The Struggles of a Christian

By Harry Graham

This book started out with me penning my thoughts and concerns into a blog. Several people read it; then my wife suggested a book. After several positive reactions to this idea, here we are.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 29, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490879550

Harry Graham

The author is happily married and living in Pennsylvania.

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Copyright © 2015 Harry Graham.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-7954-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7955-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015907175

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/14/2015

CONTENTS

Are You THAT Somebody

Questioning my Faith

Where are the harvest gatherers?

Internal Fortitude

Forsake not the assembling

Embarrassment

Sin the common malady

Application

A no-hassle life?

Questions of heard prayer

The little white lie

Save Me

Idols among us

What’s in A Word? - 2013-08-27 21:23

The discordant note

Which Voice is speaking?

The Wet Mop

Service on a silver platter

Thank you notes

Proliferation of information - 2013-09-22 17:37

Religion And The Problem With It

The apathy agenda

Confession is good. Repentance is greater

Revival: Fact or Fiction

Waiting after the decision

The Tongue: good and bad

Raising the Faith ceiling

Can I get a witness?

Staying constant in times of change

Lead on Lord

There is a sin unto death

We are at fault for the lack of revival

The Centerpiece -

Proclaim The message

The God of Second Chances

A know it salvation

Too small to pray for?

Politics and our responsibility to them - 2013-12-18 08:07

Why is wrong right in this day and age?

Is it a Secret?

Standing on the promises (or just sitting on the premises)?

Jesus - Our first resort should be Him

Our personal walk with Christ

False Teachers with itching ears

The church has left their first love

Yet forty days, and Nineveh Shall be destroyed

God uses a donkey to warn of going against HIM

The line is being drawn - 2014-02-11 23:37

…..Go and sin no more

The fig tree that wasn’t

Cleansing the house of God

Sonship status

Where did we go wrong?

The Apostle Paul: A Life in Duality - 2014-03-20 09:44

Follow Jesus not fallible Man

Where will your stand be made?

The passing of A Friend

Hindrances to prayer and overcoming them

How Great thou art

Tough Love

The Resurrection - 2014-04-21 22:25

Newness of Life

The National Day of Prayer: Did you participate?

The great falling away

Christ: what do U know of him?

Gideon and God’s Call - 2014-05-23 11:20

Gideon and God’s Glory - 2014-05-27 22:00

What will it take to get our nation Right with God?

O taste and see that the Lord is good

A loving and Gracious Father

The world is trying to usurp the church’s role. - 2014-06-25 11:35

Satan the great deceiver…

Peaks and valleys are common to all

Fox’s book of martyrs: the persecution of christians throughout history

A question for the pew sitter

Your Spiritual Fulfillment: Do we feast on the bread of Life?

Why are you not serving?

We must work as if the day were almost over

10% Tithe vs 15% tip - Really? - 2014-07-21 11:28

Never give up - joseph didn’t

Whom will you serve? God or mammon

Are you worthless? No. Christ died for YOU

The Mystery of The Romans Road

Has God removed His hand from America? Pray it isn’t so

come and see - Bringing people to Christ

The Apostle Paul: A Vision corrected

God not listening to you? We all feel that way sometimes

Too old to serve?

Why is nothing sacred anymore?

Service to God: Our privilege

2014 - 09

The Armor of God

We are not alone….. Christ is still preached

Sin brings death. A prayer closet brings life

ARE YOU THAT SOMEBODY

I was in a discipleship class a short while ago, and someone said "not to worry about it I am sure somebody will step up."

5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 6 Then flew one of the seraphim’s unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Isaiah 6:5-8 (KJV)

What bothers me the most about this whole thing is when does somebody show up? Where does this somebody come from? And how do we know we are not that somebody?

Face it if we don’t do the things that need to be done they may not get done. Jonah was called and walked away. Peter was called and denied our Lord. Remember the parable of the two sons? Both were called only 1 went?

I know that both Peter and Jonah did what was asked of them, that’s not what I am saying. What I am saying is what if they didn’t? What if David didn’t face Goliath? What if he waited on this mythical somebody?

