Do you have a barrier in your life that you are struggling to overcome? It could be fear, pride, lack of self-discipline, an addiction, or a health issue. God helps us overcome barriers.
If we are honest, all of us struggle to overcome something at some point in our life. Fortunately, if are willing to humble ourselves and go to the Lord in prayer, He will help us overcome.
Jericho was a Barrier to the Promised Land
Even though the Lord had given the Israelites the Promised Land, they would need to depend on the Lord to possess it. Jericho was a walled and fortified city that was a huge barrier standing in the way of the Israelites, but God had a plan to conquer the city supernaturally. Israel would not be able to conquer Jericho on their own, they would need God’s help
Joshua 6: 4 Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. 5 When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town…20 When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. 21 They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys. [1]
God Wants to Help You Overcome Barriers
Just as God enabled Israel to overcome the barrier of Jericho, He wants to help you overcome the barriers that life puts in front of us. What do we do with obstacles in our lives? Here are some points to help you.
- Ask the Lord for help. Sometimes the obstacles are of our own making. Sin may be fun in the short term, but it is a long term disaster. Confess and repent of your sin and trust God for strength and wisdom.
- Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.[2]
- Isaiah 12: 2 See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. [3]
Deal with Barriers in Your Mind
“Some barriers that we deal with aren’t even real because we have let our fears, worries, or lies from others keep us paralyzed from dealing with obstacles. Many times, the key to overcoming a major obstacle is to first deal with what we allow our minds to focus on and realign our thinking to be on par with the Word of God. Meditation, memorization, and reflection of God’s word daily will demolish every wrong thought.”[4]
2 Corinthians 10: 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.[5]
Recognize that God Uses Barriers for His Purposes “Barriers not only remind us of our weakness in and of ourselves, but they also are a reminder that God is in control. The Lord is never caught off guard by our problems or situations. He uniquely prepares and chooses us for the journey of dealing with our obstacles. In the process of working through and around them, we grow up in the faith and our testimony encourages others to press forward in the Lord.”[6]
Genesis 50: 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.[7]
To hear more about how God helps us overcome barriers, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/faith-makes-a-difference-jericho-rahab
[1-3,5,7] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[4] https://www.godtube.com/news/5-biblical-truths-to-help-overcome-obstacles-in-life.html
[6] https://www.godtube.com/news/5-biblical-truths-to-help-overcome-obstacles-in-life.html