“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” – Ephesians 6:11 ESV
Hey, Allison here. I just wanted to talk about some things that I struggle with and maybe you do too. Every day is a new day. We are so blessed to be able to wake up each morning, but what awaits us is some sort of battle. The devil will always try and work his schemes into our day the question is are you going to let him?
As Christians we face all kinds of battles. To name a few there is doubt, depression, lust, maintaining your relationship with Christ, guilt, and cursing. I want to talk about different battles that we face and how we can overcome them. Our journey as Christians was never made to be easy, trust me if everything in life was as simple as snapping your fingers it would be boring.
First off let me tell you I have been a Christian my entire life. After I came home from the hospital my mom told me they took me to church, and I have gone to church ever since. Now I am not a perfect goody two shoes. No one is perfect except our savior Jesus Christ. I admit I skip going to church every now and then or opt to watch online. Sometimes I don’t do either and it’s something I need to work on.
Since I have been a Christian my whole life, I have struggled with maintaining my relationship with Christ. I own a Bible. Matter of fact I own about six of them now, but that doesn’t mean I have read them cover to cover. They’re different versions and each of them help me get a better understanding. For example, one of my Bibles lets me take notes on the side and color while another one does not have that. I’ll highlight in one Bible, but not the other. I even have a KJV mini-Bible that lives in my car. I’ve used it a few times, but it helps remind me the Lord is always with me.
Growing up I rarely read the Bible or did much of anything to strengthen my relationship with Christ. All I did was go to church, pray during meals, and pray at night. As I got older, I started to understand more and I wanted to do more. One thing I did as a kid was read and I loved it! I attempted to read the Bible, but noticed it was hard so I gave up. Over the years I kept trying and then once I hit high school that was when I tried even harder. I began reading devotionals each morning before school and soon read the Bible cover to cover.
All relationships need work in order to thrive and that means Jesus needs you to participate even if it takes a little time out of your day. After all he did die on the cross for us the least, we can do is spend some time with him, right?
Today, I continue to struggle with maintaining my relationship with Christ, but we can only do our very best. My morning routine involves Jesus. I wake up read my devotional book, say a prayer from my prayer journal, and read a chapter out of the current book I’m reading from the Bible. Little steps of faith is all it takes to make your relationship stronger. You will fall down and maybe be down in the dumps about forgetting. Pick yourself back up and try again. Don’t give up and have patience! Jesus is here for you. He wants you to succeed and he loves you no matter how many times you fail.
Put on that armor of God. Tell the devil and his schemes to go away because Jesus is waiting for you to pick up that Bible, to turn on that Christian song, and to get on your knees and pray. Do it. Do it all for the glory of God.