I am a member of a small church so a lot of folks wear many hats but what if they didn’t? Some sing, some teach, some take the offering. But at one point they had to be somebody. When will we Christians in America stop waiting on somebody and start being that somebody who steps out and helps? After all God does not call the equipped, he equips the called.

Give it some thought. Look around and see what needs to be done. If we don’t start doing things now we may not have the chance later. And if we don’t step up and be somebody there may be no one else. Also think about what the cost of not stepping up may be. The repercussions of not doing anything may emanate through generations. How many folks may never hear or have a chance to believe because we weren’t somebody?

QUESTIONING MY FAITH

There are times when as today my faith starts to waver. This society’s instant gratification mode has affected me as well. When I don’t get my answers fast enough from above then I am as susceptible to doubt as anyone. I pray to God day in and day out waiting and watching trying to discern His Will but yet I hear nothing.

Then I read proverbs 3:5 and 6. 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (KJV)

Well this is a conundrum. I am experiencing a wavering faith and yet the bible tells me to Trust which is at the heart of the matter. Well after that I remembered something else from the book of JOB. We all know the story of JOB his trials and tribulations. And he questioned GOD. Well God answered him.

4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Job 38:4-5 (KJV)

This is what strikes me most about this: I believe in God. I am trusting in Him for my eternal salvation. I believe the Bible is His inerrant Word. So my moment of wavering is just that a moment. We can question God, but never doubt His motives. We may not understand His ways but we can never doubt that He is looking out for us. We trust Him with our souls then we need to learn to trust Him with our day to day issues. Surely if he can handle the really big and important stuff He can handle me needing a job or He knows what’s happening if my car breaks down.

He designed this world, nothing happened or happens that He does not know of. So I have to trust that He knows the next step in my journey. He saved me for a reason. He knows the reason I don’t. So I have to lean on HIM and trust in Him the God of all creation, of heaven and hell. He never said it would be easy but He did say we would never be alone. So as I work my way through this faith issue, and it is not an easy one, I can only pray that He gives me the understanding to wait on Him because if I try to do it without Him it definitely isn’t right.

WHERE ARE THE HARVEST GATHERERS?

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Matt 9:35-38 (KJV)

Saturday I was at Church at 9 am for a visitation Saturday. We have been doing this once a month with anywhere from 3 to 6 people turning out. Our church is gearing up for Vacation Bible School; full announcements made for 3 weeks, and a continental breakfast provided.

For the VBS push I was expecting 10ish, but no the response was the same as always. We had 6 people show up. Of course this was disheartening to me and Very disappointing. I was complaining on the phone about the response when all of a sudden it occurred to me that I should give thanks for what we had rather than what we didn’t.

I was all set to put a scathing response on this blog.

Then I realized that is not my purpose here. My purpose here is mainly to opine on my struggles in the hopes that I may be able to show that we are not alone. That others have faced the same struggles we go through. Since the days of Christ the response has been tepid. We are to spread the Word of God and that is what I will do. I cannot force people to respond, I have to trust in the Lord and know His Word will not return void. So let me say thanks here to the 6 who did show up on a blisteringly hot day and sweated with me.

So I am not very certain of what else to put here other than I am going to do what is right in the eyes of the LORD and continue having visitation. I am not going to worry about the response that is made. God is the judge and jury. I am responsible for me and for me alone. Therefore Lord let me stand true no matter the cost.

but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD

Joshua 24:15 (KJV)

I know I have taken just half of this verse but I pray that for any reading this that it will ring true of us all. Let us stay true to the LORD GOD JEHOVAH and in so doing pray that He stays true to us.

INTERNAL FORTITUDE

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Phil 4:12-13 (KJV)

we had a discussion today at Discipleship class about this very same subject today. I tend to believe it has the same emphasis as a post earlier, in that we are to do what is right no matter the cost. God has promised us His Grace and His Mercy and to be beside us during trials and tribulations.

