Christian Matters
The Pitfalls of Christianity
The Union
You were saved and received the gift of God’s grace, offering forgiveness and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. You’ve been rescued from sin and its consequences, and are being restored to a right relationship with God.
The Honeymoon
Everything feels brand new. You are filled with a deep love and passion to follow Christ. In the beginning, it’s like a honeymoon phase with God—you're a new believer, born again, and enveloped by His grace as you spend precious time growing in Him. It feels like you and God are in a secret, intimate place, standing in awe of His light. But soon, it will be time to step out into the world, where you'll face challenges that will help you grow and shine even brighter. However, this is also the stage where Christians need to be vigilant, as there are dangers that can lead us into spiritual pitfalls.
The Danger
Danger will strike from every angle—spiritually, through the world, and in places where we are most vulnerable. It comes unexpectedly, without any clear order or warning.
Satan's Waiting
From the moment you receive salvation, Satan is waiting at the door, eager to devour you. Enraged by your turn to God, he intensifies his efforts to make you fall. His goal is to fill your new relationship with suffering and doubt, hoping you will give up and return to his ways. He will whisper lies, telling you that you don’t deserve God’s love, reminding you of your past failures, and convincing you that you will never be worthy of truly following God.
While God speaks to us in a still, small voice, Satan works tirelessly to drown Him out. He bombards our minds with distractions—temptations, feelings of unworthiness, insecurities, and covetousness. Like arrows, these attacks come relentlessly, aiming to pull us away from God’s truth.
When we first come to salvation, our hearts burn with a passion to serve God and immerse ourselves in His Word. We're eager to run the race for His glory. But surprisingly, Satan will allow you to serve and study as much as you want—as long as you neglect the most vital thing: allowing God to grow you. Without His constant sustenance, your fire will eventually burn out, leaving you weary and disheartened. The real danger arises when your identity as a Christian becomes tied to what you do—serving, studying, missions—rather than in Christ living through you. Satan has no problem with you practicing Christianity—as long as you’re not becoming Christlike.
Be warned: many churches may not provide the spiritual support you need. While they often celebrate new Christians on fire, their enthusiasm can sometimes stem from their own lost passion. Sadly, they may use your zeal until it fades, moving on to the next eager believer. Too often, they fail to teach you how to sustain your fire and remain focused on the race toward victory—perhaps because they haven’t learned how to do so themselves. When you begin to lose heart, their advice may be to serve and study more, rather than helping you nurture your relationship with God.
The Shift
This creates an opening for Satan, who aims to shift your focus away from God and back onto yourself. Gradually, your Christianity moves from being a life surrendered to Jesus to one where you become enslaved to your own desires. Your mind and heart become consumed with questions like, "Why is this happening to me? Why am I not joyful? Why have you abandoned me, God? Why am I failing?" The problem is that the focus has shifted from God to yourself.
As this shift happens, your walk with Jesus may feel unsatisfying. Disillusionment creeps in as you reflect on your own faith and the faith of others. You may become critical, cynical, and even bitter. This confusion catches you off guard, especially since you’re doing everything you can—reading, serving, and even working in ministry. Yet, despite your efforts, you still feel stuck, and the decline seems relentless. You may wonder why your life and the church don’t reflect the vibrant, passionate community of believers in the book of Acts.
Once your focus shifts from God to yourself, you begin to see everything through your own lens rather than God’s. This is when you lose sight of His grace and mercy. Your relationship with God becomes a rollercoaster—feeling His love one moment, doubting it the next. Over time, your heart hardens, and the world around you, once full of lost souls that God desires to save, becomes a frustrating place. In time, your walk with God will feel increasingly unsatisfying, and everything around you will seem out of sync.
Satan, sensing your discontent, will entice you with the world’s pleasures, offering a cycle of highs and lows, like a drug dealer. His aim is to drag you back into the prison from which God set you free, enslaving you once again. But after having tasted the goodness of God, you’ll realize that the fleeting pleasures of the world no longer satisfy. They will leave you feeling guilty, as you see the truth about the world and its lies.
The more you focus on yourself, the less you’ll see things through God’s eyes. Your desire to serve others and give your life for them will fade. You’ll find it harder to engage with Scripture, feeling as though nothing changes. Sermons will become numb to you, and instead of growing in your faith, you’ll simply grow older in the church.
The Resolve
The Christian journey demands continuous growth, transformation, and a deep desire to live according to God’s will. Despite past struggles, the key to a victorious Christian life lies in three essential practices: surrender, repentance, and walking by faith.
– Surrender means daily yielding your flesh to God, trusting Him with your life, like signing a blank check. Without full surrender, the flesh continues to battle against your faith.
– Repentance is not just seeking forgiveness, but turning away from sin and actively choosing to follow God’s will. It’s a deeper transformation that goes beyond words.
– Abiding means staying closely connected to Jesus through prayer, obedience, and reliance on God’s guidance. Without abiding, our faith becomes fragmented and ineffective.
– Walking by Faith involves trusting God's promises and stepping out in obedience, even when the path ahead is uncertain. It strengthens your confidence and allows God’s power to work through you.
These practices are interconnected, and neglecting one weakens the others. To live a victorious Christian life, you must surrender, abide, and walk by faith daily. Failure to do so leads to spiritual immaturity and frustration, leaving you feeling unfulfilled and disconnected from God's purpose.
True change doesn’t come easily; it requires more than just knowing Scripture. It involves God's pressing work in our lives, guiding us through struggles and lessons to spiritual maturity. Only through surrender, abiding, and walking by faith will you experience the victorious Christian life God intends.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. ~ Ephesians 6 10-20
