Struggling with how to live as a Christian

[surreal_platypus]

I feel like I'm in a perpetual cycle of mustard grain faith and that mustard seed being snatched away and turning from God altogether. It just seems that when I try to build a relationship with God my life becomes harder and more stressful or everyone around me is testing me more by showing more disrespect or something.

Like last week, got kicked out, broke phone then was having car problems, no money, got a new phone and that one was magically malfunctioning then I got a 3rd one and my provider lost all records I ever had my phone number that I had everything linked to. Coworker was yellin at me bein disrespectful too when I was nothing but respectful. Finally I said I give up, thought there was suppose to be peace in the Lord and told God to smight me. Is God just testing me and I failed? If it was how long does the bad stuff keep happening before things get good?

I think my main test is people though, like disrespectful judgmental people that show no courtesy. I go to the store or work and its like theres always someone trying to "flex" on me by refusing to even move a little to let me pass if we are walking towards eachother or someone lookin at me and shakin their heads when im just trying to mind my own business. Sometimes I just get sick of it and cut right in front of them or give them the shoulder.
How do you deal with that? I know the bible says to turn the other cheek but God doesnt want all his children to be pushovers does he?

Now I feel my heart is hardened again and lacking faith and hope. Perhaps God doesnt want me in his kingdom?

 

[Gregory Thompson]

In this world, there are weapons.

However, one of the first weapons God teaches is to turn the other cheek. As you do this, trust in Him, and demand nothing in your heart.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hello @surreal_platypus, one of the most amazing verses in the Bible (IMHO) is Matthew 7:12, because the Lord Jesus sums up how to obey the entirety of the OT (the Law and the Prophets) in the first half of the verse. It's referred to as The Golden Rule, and is typically known by the KJV translation of "do unto others as you would have others do unto you". My preference is for the NASB 77' translation however, which goes like this:

Matthew 7​

12 However you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.​

The Lord told us (elsewhere) to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. That is a tall order indeed (to say the very least), but Matthew 7:12 helps us by giving us the practical means for doing just that. It makes it seem simple enough, yes, until you realize what the Lord is ~actually~ commanding us to do there, that is.

Take note that the command says ~nothing~ about how a person has treated us/is treating us, rather, this verse commands us to ~always~ treat others in the way that we would want or hope to be treated by them, ~no matter what~ (IOW, no matter how badly they may be treating us in the moment, or how badly they may have treated us in the past).

As believers, we are called to be gentle or meek .. e.g. Matthew 5:5. This hardly means being a timid doormat for others to walk on. Rather, it involves power under control/self-control (which is part of the "fruit" that we are given by the Holy Spirit when He comes to live in us .. e.g. Galatians 5:22-23), restraint due to the knowledge of who we are in Christ, in concert with our desire to obey, please and glorify Him in all that we do (which means that we are to give other's needs first place in our lives instead of our own, unless it is impossible to do so for some reason). It's power under control for the sake of another's well-being (particularly their spiritual/eternal well-being), as well for God's glory, of course.

Philippians 2​

3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but ~with humility of mind~ regard one another as more important than yourselves;​

4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.​

​

Galatians 6​

9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.​

10 So then, ~while we have opportunity~, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.​

Here is something that you may find interesting/useful from one of my lexicons. It concerns the word πραΰς (transliterated as praus), which is typically translated into English as "gentle", "humble" and/or "meek" in the Bible.

In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend them against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time. (Is. 41:17, Lu. 18:1–8) Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God’s goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will. (Gal. 5:23).​

That said, we sometimes find ourselves in situations where the Lord and/or His word are being sullied by others (rather than simply believed or disbelieved). In such a case, the Bible tells us to be discerning, and to excuse ourselves from the conversation rather than allowing the abuse to continue, if the abuser won't stop (that includes excessive abuse that is directed at us as the Lord's witnesses/ministers too) .. e.g. Matthew 7:6.

This is the loving thing to do because, clearly, an abusive person is not ready to hear what God and the Bible have to say to them at that time. So, we leave and pray for them, for a change in their attitude/heart (for them to come to understand why their need for the Savior is so dire), and for another opportunity to speak with them in the future (or for someone else to be able to).

I hope that helps a bit. I'm sorry about making this such a long post

God bless you!!

--David
p.s. - pastor and theologian Charles Spurgeon said many interesting things, and the quote below is one of my favorites. I believe that he based the quote in large part on Romans 8:28, and I thought that you might find them both useful to consider (as it is speaks to a different/better way to look at life's problems and difficulties).

We know that God causes all things to work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are
called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
.​

 

[ozso]

I feel like I'm in a perpetual cycle of mustard grain faith and that mustard seed being snatched away and turning from God altogether. It just seems that when I try to build a relationship with God my life becomes harder and more stressful or everyone around me is testing me more by showing more disrespect or something.

Like last week, got kicked out, broke phone then was having car problems, no money, got a new phone and that one was magically malfunctioning then I got a 3rd one and my provider lost all records I ever had my phone number that I had everything linked to. Coworker was yellin at me bein disrespectful too when I was nothing but respectful. Finally I said I give up, thought there was suppose to be peace in the Lord and told God to smight me. Is God just testing me and I failed? If it was how long does the bad stuff keep happening before things get good?