At the same time we have a duty as well to stay true to Him and His WORD. We fell into the discussion of suicide and why that rate is so high today and why it is climbing steadily higher. My belief is that we have this problem as we have raised a generation that has to be entertained or distracted from reality. Now this falls squarely on the shoulders of the last 4 generations. We have lost the value of giving children a strong work ethic and a daily purpose. Then when it gets to be tough going they have no idea of how to deal with it.

We have made this problem and then we turn to GOD and ask why when our children trail away and have No firm grounding in HIM. Thankfully my mother made certain her kids had a firm raising in the faith and with a switch. But today’s parent have no idea of how to raise their kids and by and large the kids run the house.

This has taken away the boundaries kids need, not to mention the God given roles in the family and has caused chaos in our homes and our society.

Kids then have no one to turn to when they need a hand because all the hands have let them down by catering to them and coddling instead of defining character and setting examples. We parents have a hard enough time turning to God ourselves and trusting in Him. So I can only assume our children will have the same tough time turning to us as we have set a poor example.

We need to return to trusting in God and His WORD. If we can turn to Him and show our children by our actions not just our words then maybe we have a chance for the future. The only way to fight this epidemic of suicide is to show them that there really is a GOD greater than us and He can give us the strength to go forward. Get them out and involved in His work or at least aware that we do have a higher authority to answer to, and maybe we can get them out of the ME first mode of thought perpetrated by this society. And in so doing we can teach them that GOD is in control, nothing happens that HE doesn’t know of.

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Matt 6:25-26 (KJV)

so in the end I am guessing about all this but God knows and I pray that he gives me the wisdom to know and the words to say. But that really is all any of us can do. Pray for the wisdom and understanding. I know GOD will take care of me and work His good through me. I just pray He allows me the understanding and gives me the patience to wait on it and then the ability accept it.

FORSAKE NOT THE ASSEMBLING

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Hebrews 10:25 (KJV)

this has been bothering me for some time and I am certain that most other believing practicing Christians are vexed in the same manner. On a Sunday afternoon you have all the stores and restaurants full. Baseball and Football stadiums full to overflowing. The local church can barely get a second glance. We have a falling away in this country. Falling away from God to our pleasures our spare time and our time off.

Some churches today have even fallen into this trap of only having Sunday morning services. Now we have folks who say this isn’t necessary, that Christ didn’t go to church. Or the old ‘there are too many hypocrites in the pews’.

Well Christ is the Church, He came here to establish the church and to put it into motion. He was constantly surrounded by the members of the church. He was laying the foundation. If we are to use that argument then we must see that Christ used every opportunity not one specific day to gather the people and teach them. If we are to go by His example then we all fail and fail miserably.

As to the argument that the pews are full of hypocrites well who are we to know? When do we answer for our brother? We are called to assemble and serve. Period. We are not to judge the other’s lifestyle. We are to worry about our service and our testimony. If we were responsible for everyone else we couldn’t bear the weight.

So why should we attend every time the doors are open? Simple.

1. To let our light so shine before men. This is part of our testimony and our calling. If we attend faithfully it may give someone else the courage to to do so. Conversely if we lay out it WILL affect someone else and cause them to trip. At that point we are responsible for them if we cause them to fall.

2. To recharge our batteries. We see a full week of troubles, it is good to be among like-minded people exhorting and encouraging. Also we see others with the same purpose and the same goals and it strengthens us knowing we are not alone. We always have GOD with us but every week it is good to get the tangible results of good folks near us.

3. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them Matt 18:19-20 (KJV)

This is fairly self-explanatory. We need to assemble to pray and call the Spirit of God among us. This way our work and our efforts are far more effective.

I am praying for a return to God and a return to church and a Holy lifestyle. Starting with me and then in my area and hopefully in America. So please pray about your attendance, your family’s attendance and the general attendance in this country, attending church is not the main goal but it is a start on the right path. The main goal is putting GOD first and after this all the other things.

