As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, all of us go through periods when life feels like we’re getting hit with one obstacle after the other. God tells us in Romans 8:37 that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. Because of what our Heavenly Father accomplished through our Great Redeemer; we are always infinitely stronger than we think. Spiritually, this is our reality, but our minds and hearts must catch up. We must develop the kind of resiliency that instantly goes into full effect when tribulation and trouble knock at our doors. Faith must become an instant reflex for believers, and this is one of the greatest spiritual lessons of life.
Kick your mind in gear
2Corinthians 4:4(NLT) says, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” Jesus Christ made it crystal clear that we have an enemy that seeks to throw us back and knock us down; he seeks to corrupt our paths and cripple our endurance so that we lack the energy to climb higher. The methodology he uses is one of bringing so much confusion and chaos to our lives that we are blinded by it. We don’t see solutions. We don’t see deliverance; and we don’t see the opportunities that are right in front of us.
God tells us in Ephesians 4:23 to renew our minds, and this means we must change the way we think. In other words, we must kick our minds in high gear and begin to think the higher thoughts of Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8(NLT), “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” When we ignore God’s instruction in this verse, we can become stuck because we allow our thoughts to be focused on disappointment and defeat. God has given us free-will agency. He will not make us think Godly and good thoughts. That’s our responsibility, and we must begin to discipline our thought life so that the quality of our lives will change.
Rid your heart of bitterness
Bitterness is a poisonous root. If it’s in our hearts, we must get rid of it. Hebrews 12:15(NLT) tells us, “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” It doesn’t matter what we’re praying to Heavenly Father to receive, it is our responsibility to build the landing strip for that blessing to land. Bitterness is a mixture of resentment, frustration, disgust, anger, and sadness, and it will not create a landing strip for blessings. It will do just the opposite and block us from gaining the kind of spiritual momentum we need.
Our Heavenly Father commands us in Ephesians 4:31(NLT) to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.” Bitterness is a heavy weight, and it will prevent us from going higher, but when we release it, and put forgiveness, humility, and reverence for God in its place, our hearts are transformed. We’ll increase our faith and develop the spiritual strength that our Heavenly Father requires.
Seek God’s Will
Jesus Christ commands us in Matthew 6:33(NKJV), “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” This is the mind and heart of Christ. When he walked the face of this earth, he always did the Father’s Will and we must follow his example. Many of us are praying for OUR wills to be done. Our prayers are about asking God to follow what we want to do. This is not faith, and you cannot pull faith from a heart that seeks to neglect God’s purpose.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us that God is a Rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. It isn’t enough to leave the sin behind; we have to leave the sin and cling to the purpose for which God has called us. It’s His purpose, not ours. The wrongs we’ve done, the mistakes we’ve made, God sets everything right and causes all things to work together for our good when we are committed to seek His Will in all that we do.
Pray for spiritual growth
In Mark 10, a man came to Jesus Christ willing to be taught by him, but he was not willing to be transformed. This is the dilemma many of us have today. We want the blessing but will not take the time to study God’s Word and be transformed by it. Life is an ever moving and changing dynamic. It was created by God to have its fullest expression through His Son, Jesus Christ. 2Peter 3:18 tells us that we must grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Continued blessings are based on 2Peter 3:18. As we see the need for a fuller expression of life, more of Christ must be expressed in our daily living. We must be transformed in a way that there is less of flesh and more of him. Pray for this continually in your life.
Follow the Spirit
Drab and uneventful is not how God designed life to be. 1Corinthians 4:20(NLT) tells us, “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.” Living by God’s power is an incredible reality for the believer. It’s reaching greater levels of faith continually. We shouldn’t get locked into sameness day after day. Renewing our minds, keeping our hearts pure, seeking God’s Will in all we do and praying continually for spiritual growth and maturity, these condition us in obedience to our Heavenly Father. As we remain committed to follow the Spirit’s guidance, they will keep us humble and flexible to God’s purpose, and we will overcome every obstacle and grow increasingly in faith.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“5 Steps to Overcoming Obstacles and Reaching Greater Levels of Faith”, written by Fran Mack. Edits by Kim Times and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2024. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.