Falling Away

 The more I walk with Jesus, the more I'm realizing just how difficult the life of faith really is. It seems easy to believe initially, but when that belief gets tested time after time, doubt can often appear to be a far more reasonable response. Fear can become a go-to reaction when things get hard. The trust you thought you'd forever have in the God of love leaves you, and you find yourself wondering how you got to this place of emptiness and confusion. The human heart is our worst betrayer. It leads us to places we think we want to go, only to discover that we've lost more than we gained in taking such a path. 

 Just last night, I learned that a good friend of mine who was drawn to Christ in the most profound way and spent several years of his life using his testimony to lead others to the Savior has recently chosen to listen to his sinful heart and is making some poor decisions at this moment. My soul is heavy. And yet, the longer I go on, I understand how quickly one can be mis-led when they choose to listen to themselves instead of preach truth to themselves. We're all capable of disowning our calling as followers of Jesus, and it is only His grace (and our cooperation with that grace) that keeps us from turning our backs on the God who saved us. 

 I don't know what your spiritual battles are today or what hardships you may be facing in your life right now, but I want to urge and encourage you to press into Him. Fight hard for faith. Stand strong in the grace given to you by God, and know that you're not alone in this struggle called life. His goodness is often best seen in the face of impossibilities, so don't despair and choose the easy way. The trying of your faith, the firing of your belief, will work character in your life and will be used for God's purposes in due time. 

Today, make a simple yet crucial choice that, in all you do, you'll dare to believe.