Christian Challenges

Christian challenges will come when we convert. We need to accept these trials and tribulations because they come to benefit us and God will help us.

Christianity is a route that will bring us closer to God, and we will experience joy and peace knowing that we are saved. However, the Bible says that there are challenges that will be experienced when you become a Christian that you will need to overcome.

One of the reasons people backslide and stop being Christians is because pastors and evangelists try to attract people to the religion by only talking about all the wonderful things they will have when they convert and deliberately neglect the trials and tribulations that every Christian will have to go through. This leaves many Christians confused when they start experiencing problems because they were not warned that they would happen. 

The Bible has the following bible verses that talk about the trials that you will experience when you convert to Christianity:

• In John 16:33, Christ warned that we would have tribulation in the world, but we should be comforted because He has overcome the world.

• Acts 14:22 says that we will have to go through tribulation to enter into God’s kingdom.

• 1 Peter 4:12 says that we should not be surprised if we go through a fiery trial.

1. WHY DO CHRISTIANS HAVE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS?

Problems are not allowed by God to make us miserable, but to build our character. He wants us to have the character of Christ, and we cannot unless we encounter Christian challenges which we need to overcome. The more challenges we overcome, the more Christ-like we become.

The book of Romans 5:3 says that we should glory in tribulation because it results in patience. Revelation 2:7 states that those who overcome will be able to eat the tree of life.

2. THE DEVIL OUR ENEMY

The main reason why the people of God face challenges is that they have an enemy called the devil. He is both the enemy of God and God’s people, and he tries to make the life of Christians a misery. When you convert to Christianity, you should read the Bible and understanding who the devil is and how he will attack you.

The following bible verses talk about the devil:

• 1 Peter 5:8 says that we should be vigilant because the devil is always seeking who you can devour.

• 1 John 3:8 says that sin originated with the devil and was the first being to sin.

• Acts 10:38 says that the devil oppresses people.

• Revelation 12:17 says that the devil attacks those who keep God’s commandments and have the testimony of Jesus.

• John 8:44 says that he is the father of lies.

• 2 Corinthians 11:14 says that the devil disguises himself as an angel of light.

2.1. THE DEVIL’S ORIGIN

We read of the origin of the devil in the following bible verses.

• Isaiah 14:12-15 – It says that Lucifer, another name for the devil, wanted to exalt himself above the stars of God and be like God.

• Ezekiel 28:14 -17 – It says that the devil was an anointed cherub. A cherub is an angel. He was created as a perfect being until he sinned, and iniquity was found in him. He became proud because of his beauty and corrupted his wisdom because of his brightness.

• Revelation 12:9 – The devil is also the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis. He got kicked out of heaven along with the angels that sided with him.

• Luke 10:18 – Jesus said that He saw the devil fall like lightning from heaven.

The above shows that the devil was an angel (cherub) called Lucifer, who was cast kicked of heaven because iniquity (sin) was found in him. He had sinned and became proud and vain because of his beauty. He also wanted to be God and take his position. The devil is not an animal or a half-animal creature like a faun. Nor is he a being with horns and a lizard-like tail, and a pitchfork. He is an angel and used to be a good angel until he decided to sin.

2.2. THE DEVIL’S CHARACTER

• John 8:44 – The devil is the father of lies, and he was a murderer from the beginning.

• Revelation 12:12 – He has great wrath because he knows that he has a short time.

• 1 John 3:8 – Sin originated from the devil, and he sinned from the beginning.

From the above, it is clear that sin originated from the devil. He is the father of lies and is a murderer. He is also very deceptive. Revelation 12:9 states that the devil is the old serpent. The serpent deceived Eve in the book of Genesis. This means that the serpent in Genesis was, in fact, the devil. However, the devil is an angel, according to Ezekiel 28:14 -17. Therefore this means that the devil probably possessed the serpent and spoke through it. This makes sense since animals do not know how to talk, and the serpent spoke to Eve. There are examples of people being demon-possessed in the New Testament. There is also an example where demons possessed a herd of pigs and they ran off a cliff (Mark 5:1-13).

2.3. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT WE KNOW WHO THE DEVIL IS?

