the cross of obedience

it wasn't much in a while ago that i had a sort of "relapse" again. probably the work of satan and his malicious intents but oh-wells, i'm glad have gotten over it. and of course, with God's help.

well, life has always, and will forver be of ups and downs for me. dealing with sins, temptations, guilt, shame; the likes of this screwed up world. and living in this conditioned world is never easy. taming the innate ugly nature of man is ever more difficult.

as a young man living in such a world, i often ask myself the purpose God has for me. why place me in such a hellish planet with full of suffering and pain, yet dousing me in His forgiveness, leaving me with much guilt and shame. worst of all, causing me to develope a sense of hatred for my flesh.

most of the time i'll just live with it, let it come and go. just keep sinning, feeling guilty, yet knowing i've been forgiven yet again. and... sin comes to play again, with the whole cycle rowing back in.
i'd always try to deal with it, trying to deny myself the rights of a human, stuffing myself in endless emotional torture and beating on my own the excruciating pain of isolation and loneliness.
people around me find me weird and scary, pointing out how i used to hide myself from this world, afraid i fall into any booby-traps satan has laid out for me.

don't they know these are the process of a christian, trying really hard to be a christian?
we have to learn how to deny ourselves, our identity with this world and finding ourselves living in Christ. we have to learn to crucify our old man on the cross, to take up a new identity. well of course they don't.

why have i failed and failed to succeed? losing battles to satan and the world? finding myself so dirty and disowned by God? well, i felt that way because i needed to learn that God will never disown me. and that His unconditional Great Love for me has already forgiven me, urging me to try again and learn, how to become a better christian.

I have failed because i tried to follow Him with my own strength, with my own ability. and i would have always fail, until i know that i cannot do it myself, with my human ability. that i will fail, until i allow God to take full ownership of my life. to pick up my own cross and follow Him in baptism.

obedience. i cannot carry my cross on my own. i have to let Him carry it for me. then, will i succeed. i am still struggling with personal wars in myself, my spritual self with my worldly self. i know that sometimes i fall to sin and temptation, but this is the process of me failing, so i will learn how to succeed with His strength. to dis-identify myself with this world, my flesh's desires and nature, to identify and yoke myself with God.

and i know i am not alone.
every christian is struggling. because we know that He loves us, and we want to love him.
we need Him.

and not to forget the first step of our obedience is baptism.
that we proclaim our death to this world, and our lives to God.
we shout to satan and tell him to leave us alone because we BELONG to GOD.

we might fail sometimes, falling back to this world. but we know that He still loves us and we try again... not with our own strength, but by His.
Praise God.
let Him bear our cross.


you're not alone.