The Challenges that we face as Christians:

Challenges we face as Christians are the works of the adversary (the devil or anti-Christ). The devil is evil, he tries to ensnare God’s children and put them on a sinful path that leads to destruction of the soul. The devil attacks our heart, mind, and body. The heart is where the word of God is stored, the mind is how we obtain the word of God, and the body because it is the temple for the Holy Spirit.

To avoid temptation and falling for the devil’s snares, a Christians should stand firm in their faith through knowledge of the word of God, believing in the word of God, and obeying the word of God.

John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

LUKE 8:12 “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”

2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Heart:

Matthew 22:37 states “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”  The heart is critical aspect to our faith because how you behave flows from what’s stored in our heart. Matthew 15:18 states “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander”. A sinful heart makes a person think and act sinfully. The heart is where our love is stored and where it flows from. As Christians, we must guard our hearts because the devil attempts to remove love of the word of God from our hearts and replace it with negative emotions that can weaken your faith, emotions such as greed, hatred, envy, and fear. The negative emotions can lead to sinful acts such as theft, murder, and other offenses.

Fear can also hinder your Christian faith. Fear of certain things, can affect your faith and stop you from acting as a Christian. We shouldn’t be overcome by fear of things in this world, but the fear of God is important and wise. Fear of God is important because it can save a person from destruction. Matthew 10:28 states “And fear not them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him that is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

The devil tries to use fear to control people and weaken their faith in God. He uses methods such as peer pressure and demonic attacks. In regards to peer pressure, keep in mind that the people trying to pressure you are just men and they’re not God. Don’t allow a man to make you unfaithful to God. Acts‬ ‭5:29‬ ‭KJV ‬”Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.” When it comes to demonic attacks, don’t be afraid of demons because God has power over them. James 2:19  states “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder”. Focus your mind on God’s word and believe in it, and it will help you overcome your fears. Mediating on the Word of God is key to strengthen your faith and guarding your heart from the negative emotions. Psalm 73:26 states “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”. Controlling your fears does not mean you should engage in dangerous activities for fun, that’s being foolish and disobedient to God. Matthew‬ ‭4:5‭-‬7‬ ‭KJV‬
[5] Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, [6] and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. [7] Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Mind:

Mediating on the Word of God and things that are good to help your Christian faith. Learning the word of God and mediating on it is very important for Christians because the devil tries to remove the word of God from your heart. He tries to force Christians to have unclean thoughts, destructive thoughts, distractive thoughts, and thoughts that are not beneficial to the Christian faith. The devil knows types of thoughts that can cause you to have negative emotions, so he tries to get you to dwell on those thoughts that trigger negative emotions. Christians should try not to dwell on negative thoughts and emotions because it may give the devil an opportunity to steal the word of God from your heart. Ephesians 4:26–27 KJV “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.” 

Your mind is the key to the knowledge of God. A weak mind is prone to fall for the devil’s crafty schemes and can be ensnared by the devil. Ephesians 6:11 ESV states “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” and Philippians 4:8 tells us to keep our mind focused on everything that is good “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things”.  

There are so many things to distract a person from the word of God and pull a person further away from their faith. TV networks, social media, and the news have been corrupted and are filed with sinful imagery and ideas, and if you, as a Christian, fail to consistently seek the truth from the bible, you may fall into a sinful lifestyle and be ensnared by the devil. Matthew 6:22 states “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”.  Bad imagery can corrupt you heart overtime, so can what you listen to and type of company that you keep. Control your thoughts by filtering what you listen to and watch.

Body:

Christians should take care of their body and not be controlled by our fleshly desires. We shouldn’t indulge in certain things or overindulge in certain things. Don’t fornicate, it’s a sin against your body. A habit of eating too much food is bad for the body and is sensuality, overindulging in one’s senses and a sin that flows from the heart. A person only receive salvation through Lord Jesus Christ, and accepting Jesus Christ means allowing the Holy Spirit to lead your life.

The body is important to a Christian because the bible teaches us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that we should care for it. Having health related issues due to lack of care can have a negative impact on your soul and can weaken some people’s faith. Make efforts to maintain a healthy body by exercising, getting rest, dieting, and fasting. Get the right amount of exercise. The amount of exercise a person needs can depend on the person’s genetics, lifestyle, and medical history. Don’t intentionally engage in activity that will cause harm to your body.

Relevant bible passages:

1 John 3:20-24 KJV

“For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”

Romans 1:28-32 KJV

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

1 Corinthians 6:12-13 “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.”

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 states “’Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. “

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ‘What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.’

‘Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

1 Corinthians 6:18 “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body”.

Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

Galatians 5:19-21 ESV “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV  “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”