As I was looking at some of the situations I have
encountered over recent weeks, sometimes even looking back at things I have
went through over the years… I have just learnt something about obstacles that
the Lord is teaching me.
Often in lives we face obstacles in many forms… One
example I like to give is this, quite often on the same day or week, which I
have an important church activity to attend to, I will suddenly find myself
drowned with a lot of work that will cause to me be stuck at home and thus
preventing me to attend it… This doesn’t happen just once or twice but it
happens so many times that I have lost count of the number of events I missed
just because I got stuck at home… I realised this is a trick the devil uses a
lot on me… Knowing that my weakness is my work and until I have finished my
work, I rarely have any peace in my mind and heart and often I will make a lot of excuses not to
go anywhere else because of it… Because you didn’t go, you miss out on the blessing
God has intended for you.
Don’t you think it is too much of a coincidence if it
happens almost half the time? Every
time, you have something important you want to attend to, related to church,
something happens; you suddenly get into a quarrel with someone, something
crops up at work, it clashes with an office event, out of the blue you fall
sick…. Either for some reason you missed it, (and regret that you did, and
wished you were there) or you eventually attended the meeting but with some
struggles in your heart.
I remembered once I didn’t feel so good, and I was really
tempted to skip church but I still pressed my way and made it to church no
matter what, and I thank God that I did, because I was hungry for God, He
blessed and honour me for preserving to seek Him. Sometimes, if you just give
in to the excuse, you have just fallen for the trick of the enemy and you just
missed out on something great that God has in stored for you.
Obstacles can come from two different sources carrying
two different types of purposes. The first type of obstacles are God ordained,
when God allowed these obstacles to come your way, it is either to train you
for something greater or to protect from something is probably going to harm
you in some ways or maybe God is just saying no because he has something else
better for you. Once I was looking forward to attend a Christian concert, but
many things prevented me from being able to buy the tickets and there was also
a clash of events, I had classes to attend prior to that. Eventually I didn’t manage
to attend it because I realised later (somewhere in the midst of it), that mom
was having her birthday dinner that same evening, and God wanted me to be there
instead. That’s no wonder why I was having a hard time planning and trying to
get my ticket for the concert. On one hand, I didn’t know if I was able to make
it after class, on the other hand I had a hard time getting my tickets online…
The other type of obstacles comes from the Devil. (Like
what I have shared in my above example in the beginning) If this happens, there
can only be one purpose, it is to destroy, distract and derail you away from
the plans of God.
While God has a plan for you, remember that the devil
also has a plan for you… John 10:10 says, “The devil comes to steal, kill and
destroy, but I (Jesus) have come that you may have life, and life more abundantly.” Whenever God has a plan for you, the devil is
also working behind the scene to attempt to bring you down, so that you are not
able to fulfil God’s plan.
We need to learn to discern which ones are God ordain and
which ones are from the devil (which normal comes as a form of spiritual
attack). How do we discern? Sometimes you just know, you can sense it,
otherwise, simply go to God in prayer and ask Him to reveal it to you through
the Holy Spirit. If it comes from the Holy
Spirit, you will feel peace in the end, and it is normally for a good purpose,
otherwise, you would probably be able to guess that it is coming from the other
side.
The devil has a lot of tactics he uses to prevent you
from doing God’s work or drawing close to Him. Sometimes, he uses your own
weakness against you; sometimes, he uses the people around you. Otherwise, he
will cause a situation to arise that will either; destroy, distract, defeat,
discourage, delay or detour you. The Bible however encourages us that in some situation, God has
the ability to turn what the devil intend to be harmful, to be good for his
purpose in the case of Joseph (Gen 50:20)
And Romans 8:28 says “And we know that in all things God
works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his
purpose”.
We can be encouraged therefore, that nothing happens to
us that is unknown to God, sometimes even if is from the devil, God also has a
purpose for allowing it, which we may never understand as in the case of Job. (Job 1:6-12).
We can however be encouraged that, “If God is for us, who
can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all
– how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will
bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God for justifies. Who
then is the one who condemns? No one, Christ Jesus who died, more than that,
who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding
for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or
hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is
written; “For your sake we face death all day long, we are considered as sheep
to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels
nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height
nor depth, nor anything things in all creation, will be able to separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 31-39)
Be encouraged, God is always on our side no matter what
happens in our lives. It is up to us, however, to choose which side we want to
be on.
God bless you!
Serving with you in His Kingdom with love;
Princess Michelle –
Beloved Daughter of the Most High King
