Hi Shannon,

It is good that you have been a christian for a year and it is normal for you have these temptations because that is the nature of the christian life.

As Christians we have been saved by the death of Jesus and are looking forward to living with him in heaven when the time comes. However until then we live in a world that is charactersised by sin and hatred for God. We see the way others live without God and are tempted to think that would it be great to be like them. But God has in store for us something far better, far more satisfying and much more lasting that anything this world has to offer. So good is it that Paul says he counts all that this life offers and gives us as nothing (the word he uses is “sewerage”) compared to what waits for us in heaven.

However we have to wait for it and waiting is a struggle.

However God also knows this and gives us three important things to help us:

1. His word, the bible, has all we need to live a godly life on earth (2 Timothy 3:16ff). So read it, be inspired by it, talk to others about it. It is the food that gives you strength to keep going.

2. God wants us to pray to him. Prayer is more than simply asking to God for things. Prayer is about expressing to God our relationship with him. He wants us to talk to him about everything - how we feel, what causes us joy or pain, what we need, what our friends/family need, our struggles. In Phillipians 4:6-7, God wants us not to be anxious about anything but to bring everything to him in prayer. And teh amazing thing about prayer is that God works through our prayers to give us what we need and want.

3. God has given us other people to encourage us and help us. So meet with them and talk about your temptations and struggles because you will find they struggle in teh same way and together you can struggle and stand firm till the end.

Finally, we will all sin (1 John 1) but this does not mean we have fallen beyond God’s salvation. God loves you and will keep you till the end, he will forgive you when you sin and turn back to him. So do not be afraid - face the temptations with all the power of God and know that God stands with you.

Hang in there. I hope this helps.

cheers
David