As a believer, you only have one remaining struggle. Have you observed fellow Christians struggling to live holy? Or else, they shamefacedly describe their various struggles over sin. Their lives represent a roller-coaster of failures and victories. Perhaps you yourself have often felt the need to try harder and harder to overcome one sin or the other. You try and then you fail. The devil jumps in and tells you that you are a failure. He is quick to say you are not good enough for God.
The Good News
Well, here is the good news. Whatever the devil says to you is a lie. He is a liar and has been from the beginning. He does not want you to know that once you have Jesus, you are free from all sin. You may fall once or twice but you don’t have to struggle in order to overcome any habit. Once Jesus is on the inside of you, you have only one struggle left.
Consider the electric table fan for example. The manufacturer has completed the work on it. However, it just sits there as a piece of furniture as long as it is not plugged into a power source. But as soon as you plug it in, it starts to fulfill its purpose. It does not have to struggle to perform the task for which it was created, once it is connected. This is how I like to think of it. Jesus is the obtenance man and I am the maintenance man. He has gone through a gruesome death to obtain my pardon and rest.
Jesus has obtained rest for you. You only have to acknowledge that for yourself. Or as the bible says, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” After making sure that you are one of the people of God, you have only one struggle left.
Complete Redemption
The only struggle left for you to master is how to enter into that rest. Afterwards, you can relax in His finished work of redemption, which simply means a buy-back. Jesus has bought us back from the enemy. He did it and then cried on the cross “It is finished!” You can relax once you are part of the finished work.
And yet, a lot of so-called Christians still struggle to overcome bad habits. They are not enjoying their walk with God. Life is a constant struggle of failures and defeat. Up today, down in the doldrums of sin tomorrow. They fast and pray until they are exhausted. They even bind the devil betimes, appearing to forget that Jesus already defeated the devil on the cross. So, we have to ask ourselves; why the struggle to fulfill God’s mandate on our lives? Why are believers not enjoying their Christian journey?
Can it be that they are not really part of that finished work? They cast aside the finished work of redemption as they revert to working for their salvation, an impossibility. Because, if it were possible to work for our own salvation, would God have sent Jesus to die? And such a gruesome death for that matter. If human effort could obtain salvation, God would have acceded to Jesus agonized request. You may recall that in His distress at the prospect of the cross, He wanted a way out. There was none.
There Is Bad News
Nonetheless, some believers spend their lives looking for that non-existent way. They are trying to work for their redemption. Please note that this is not the same as working out your salvation. The bible recommends that we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. You work out what you already have. If you do not have a body, you cannot perform a physical workout. That recommendation therefore assumes that believers already have salvation. They are simply to ensure it remains in good health with regular workouts.
Since, as have seen, Jesus has paid the price for our rescue, what could the problem be? Why are Christians so intent on working to try and rescue themselves from the devil’s clutches? Can it be that most church goers are not really inside the completed work of Jesus? Is that why we believe we still have to ‘work’? And while we may be unwilling to think it through, the answer is a definite yes.
Did Christ Obtain A Rest For You?
The way some of us rely on works of the law suggests that we do not have salvation to start with. In some congregations, you may be tempted to think that Jesus has not died. That He has not obtained a rest for His people. Works seem to trump Christ. Naturally, if all that your church is giving you is a broken-down machine, you will have to struggle to maintain it. At some point in his life, the Apostle Paul dealt with a similar struggle. And then, He found the solution. He ended up by simply thanking God for Jesus Christ.
Your church leaders may teach you to pray against the devil. Whenever you fall into one sin or another, they tell you to try harder or struggle more against the evil flesh. They may make you fast longer or take part in a night vigil to overcome your flesh. But Jesus has already overcome, leaving us only one struggle. That is, if your church gives you the real deal, the resurrected Jesus who has obtained rest for you. In that case, maintenance becomes a breeze.
Your One Remaining Struggle
According to the bible, all you then have to do is to be diligent to enter into His rest. How does that work? First of all, diligence denotes effort; hard work. You need to diligently study God for yourself. Don’t take the easier route of simply accepting what your pastor says. He may have a hidden agenda or he may be ignorant of God. Find God for yourself. The Holy Bible, not social media, is where God is most clearly portrayed. Study the word of God.
Next, make up your mind to obey whatever God says to you. That is what the bible says that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. When that happens, you will certainly know the will of God for your life. Thirdly, re-invite Jesus into your life, you and Him alone in your closet. Then, in faith believing that He has heard you, begin to thank Him that He is in your life. Keep studying, since God is so big that there is always more to learn of Him. And as you know more of Him, you find that He grows sweeter by the day.
Living Without Struggle
Once you find God’s rest, you will naturally attract a lot of naysayers. They will tell you that going to Heaven cannot be that easy. But it is – Jesus already paid it all. Your only remaining struggle is to maintain what He has obtained for you. Secondly, do not listen to those who say that religion is personal. God created us for fellowship, first with Himself and secondly, with others. Find a bible-believing church to attend on a regular basis. And if there is no such luxury in your vicinity, join a small church and prayerfully influence it towards Christ and the rest He obtained for us on the cross.
Then, relax. Even if you occasionally fall into sin, simply confess it to God. Your righteousness as a believer is not contingent on being good. Being good is a result of being in Christ. Your righteousness is of Christ. That is why the bible says that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Your one remaining struggle therefore, is to hang onto Jesus through thick and thin, through good and bad; through sin and purity.
God bless you.
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