When most people think about living a Christian life, they picture faith in God, attending church, worship music, fellowship with nice loving people and looking forward to heaven instead of hell. I did too!!
But then God showed me what it is like in reality.
While these are all important, the reality of truly living the Christian life is far deeper—and far harder—than many imagine. In the early days of my faith, there have been many occasions when I pondered, “this life is too hard for me Lord”!! Even today, sometimes I feel that way. My transition from Hinduism to Christianity was miraculous and I often had to intentionally remind myself of how the Lord had called me to Himself, just so, I could gather the strength to continue living the Christian life.
Living as a Christian is a daily battle. It’s a constant war between the desires of the flesh and the call of Christ.
Galatians 5:17 – The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
So, do you see it? It’s like driving a car with a bad wheel alignment. It is dragging you to one side and so you have constant pressure on your arms and shoulders to hold the steering firm to keep it in control. With time, it will tire you out and leave you with a sore shoulder.
Similarly, living a Christian life means denying yourself—not just occasionally, but every single hour, every single day. It means choosing obedience to God’s Word even when it’s uncomfortable, unpopular, or costly. It means saying “no” to the world’s definition of success, morality, and happiness, and saying “yes” to God’s truth, even when the world thinks you’ve lost your mind.
That’s a nice way to put it. But in practicality, it is willfully turning away from a potential argument, to stay quiet when you CAN say something back in response, to quietly bless someone when you know you are jealous of that person, to run away from a flirtatious woman (or man if you are a woman reading this), to stop watching movies with cuss words and adulterous scenes in them even when the movie has raving reviews, and to stay calm when your blood is boiling with anger. Doing these things once in a way seems doable, but try living like this every single day. It’s harder than a weight resistance workout at the gym for half an hour everyday. This is a 24 hour workout with brief moments of breaks in between.
Some days, when temptations are at its peak, this battle will leave you exhausted. You will be cranky, angry, easily irritated and not fun to be around with. Your battle scars will show on your face. And when your loved ones notice it, you will have yet another battle on your hand. You will need to battle these emotions and force yourself to normalcy. This is the real Christian life.
But there is good news! It gets easier to win over time if you stay the course, spend time daily in prayer and in regular bible study. The reason you will find it a battle at first is because you don’t want to give up certain pleasures this world offers. You want the best of both worlds. You want the best of Gods Kingdom AND you also want the best of this world. Hence the battle. God wants “all” of us or “none” of us. And the “abundant life” God promised is only available to those who are “all in” for God. With time, you will realise, it is to your advantage to let go of the pleasures of this world. You will understand that God wants the best for you and has the best for you when you walk in obedience to His Word. And when you give up the sinful pleasures of this world, the battle gets easier and you win most of the times. This is when you begin to be led by the Spirit. And when you can hear the Spirit’s leading, living a Christian life gets exciting.
Perhaps this post on How to resist temptation will be of help to you if you are currently struggling with a besetting sin.
The Hard Truth: It’s Not Easy
Jesus never said following Him would be easy. In fact, He warned, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Living a Christian life is not about going along with the flow; it’s about swimming against the current. It’s resisting temptations, confronting the sin inside yourself, and refusing to compromise God’s standards just to fit in.
A real Christian life isn’t measured by the songs we sing or the hours we spend in a church building. It’s measured by the depth to which God’s Word digs into our hearts—showing us the filth of our sin, breaking our pride, and transforming us into people who reflect His holiness. And this transformation doesn’t happen without a fight. It requires humility, repentance, and the daily washing of our lives in the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7).
The Cost and the Reward
Choosing to live this way will set you apart—and not always in ways the world celebrates. People may criticize you, misunderstand you, or even reject you. But this is the path Jesus walked, and He promised that those who follow Him will bear fruit. “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). And fruit only comes from a life rooted deeply in Christ, watered by His Word, and pruned through obedience.
Those who live this way become powerful witnesses for Christ. Their lives speak louder than their words. They disciple others, not because they’ve read about it, but because they’re living it. This is the kind of life every believer is called to—one that doesn’t just believe in Christ but looks like Christ.
Key Bible Verses to Reflect On
- Luke 9:23 – Denying yourself and taking up your cross daily.
- Romans 12:2 – Not conforming to the pattern of the world, but being transformed.
- 1 John 2:6 – Living as Jesus lived.
- 1 Peter 1:15-16 – Being holy in all you do.
- Matthew 7:16 – You will know them by their fruits.
When you engage in a daily battle with sin, the battle scars will show in the form of humility, faith in God, love for all people, kindness and goodness toward all, patience with others and self control. Oh Wait! they sound like the fruits of the Spirit isn’t it? They are!!
Only when your fruits are out on display can you be an effective witness for Christ. Else your words are just words. And there are competing religions out there also with better “words”. People of this world love to debate and win an argument. But when you have undeniable evidence of transformation in the form of fruits, then your words have power and carry with it the power of Christ Himself.
Living a Christian life requires you to count the cost before you attempt to live one. This post is not meant to discourage you, but to encourage you. When Christ is WITH you all the way, the end is already determined. You are going to be more Christlike and your life is going to be amazing, adventurous, and purposeful. But the way to that life is through self denial. A Christian is called to live in this world, but not be part of this world. We are called to represent God’s Kingdom as His ambassadors here in this world and His Kingdom principles directly contradict the principles of this world.
So, are you ready to live a true Christian life?