Most of us quietly carry an expectation that spiritual maturity means the struggle should disappear. We think good Christians shouldn’t wrestle with doubt or battle temptation.
We think that spiritually mature people should have it all together.
But if we’re honest, every one of us knows the tension Paul describes in Romans 7:19, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (NIV)
But Scripture tells a different story.
In fact, the struggle is often evidence that something inside of you is alive.
Before Christ, there was no inner conflict—only captivity. But when Christ changes your identity, something new awakens within you: a desire for what is good, a longing to honor God, and a new awareness of sin.
And the tension begins.
It is the struggle between the old nature and the new life.
Hear me: struggling does not mean you are losing, it means the battle has begun.
Also, you are not alone in the battle. The Holy Spirit living in you is actively participating in your transformation. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (NIV)
Friend, your struggle isn’t proof that your faith is weak.
It’s proof that God Himself is at work in you.