We must know who the devil is because he spends the whole day trying to tempt us and annoy us. He spends a lot of time planning how to steal, kill and destroy us (John 10:10). He is God’s enemy as well as our enemy. He is the reason why Eve ate the forbidden fruit. He is the reason why there is misery and why we are not in paradise. Here are more additional reasons to know who he is:

2 Corinthians 2:11 – This verse warns the devil tries to take advantage of us. If we are ignorant of the devil, including his devices, then he will take advantage of us. Therefore we must know who the devil is and what his devices are so that we are ready for his attacks.

Matthew 4:6 – The book of Matthew Chapter 4 talks about when the devil tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus successfully thwarted the devil’s temptation by using scripture. However, we also see that the devil also knows the bible and tried to twist scripture to manipulate Jesus to sin. Therefore it is a lesson that if we want to defeat the devil, we must know the bible more than him and that if we do not, then he can use the bible against us by twisting its meaning or saying things out of context.

2 Corinthians 11:14 – This verse says that the devil transforms himself into an angel of light. There are two types of angels. There are the good angels on God’s side and the evil angels on the devil’s side. One cannot always tell whether an angel is good or bad by just looking at him. For example, the bible says that satan transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore if the devil approaches you, he will not look like a half-animal creature with two horns, a tail, and a pitchfork. Instead, the devil will come to you as a beautiful angel. Some people say that they have seen angels, and they need to be careful because it is possible that they saw the devil.

2.4. WHAT ACTIVITIES DOES THE DEVIL ENGAGE IN?

The devil is not an idle wicked angel. On the contrary, he is a fully engaged army general who attacks us daily in various ways. Here are some of the activities that he is involved in:

1. He can control people’s minds and can speak through them to tempt us not to do the will of God but to do what suits us or others (Matthew 16:23).

2. He steals the word of God that is spoken to us and causes us to forget it or not take it seriously. In other words, he tries to ensure that no one gets saved (Mark 4:15, Luke 8:12).

3. He can cause infirmities and diseases, and pain to mankind. However, not all infirmities, diseases, and pain are caused by him, but some are (Luke 13:16).

4. He tries to hinder the gospel from being preached and tries to stop evangelists from accomplishing the task of spreading the gospel (1 Thessalonians 2:18).

5. He follows us where ever we go seeking ways to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8).

6. He tries to persecute us. He usually does not directly do this but does it by controlling the minds of ungodly men and tells them to persecute us by speaking in their minds (Revelation 12:13).

7. He tempts us to sin and disobey God (Luke 4:2).

8. He can oppress human beings (Acts 10:38).

9. He can possess human beings. Praise it to God that through Christ and his name, devils/demons can be cast out (Matthew 8:16).

2.5. HOW DO WE DEFEAT THE DEVIL?

The primary method of defeating the devil is through the power of God and the Word of God.

Jesus, our Lord, and Savior defeated and overcame the temptations of the devil by quoting from scripture against him. Here are a few examples in the book of Matthew Chapter 4.

• Matthew 4:4 – Jesus said that men should not live by bread only, but by every single word in the bible that comes out of God’s mouth.

• Matthew 4:7 – Jesus told the devil that we should not tempt God.

• Matthew 4:10 – Jesus told the devil that only God should be worshiped 

The book of Revelation also explains another way of defeating the devil. We do this by the blood of Jesus Christ and by our testimony.

• Revelation 12:11 – You overcome by the blood of the Lamb and word of your testimony and not loving your life to death.

We are also told in the book of Ephesians that we must put on the armor of God to fight and defeat the devil

• Ephesians 6:1-18 – Tells us to put on God’s armor and states that we do not fight against flesh and blood but against principalities, spiritual wickedness, rulers of darkness. 

3. GOD OUR HELPER

However, we should not be sad or depressed because God has promised to be with us and help us.

• Hebrews 13:5-6 says that God will not leave nor forsake us and that God is our helper.

• Romans 8:26 says that God helps us in our infirmities, and the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.

• 1 John 4:4 says that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.

• 2 Corinthians 2:14 says that Christ causes us to triumph

• 1 John 5:4 says that those who are born of God overcome the world.

Therefore, you do not need to fear because God will be with you and help you overcome Christian challenges you will experience.