EMBARRASSMENT

Picture this….You are in Heaven kneeling before Christ worshipping Him. God the Father and the Son and The Holy Spirit, He looks at you and sees perfection what do you see? Close your eyes and imagine the scene…….You are before Him and what is the first thought that comes into your mind? Play it out…..Am I worthy? No. The very first thought is shame and embarrassment because I know me. I am not worthy to stand before HIM. I am unclean. All my righteousness is as filthy rags.

I did this today…tried to imagine the setting…and then all I could ask is why? Why did HE die for me? Why did HE first love me? I know me. I know all my quirks and foibles. I know that I am unworthy of any of this. I am feeling a bit philosophical today. I do not understand this. I don’t get it. He created this world, He knew we would sin. He knew He would have to come and suffer for us. He knew all this and then He did it anyway. He made it all and He had to die to redeem us. Why?

I have 3 children. I would die for anyone of them no questions asked. I love them.

Yet this is an example that falls so very short of what He did. He did it knowing the world would for the most part would reject Him. That they would turn their backs on Him repeatedly for thousands of years. Why?

I have no answer for this one today. Just questions. I am not worthy to kneel or even be in His presence……. Even though in Acts God in a vision tells Peter that what He calls clean is clean. But I know me in and out. He cannot know me the way I do. If He did He would turn His back on me. And yet knowing me He died for me anyway. Knowing me and what I would do and who I would be He did it anyway.

I know Christ as my personal savior and yet today I find myself asking WHY….and I find I have no answer. Thank You Lord for saving my soul. Thank you Lord for making me whole. Thank You Lord for giving to me Thy great salvation so rich and free.

SIN THE COMMON MALADY

Today I find myself in some trouble. Not trouble Per Se but a moral quandary. Paul says there is none righteous no not one Romans 3:10. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord..

So now the quandary is— WHAT IS SIN? We all have the childhood beliefs and ideals drilled into us by our parents. But this set of parents had these rules and that set of parents had those rules. So at what point do moral boundaries and society’s rules become sin? Some of the books the Apostle Paul wrote in the New Testament were culturally influenced. So what in our culture today is defined as sin? I do not believe we can go by society as their idea of sin is tainted by their own perverseness.

Who is to judge? God gives us the Ten Commandments. But nothing more specific. I believe that sin is whatever our conscience and the Holy Spirit convicts us of. But this leads to a whole new vein of thinking. We know immorality and infidelity is wrong. No argument. We know drunkenness, sloth, pride, idolatry etc. is wrong. But are there grey areas?

Missing church - wrong.

Not tithing - wrong.

Not attending church - wrong.

Knowing to do good and doing it not - wrong.

Anything that I do that causes my brother to stumble or question - wrong.

But does this really nail down what is and what isn’t sin? We here in America consider nakedness wrong but in other parts of the world it is the way of life. So what is sin and what are cultural dictates?

This one has me completely baffled folks so I am working this through my thought process and hoping I can draw this to a full and final closure. But today I am wrestling with it. We know where sin leads. So I am going to go with anything that is detrimental to us or our brethren is wrong. All things in moderation as the old saying goes. I am going to define sin as detrimental. God convicts and leads us where He wants us to go. So from here on out sin is not objective but subjective. The whole if it feels good do it crowd is wrong. We will answer for our misdeeds and conduct one day so pray for wisdom. God will give it. Listen to that still small voice, pray to God that He will lead and then be prepared to follow where He takes you in your life that has to be cleaned up.

Sin is sin. We each have to make our own way. All I can say is I am going to try and get this right in my life and then Pray that God grants me the wisdom and the strength to see what I am wrong in and then to fix it. Please if anyone reading this has further thoughts or a better clarification let me know. All comments welcome.

APPLICATION

I am having all kinds of trouble with this one today. After all when you have all the answers {supposedly} of course it is difficult to think you need any polishing or touch ups. But I am telling you it is tough to apply the knowledge. You have the constant attacks of life, of doubt, and of course attacks from Satan. After all when you are not living for God Satan has absolutely no reason to bother you. You are doing his work by doing nothing. But try and get your life straight and try to be a productive Christian and see what happens.

1.Ephesians 6:10 -18

10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.