The Christian Struggle
Each one has a personal battle to fight. Each must win his own way through struggles and discouragements. Those who decline the struggle lose the strength and joy of victory. No one, not even God, can carry us to heaven unless we make the necessary effort on our part” Testimonies for the Church, Vol., 5, p. 345.
This paragraph is, in my opinion, one of the most important for our time. Many times I have felt utterly defeated and discouraged, and in those times I have to pray. Once I have prayed, I feel spiritually renewed and I know I have gained the victory. It says in the text above that “God cannot carry us to heaven unless we make the necessary effort on our part.” Even the prayer of one poor sinner will disperse Satan and his clouds of doom and send the angels rushing to the side of the poor sinner. All heaven is delighted at fee sinner’s petition for help and the angels would happily bear him straight up to heaven. This cannot be done though. Jesus wills it that we stay on the earth for now to meet everyday struggles and trials. If we are faithful, Jesus promises to come and take us up to His house of glory when He returns.
In Hebrews 12:4 it says, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” This means that there is a battle going on inside every one of us. Those who will be saved must resist temptation, even unto death. Satan usually leaves worldly people alone because he knows he has them, but he especially bothers and tries to destroy true, sincere Christians. We cannot go through life’s struggles against sin without God’s help. Only with God’s help can we be victors over trials and temptations. Too often I have seen new Christians who Satan bothers so much that they give up in despair.
I remember when I came here to Australia 9 months ago, I was excited about discovering a new part of the world. Now I often miss Canada, I become discouraged and feel like giving up. I always catch myself thinking that Canada is so much nicer and that I don’t have any friends here. Then I remember, “God sent me here for a reason and I am going to do what He wants.” I always pray, asking if it be the Lord’s will for us to go back to Canada or if we are to stay in Australia. Your will be done. Whenever I feel discouraged, I think of what Jesus must have had to go through always having to travel from place to place. It is a fearful thing to go against what the Lord would have us to do.
There are two struggles we have to go through in life. There is the struggle against self and the struggle against Satan and his powers of darkness. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. People are not the problem; they are not the ones we are fighting against. Instead, the Satanic forces and powers of darkness are our main foe.
“The religion of Christ transforms the heart. It makes the worldly-minded man, heavenly minded. Under its influence the selfish man becomes unselfish because this is the character of Christ.” T5, p. 345. In this passage it states that the religion of Christ transforms the heart. If Christ is in our heart we will not always be putting other people down. Instead we will try to lift them up. Even with people like Bill Clinton or the Pope, we should only feel pity for them, just like Christ did for His murderers that were after Him. The only way our life will change is if Christ is the one whom we are patterning our life after.
Many Christians make the mistake of trying to keep the letter of the law and are trying to work their way to heaven. They, of course, are soon back in the world because they left Christ out of the picture. The blood of many people will be on the hands of those ministers who are always teaching the law and never even mentioning Christ. That’s how the Seventh-day Adventist church went into apostasy in 1888. They refused to recognize that only Christ’s righteousness can save. Our righteousness is as filthy rags.
In conclusion I would like to add a word of hope. In the first Ellen G. White quote at the beginning of this article, it does say that each of us is responsible for our own salvation. However it is important to remember that even the tiniest, feeble effort on our part will be greeted with tons of encouragement from above. Prayer is one of our most important tools in the struggle against self and the principalities of darkness. Also the study of the Bible is always very comforting and encouraging. Whenever you feel discouraged, just talk to the Lord – He understands – He was once a human also.
My prayer is that each one of us will gain the victory in our struggle, and that we will make Christ our protector and Friend. In Jesus name.
AMEN