the root. Anxiety and depression are usually symptoms of something deeper. — May God give you the strength and wisdom to take the next step as His Spirit guides you into truth.
I felt like this was accusatory and not helpful. I’m sorry. I’m in a bad place and I know it’s because I haven’t sufficiently matured or trusted in God. It’s all my fault. It’s like I’m carrying the relationship. I just feel like I’ll never be a good Christian. I should just give up on life altogether. I’ll never get this right.
Hello, Kip. I’m sorry to read this wasn’t helpful. The intent of the post certainly is not to be accusatory but rather to suggest some possibilities for why the Christian life might be a struggle. It uses the analogy of walking since the Bible refers to the Christian life as a walk. The reasons given grow out of parallels to physical walking. On our own, none of us will ever get it right. None of us will ever be a good Christian, no matter how hard we try. That’s why God sent Jesus … to do for us what we can’t do on our own. — “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (Jn. 3:17) In Jesus, we find forgiveness and hope for eternal life but also strength for walking the walk. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28) That’s rest from our striving to be good enough, rest in our souls from the stresses of life. Jesus just asks you to “come” and then in the next verse to “take my yoke upon you and learn from me”. Being yoked to Him, He bears the weight, not us. He will carry the relationship. That’s what grace is all about — God doing for us what we can’t do for ourselves. We just need to “come” to Him … over and over, day after day. Just as to walk we must keep putting one foot in front of the other, so we keep going to Him, looking to Him for the help we need.
The struggles present itself and I allow myself to be weak. So easily i forget the love that sought me and saved me by grace. Why can’t I stay focused, I keep going back to a life of sin.
Peaches, the struggle is common to us humans. In Romans 7:19, the Apostle Paul described it this way: “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.” The solution Paul gave? “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:24-25) — In ourselves we just can’t do it. We need to keep falling back on the grace and mercy of our God and we need to keep turning to Him for help. Sometimes God doesn’t instantaneously deliver us but teaches us and grows us through the process of continued dependence on Him.
i wonder why God put these mountains for us in this life, clearly it seems it’s for us to see how we are. for God already knows us… then why would he make us a certain way… are we all not strong. are we only strong in christ? then why everyday i feel weak, hollow, and empty… and everyday i wonder of my existense, why the maker would create someone who blatantly sins. what glory for God in creating certain people….
Hello EvicFinite. The realities of life you described can make us question, and I believe God is okay with that. He wants us to freely choose to love, trust, worship, and obey Him. What glory is to be derived by creating people who have no choice but to follow Him? When we, however, turn to Him because we want to, because we believe He is worthy of our love and adoration, that’s what truly pleases Him. He wants us to be in a relationship with Him, not just follow Him because we have to. Along with the will to choose Him is the will to deny Him, to live for self. Indeed, that has been a struggle since the beginning of time. Even the Apostle Paul wrote, “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Rom. 7:18-19) He said, “What a wretched man I am!” but then concluded “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:24-25)
So, yes, we are strong in Christ. It begins by choosing to put our trust in Him and Him alone to forgive us of our sin and make us right with God. No amount of effort on our part will ever be enough. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:8). He did for us what we can’t do for ourselves. That’s how much He loves us and wants to be in a relationship with us. Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior doesn’t come with the promise of an easy and trouble-free life but it does come with the promise of an eternity with Him where there will be no more pain and sorrow and struggle with sin. In light of eternity, the short time we have in this sin-ridden existence is just a blip, though it may not seem like it as we go through it.
But there’s even hope for today to rise above our old human nature once we are in Him. That also takes trusting Him, which continues to be a choice. I need to purposefully choose to think on the right things (Phil. 4:8-9). I need to purposefully choose to take captive thoughts that are contrary to life in Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). I need to purposefully choose to cast all my anxieties on Him, taking everything to Him in prayer (Phil. 4:6-7). I need to purposefully choose to trust Him with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6).
As in any relationship, if we don’t make choices that nurture that relationship, our love for Him can grow cold. And, when our love for Him grows cold, it’s a lot easier to give in to our old sin nature. But, when we look to Him, He gives us strength when we are weak. He fills the emptiness with peace and joy. We need to make a purposeful choice to focus our mind on Him (Isa. 26:3), on things above, not on the things of this world (Col. 3:1-2).