Nobody Warned You It Would Get Harder. But It Has. Here Is Why.

Many people come to Jesus expecting things to get easier. They have heard that he offers peace, rest, and new life — and he does. But nobody warned them about the war.

Because the moment you become a Christian, you step into a conflict. The world, the flesh, and the devil do not take kindly to someone switching sides. Old habits fight back. New temptations appear. Relationships get complicated. Life, in many ways, gets harder — not easier. And if nobody told you this was coming, it can feel deeply confusing, even devastating.

In War: Why Did Life Just Get Harder?, Mez McConnell tells the truth. With the directness, rawness, and pastoral honesty that have made him one of the most distinctive voices writing for new and marginalised Christians today, McConnell helps readers understand that the spiritual life is war — and that knowing this changes everything. This is not a book that softens the message or wraps it in religious comfort. As Steve Timmis, CEO of the Acts 29 Network, puts it: if you want a book about the real and daily struggles of following Christ that pulls no punches, dodges no controversy, fudges no issue and gives it to you straight — here it is.

Joel Kurtz, Pastor of The Garden in Baltimore, says it plainly: Mez keeps it real and speaks truth. And John Onwuchekwa of Cornerstone Church Atlanta notes that McConnell communicates biblical truths in a way that hits the heart and mind whilst giving a realistic picture of the joy and struggles faced by Christians — and that he is excited about the role this book will play in discipling the very people it was written for.

What This Book Covers

Mez McConnell works through the realities of spiritual warfare with biblical clarity and unflinching honesty:

Why life gets harder after coming to Christ — The biblical explanation for why following Jesus does not remove struggle but often intensifies it
What spiritual war actually is — A clear, grounded account of the conflict every Christian enters the moment they come to faith
The world, the flesh, and the devil — How these three enemies operate, what they want, and how they attack
Why so many new Christians are unprepared — The damage done by a gospel that promises comfort without conflict, and what a more honest picture looks like
How to fight and keep fighting — Practical, biblical guidance for Christians who are in the thick of the struggle and need to know how to stand
The joy in the midst of war — Why the Christian life, for all its struggle, is also marked by a deep and sustaining joy that the world cannot give or take away
Encouragement for the weary — Honest, warm, and direct pastoral care for believers who are tired, tempted, and wondering if they can keep going

What Readers Will Learn

Why coming to Christ does not end the struggle but begins a new and more serious one
What the Bible teaches about the enemies every Christian faces — the world, the flesh, and the devil — and how to recognise their attacks
Why a Christianity that promises only ease and comfort is a distortion of the gospel Jesus actually proclaimed
How to fight the battles of the Christian life with the weapons God has provided
Why struggle and suffering are not signs that something has gone wrong with your faith — but that something has gone right
How to experience genuine joy even in the midst of real and daily spiritual warfare
Why the Christian life, honestly faced, is worth every bit of the fight

How to Use This Book

War is raw, direct, and immediately useful:

Personal reading — Ideal for any new Christian who is confused or discouraged by how hard life has become since coming to faith
One-to-one discipleship — A natural resource for a mentor walking alongside a newer believer who is struggling and needs honest biblical preparation for the fight ahead
New believers class — A vital corrective for churches that have not adequately prepared new members for the reality of spiritual warfare
Small group use — Short enough to read together, honest enough to generate real and vulnerable conversation about the struggles each person is facing
Pastoral gift — A book leaders can confidently give to any Christian who is in the thick of struggle and needs someone to tell them the truth

What Others Are Saying

"Too many believe that Jesus is supposed to take away all of their problems. This book will help me explain to them that the spiritual life is war. Mez keeps it real and speaks truth. I love this guy." — Joel Kurtz, Pastor, The Garden, Baltimore, Maryland

"Mez is one of us and he writes like one of us. This shows as he communicates biblical truths in a way that hits the heart and mind whilst giving a realistic picture of the joy and struggles faced by Christians." — Ian Williamson, Pastor, New Life Church, Middlesbrough

"Over the years, I've come to appreciate Mez not just as an excellent philosopher and pastor, but as a practitioner. I'm excited about the role this book will play in discipling the very people this book was written for." — John Onwuchekwa, Lead Pastor, Cornerstone Church, Atlanta, Georgia

"If you want a book about the real and daily struggles of following Christ which pulls no punches, dodges no controversy, fudges no issue and gives it to you straight, then here it is." — Steve Timmis, CEO, Acts 29 Network

Who Should Read This Book

This book is for you if you are:

A new Christian who expected life to get easier after coming to Christ — and has been shocked and confused to find it getting harder
A struggling believer who is in the thick of spiritual warfare and needs someone to tell them the truth about what they are facing and how to fight
A pastor or church leader who wants an honest, biblically grounded resource to give to new and struggling members
A discipleship mentor walking alongside someone who is finding the Christian life far harder than they expected
Anyone who has ever been sold a version of Christianity that promised only comfort and blessing — and has since discovered that the real thing is something altogether more costly and more glorious

About the Author

Mez McConnell is the Senior Pastor of Niddrie Community Church in Edinburgh, Scotland, and the founder of 20schemes — a ministry dedicated to planting and revitalising churches in Scotland's most deprived communities. He is also the series editor of the entire First Steps series. Mez writes from the trenches — from decades of ministry among people who have known real hardship, real addiction, real suffering, and real grace. His writing is unvarnished, direct, and deeply pastoral, shaped by a conviction that the people who most need the gospel are the ones who need it told to them straight. War: Why Did Life Just Get Harder? is perhaps his most personal contribution to the First Steps series — a book written by someone who knows what it is to fight, and who knows that the fight is worth it.

About the First Steps Series

War is part of the First Steps series — published by 9Marks and series edited by Mez McConnell. It is a collection of short, accessible books designed specifically to help new Christians take their first steps in the faith with confidence and clarity. Each volume addresses a foundational question about the Christian life in a way that is warm, practical, and easy to engage with for someone brand new to following Jesus.

Other titles in the series include: