Question & Answer
Why do I find it difficult to be a good Christian?
Most Christians feel pretty bad at the job and wish we were more holy and lived closer to the Lord and did not sin so much. There are a number of comments I should like to make.
First of all, make sure that you are a real Christian and have indeed asked the Lord into your life and repented of your sins and received his great forgiveness. I do not suppose you would be asking the question if you had not done that. But do make sure about it.
Secondly, read Romans Chapter 7 verses 13 to the end. There Paul describes his own conflict with sin. What is significant about that passage is Paul's deep desire to overcome it. The trouble is, if you are at all like me that often you want to get rid of sin in general, but not this sin in particular. So we say: 'I am doing pretty well generally and this little sin will not hurt'. But in the matter of holiness any sin spoils our walk with God and pushes us away from Him so that
we find it difficult to pray properly. So spend some time in self examination. 'Am I really ready to be done with every known sin?' That is a pretty searching and radical question, and one which cannot be answered in five minutes. Sometimes we need some extended days of prayer to sort out precisely what is keeping us from God and spoiling our Christian life and witness.
Thirdly, ask yourself another deep question, which is perhaps summed up in Psalms 42 and 43. 'Do 1 really long for God? Is my chief aim in life to please him? Is my dearest hope to see him face to face and to enjoy the vision of God?'
If it really is, then our desire to sin will gradually fall away, and we shall be far holier and more ready for heaven when it comes to us.
John Pearce is Rector of Limehouse in the diocese of London.