I think my main test is people though, like disrespectful judgmental people that show no courtesy. I go to the store or work and its like theres always someone trying to "flex" on me by refusing to even move a little to let me pass if we are walking towards eachother or someone lookin at me and shakin their heads when im just trying to mind my own business. Sometimes I just get sick of it and cut right in front of them or give them the shoulder.
How do you deal with that? I know the bible says to turn the other cheek but God doesnt want all his children to be pushovers does he?

Now I feel my heart is hardened again and lacking faith and hope. Perhaps God doesnt want me in his kingdom?

The situations you're describing have nothing to do with being a Christian. Or put another way it would have taken place regardless of being a Christian or not.

Now over time as you grow in God, how you react to and or deal with such situations will improve. That's were the peace part comes in. But it doesn't happen overnight.

 

[Joined2krist]

Yes, you need to keep turning the other cheeks, overlook insults, etc. Read Luke 6

 

[FutureAndAHope]

I feel like I'm in a perpetual cycle of mustard grain faith and that mustard seed being snatched away and turning from God altogether. It just seems that when I try to build a relationship with God my life becomes harder and more stressful or everyone around me is testing me more by showing more disrespect or something.

Like last week, got kicked out, broke phone then was having car problems, no money, got a new phone and that one was magically malfunctioning then I got a 3rd one and my provider lost all records I ever had my phone number that I had everything linked to. Coworker was yellin at me bein disrespectful too when I was nothing but respectful. Finally I said I give up, thought there was suppose to be peace in the Lord and told God to smight me. Is God just testing me and I failed? If it was how long does the bad stuff keep happening before things get good?

I think my main test is people though, like disrespectful judgmental people that show no courtesy. I go to the store or work and its like theres always someone trying to "flex" on me by refusing to even move a little to let me pass if we are walking towards eachother or someone lookin at me and shakin their heads when im just trying to mind my own business. Sometimes I just get sick of it and cut right in front of them or give them the shoulder.
How do you deal with that? I know the bible says to turn the other cheek but God doesnt want all his children to be pushovers does he?

Now I feel my heart is hardened again and lacking faith and hope. Perhaps God doesnt want me in his kingdom?

There is a story of Job in the bible, he was a very blessed man, but satan asked the LORD to test him. God allowed it, but only for a season. Job complained during the ordeal, and wondered why God seemed to abandon him. But in the end, God removed all the pressures off Jobs's life and gave him even more blessings than he had before.

Jamse 5:11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

So don't worry if you buckle under pressure, even Job, who was said to be the most righteous of people, complained when the chips were down. Just pick yourself back up and keep on going, knowing that the affliction you face will not be forever.

 

[YahuahSaves]

It just seems that when I try to build a relationship with God my life becomes harder and more stressful or everyone around me is testing me more by showing more disrespect or something.

This is the side of the cross no one really talks about. You will be persecuted for following God's will. Satan will come against you with everything he's got. Jesus said: "they will hate you because of me" and he also said "those who endure to the end will be saved". The cross should not be taken lightly.

 

[YahuahSaves]

Sometimes I just get sick of it and cut right in front of them or give them the shoulder.
How do you deal with that? I know the bible says to turn the other cheek but God doesnt want all his children to be pushovers does he?

It is difficult because sanctification is a process and putting off our "old man" (our flesh) isn't easy. I can't say much because I've had the same problems my whole life with people (always believed in the heavenly Father, but not "saved" until a year ago). I wonder now if my belief is the reason, even though I never pushed my belief in God on anyone else back then. I developed a lot of bitterness and unforgiveness in my heart and God has since cleaned that up but I've had to hold onto that knowledge of unforgiveness being like a poisonous infection, because since being saved I've really been through the ringer in this respect and "loving our enemies" is  hard. I like to refer back to Ephesians 6:12 whenever I'm really struggling and remind myself the fight is not with flesh and blood, but satan himself. Some days are a bigger struggle than others not to retaliate but God wants us free of the bondages of sin, so don't give up!

 

[Hazelelponi]

Perhaps God doesnt want me in his kingdom?

It's not God who doesn't want you in the Kingdom - it's the devil.

Your in a spiritual battle for your soul.

Choosing God isn't easy - EVERYTHING about us runs from Him and stands actively opposed to Him. Everything About the world is full of people just like that too.

The Devil knows your name and you know his voice.

Now make another choice - Choose God and STICK with that choice - that which is hard eventually becomes easier, that which was once impossible for you becomes possible.

But it begins more difficult... It begins with a battle. Choose this day whom you will serve.

 

[timf]

2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

The flesh rebels at the bad treatment by the world and wants to strike back. The answer lies in walking by the Spirit (Gal. 5). This is the transcendence to overcome a world of people who are selfish and hate Jesus.

 

[Diamond72]

If it was how long does the bad stuff keep happening before things get good?

Before I became a Christian life was always half and half. It was as good as it was bad. Some things were really good, but the bad was really bad. Then when I got saved the scale started to tip more toward being good. This is what they say that life is a gift. As a Christian, we get things we do not earn or deserve.