Why are you a Christian? Do you consider it a “get out of jail free card?” Some people mistakenly are under the impression that once they are baptized, life is going to be a “bed of roses” from then on. It’s true – their sins have been washed away, but it’s also true that just like that pig can go back to “wallowing in the mire” (II Peter 2:22), a Christian can turn again to their sinful ways. Being a Christian doesn’t change what you deal with – tough times will still come. Those roses will still have thorns. What it does do – is change “how” you deal with it.
The Psalmist urged us to “trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). We have to learn that we might not know everything that we think we do. We are encouraged to “be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:7) Paul had come to the realization that “we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:3-5). Yes, those tribulations and hard times try our patience; the trying of our patience gives us experience, and those experiences give us hope because we know that no matter what is going on or what we are enduring, God still loves us. He is watching over us. We are not alone.
My Friends, being a Christian doesn’t change what you deal with, but it does change how you deal with it. Prayer changes things – tap into the power. Simply blessed, Courtney