Spiritual Suicide
Last month, a man from my class gave a presentation about veterans. He shared a fact that surprised me and has stuck with me since.
He said that more soldiers die from committing suicide than from being
in battle.
War and battles can be brutal so it took me a while to wrap my mind around that fact. I realized that after surviving such horrors, it was a hopelessness that arose while being back home that caused many of these soldiers to give up.
It reminded me of Christians. The horrors of battle become too much for us to bear. We become overwhelmed by what we see or the things we are facing. We think we can't bear it and so we stop fighting. We get tired and rather than the enemy killing us, we kill ourselves. We commit spiritual suicide because we've become hopeless. We run out of faith.
We die because we give up on fighting, not because of what we are put through.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV), Paul writes, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
When people think of temptation, they usually think of sex, but we face temptations in all other areas. We may be tempted to steal, hurt someone, cheat, etc. All Christians have been tempted to turn away from God and give up on Him. We think He's not listening, doesn't care, or that we can no longer handle living for Him (among many other reasons).
I have seen people walk away from God because they "can't do it anymore." It's all become too much. They don't die because they've been killed, they die because they committed spiritual suicide. They stopped waiting on God and trusting Him to get them through. They didn't want to fight anymore. They felt that they could do nothing to escape the battle and so they provided their own escape at the cost of their lives (spiritually).
It's difficult. Battling is taxing, I know. But God promises we can handle it. That doesn't mean it will be easy, it just means to hang in there and He will give you a way out. The answer is on its way. Committing spiritual suicide may seem to take you out of the immediate battle, but it puts you in one against God. The desolation, emptiness, and loneliness you are facing now cannot compare to those same feelings you will face intensified because of an eternity without Him.
It's painful, but trust Him. He is your most loyal companion in the battle. He will give you enough to survive it, but He won't just make it go away. He is refining you. There is something big that you need to be built up for. Let that bring you a faint glimmer of hope.
Whatever you are going through, try to keep this in mind: "If I get through this, I will be able to help someone else get through the same thing." You will help bring hope to someone else (and that's just what I can see. Imagine how much more He has planned for you after the battle). We all want to know the purpose of our suffering but we often don't know until after. Let the hope that you will help provide strength and encouragement to someone else help get you through this battle.
For those not in an intense battle right now: don't get comfortable. Being a follower of God is not meant to be easy. We should always be involved in some level of battle (spiritually). The major battles often become too much for us to bear because it is the only time we battle and so we are not used to the disappointment and pain it brings or the discipline it requires. Get your armor on and get to work. Battling isn't a season, it is a calling.
War and battles can be brutal so it took me a while to wrap my mind around that fact. I realized that after surviving such horrors, it was a hopelessness that arose while being back home that caused many of these soldiers to give up.
It reminded me of Christians. The horrors of battle become too much for us to bear. We become overwhelmed by what we see or the things we are facing. We think we can't bear it and so we stop fighting. We get tired and rather than the enemy killing us, we kill ourselves. We commit spiritual suicide because we've become hopeless. We run out of faith.
We die because we give up on fighting, not because of what we are put through.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV), Paul writes, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
When people think of temptation, they usually think of sex, but we face temptations in all other areas. We may be tempted to steal, hurt someone, cheat, etc. All Christians have been tempted to turn away from God and give up on Him. We think He's not listening, doesn't care, or that we can no longer handle living for Him (among many other reasons).
I have seen people walk away from God because they "can't do it anymore." It's all become too much. They don't die because they've been killed, they die because they committed spiritual suicide. They stopped waiting on God and trusting Him to get them through. They didn't want to fight anymore. They felt that they could do nothing to escape the battle and so they provided their own escape at the cost of their lives (spiritually).
It's difficult. Battling is taxing, I know. But God promises we can handle it. That doesn't mean it will be easy, it just means to hang in there and He will give you a way out. The answer is on its way. Committing spiritual suicide may seem to take you out of the immediate battle, but it puts you in one against God. The desolation, emptiness, and loneliness you are facing now cannot compare to those same feelings you will face intensified because of an eternity without Him.
It's painful, but trust Him. He is your most loyal companion in the battle. He will give you enough to survive it, but He won't just make it go away. He is refining you. There is something big that you need to be built up for. Let that bring you a faint glimmer of hope.
Whatever you are going through, try to keep this in mind: "If I get through this, I will be able to help someone else get through the same thing." You will help bring hope to someone else (and that's just what I can see. Imagine how much more He has planned for you after the battle). We all want to know the purpose of our suffering but we often don't know until after. Let the hope that you will help provide strength and encouragement to someone else help get you through this battle.
For those not in an intense battle right now: don't get comfortable. Being a follower of God is not meant to be easy. We should always be involved in some level of battle (spiritually). The major battles often become too much for us to bear because it is the only time we battle and so we are not used to the disappointment and pain it brings or the discipline it requires. Get your armor on and get to work. Battling isn't a season, it is a calling.
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