Part 5: Fighting the Good Fight

I feel as though this 5-part series could've been a 12-part series instead. I always find it hard to condense things. My posts, whether on Facebook or on here, are very long. I would like to end this series on a more generalized topic. So many young Christians lose their patience, hope, and clarity when trying to keep up with their spiritual walk. What do you do when you feel like life keeps beating you down? You make attempts to change your ways but it's too hard. You begin to drown in your secrets, your failed attempts, and the facade that covers the person you are supposed to be. How in the world do you escape it? Lucky for us, God has all the answers we will ever need.

2 Timothy 4:7-"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

1. When making the right choice seems too hard...

• Analyze why making the right choice is hard for you.
• Does it come from a place of fear? Fear of being rejected or made fun of? 
• Does it come from a place of habit? If one does something for so long, we rarely stop and think about our actions. Be conscious of your behaviors and recognize the flaws. 
• Pause, ignore the parts of yourself that make excuses and try to convince you to continue with the sinful behavior. 
• Fight these thoughts with Scripture (Job 34:4, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, 2 Timothy 2:19, Proverbs 14:12).
• Stop and say a prayer, asking God to give you strength.
• Simply say no and choose to be Christlike in the situation.

2. When you can't seem to change...

• Change does not happen overnight, especially when you've been living a certain way for a long time.
• In order pave the way for your success at change, you must first start with God. Pray when you first wake up in the morning. Pray on your drive to school. Pray when you lose patience, when you become judgmental, irritable, angry, etc. Pray without ceasing. Pray before bed. Prayers do not have to be verbal. Write down your prayers if that is easier.
• Read your Bible/Devotional book every day. Invest in getting the Bible App on your phone, which comes with daily plans to follow for all situations.
• Continually ask God to help transform your heart and mind. 
• Remember that we do not have the ability to completely transform ourselves. Only God can truly change our hearts and transform our minds.
• Think on these verses; 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 36:26, Romans 12:2, Philippians 1:6.

3. When the confusion gets confusing.

• Life can become hard to decipher at times, making it hard to think or feel clearly.
• God is not unaware of our struggles. Find comfort in the fact that there is nothing that God has not already seen or heard of. He knows the full depth of the past, present, and future. You are not alone in your struggles.
• Open yourself up to others by asking for prayers or seeking out a mentor who you feel comfortable with.
• Talk to them about what you're dealing with. It may surprise you how many people have dealt with what you may be dealing with.
• When the world around us is unpredictable and harsh, God is not. He is the same always and will not leave you (Hebrews 13:5).
• Press on. Take it one day at a time, trying your best to improve where you can. 

4. Getting rid of the facade...

• We know who we truly are when we're alone. When our friends, family, and strangers are gone, we see who we really are.
• Guys, it's time for you to start being raw, honest, and real.
• Get real about your struggles, your downfalls, and your faith.
• Secrets may come out, and mistakes may be revealed to others, but it is better than living a life of lies and hidden sin.
• Dealing with the consequences of ones actions is enough to keep the mask on. Face the truth and the reality of who you've been and what you've done. 
• Let yourself feel. Stop pretending you are someone that you know you aren't. Let yourself be 100% raw and unvarnished version of yourself.
• After you've let it all come out, you can move on start working on change. 
• When you realize that church camp is not the only place to be honest and spiritually active, you need to try every day to face your struggles and work on them.
• You will fall. You will fail. God does not expect us to be perfect, He just asks us to try.

You can overcome. You can change. You can with God. Not only can you do all of these things, but you need to do all of these things. You have to. And so do I. Start living life truthfully. Get rid of all the fake, petty, embellishment that you cover up your truth with. God will guide you and lead you, if you let Him. 

I hope you have gained something from this series, just as I have. I pray you find comfort and encouragement in this, as well as truth. 

                                                                                                             God Bless, Kendall Roberts