Things that keep me from Seeing the movement of God in my life

John Brooks

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If my prayers are primarily about finding God’s will for my life, then life is about me. If I am praying that God will reveal to me where He is working and how I might join Him, then my life is about God and His glory.

The human eye has a blind spot—a small area on the retina, about the size of a pencil eraser, without photoreceptors. We usually aren’t aware of this blind spot because our brain fills in this blank area with the surrounded images, making our vision field appear seamless.

It is the same kind of blindspot that outside mirror on our car has. I bought a small round mirror that I have attached to the other mirror so that I can see a car coming up on my left while driving.

We also have blind spots or gaps in our perception that keep us from seeing the truth about others and ourselves. These blindspots often keep us from experiencing all that God has for us. Sometimes they keep us from seeing the things that God is doing that He wants us to be a part of.

I want to share a few of the things that keep us from seeing where God is at work. As I do ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you about the one or ones that you need to deal with.

This is the thought that you can handle things on your own. These are the things that will blind us to the movement of God in our lives.

1. Stubborn Resistance to allowing others to speak into our lives—

This is what Pharaoh did in the days of Moses. Moses went to Pharaoh and asked to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Pharaoh resisted with entrenched stubbornness. So God sent plagues on Pharaoh’s nation to turn his thinking around. Now, if I had been Pharaoh, I might have resisted Moses’ request to let my slaves just walk out of my country. But after the gnats, it would not have been a problem at all. If not the gnats, the flies surely would have turned my heart. One fly is enough for me. I know where those dirty, hairy little legs have been. But the gnats and flies were not enough to break through Pharaoh’s stubborn resistance. Nor were painful, infectious boils. He remained stubborn until Egypt was utterly devastated. But still he stubbornly resisted, finally to his own undoing.

My comment when after asking a man for help and he told me the cost - I am not sure if I want to do that or not - Question is not do you want to but will you.

2. Arrogance -

If you realize you have a tendency toward stubborn resistance, be grateful, because it’s not easy for people to see their need to change in this area. Stubborn resistance is by its very nature stubbornly resistant to change. So don’t expect to overcome it in a moment or a day. It will take time and work.

Open-mindedness is a valuable assessment tool, but it’s worthless unless it’s followed up with a willingness to act. A person with willingness goes beyond good intentions. There’s no “try” or “want to” for the willing. The willing actually get things done. Willingness moves beyond desire to doing whatever it takes to make things different. Willingness lead to real change.

2. Arrogant Entitlement—Blinded by Selfishness

We live in a world that encourages my-way thinking. We’re bombarded with ads that tell us to “have it your way” and “you deserve a break today.” Go out there and get what you deserve no matter what it does to others. Buy this luxury product because you deserve it. You deserve to be happy, so if you’re not getting what makes you happy, you’re entitled to find it elsewhere. And even if in our hearts we know our thoughts and actions are wrong, we rationalize so that we can continue to indulge.

What is it that we really deserve? What we deserve is death and hell.

1 Peter 5:6 NIV

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Humility: The Key to Overcoming Arrogant Entitlement

Humility eliminates the self-centered arrogance that results in entitlement. Humility doesn’t climb over others. It reaches out to connect with others, appreciating them for who they are, not for what they can do for you. A humble person doesn’t use everything within himself to further his own cause, but rather he desires to use whatever strength or position he has to help others and meet their needs. As a result, the relational blind spot is removed, giving him access to a rich life full of valuable connections with family and friends. “Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time, he will lift you up.” ()

3. Resentment and Bitterness

Are you angry about something in your life? Has someone hurt you, and you feel you have every right to remain angry and bitter? Have you done something so awful you cannot forgive yourself? What I’m addressing here are not the petty little resentments that momentarily upset us from day to day but instead betrayals and deep hurts. The kind that has you believing that anyone who went through such an experience would feel the same way. If you’re carrying around anything like this, it’s as dangerous as radioactive material. And it can eat away at who you are at the deepest levels of your being.

Forgiveness is the key to overcoming this resentment and bitterness.

Without exception we are to forgive, no matter how strongly we feel that the severity of the offense justifies our continued resentment. Often we look for any possible loophole to withhold forgiveness, but there is none. We must forgive.

When the hurt is deep, forgiveness can seem too much to ask. So what does this forgiveness look like. It is identifying the offense, saying in my heart I forgive you for ..... and then never bringing it up again.

4. Disobedience -

Life alone is easier, but it’s emptier. Isolated from relationships that bring out the inner truth about ourselves, we don’t have to face who we really are. We remain unaware of the areas in which we need to grow. We stop developing the maturity and wisdom God wants for us. The disconnected life is based on an assessment that the world is unsafe, people are not dependable or worth the trouble, or their own relational skills are inadequate.

Luke 5:1–11 NIV

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Intimacy: The Key to Overcoming Disconnected Isolation

What was the difference in Simon’s fishing all night and catching nothing and lowering his nets in obedience to Jesus. OBEDIENCE - God always empowers us to do the things He asks us to do. () Power of God is found in the presence of God.

Isolation is a blind spot that blocks us from deep joy and the way humans are designed to live as relational beings in a community with others. If we’ve been hurt in the past, intimacy is the opposite of what we want. Who can blame the abused woman, the abandoned boy? The world and people seem unsafe. But Jesus has given us his body—the church—a community of refuge and love. “Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble” ().

4. Disobedience

If we are currently disobeying the things God is asking of us, we have no right to ask God to show us where He is at work.

STORY OF ME MEETING HAROLD - QUESTION IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO BUT WHAT WILL YOU DO.

5. Sometimes simple fatigue and discouragement keep us from recognizing God’s work in our lives. I want to tell you a story but just so that we are clear I am not comparing myself to Elijah. It is just that I understand the story.

John 8:31–32 NIV

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8

Elijah had been hiding from Ahab.

Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal.

Israel experiencing drought because they had turned their back on God. They are now following Baal.

Elijah goes to Ahab and challenges the prophets to burn up a sacrifice by calling fire down from heaven. It didn't happen. He then builds his own altar and has the people soak it with water. He calls out to God and God sent fire from heaven and consumed the sacrifice.

He then had the prophets of Baal slaughtered.

Ahab tells Jezebel and she threatens Elijah that she is going to kill him. Elijah runs and hides.

1 Kings 19:1–5 NIV

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”

1 Kings 19:1-

One last story of what God can do if we are watchfully obedient.

Several years ago I took 3-4 couples to China. It was the first time back for one of the couples who had served in the city we visited for 2 years out of college. Met secretly with a young pastor.

Call to commitment - What is it that is keeping you from joining with God to making disciples as you are going. Give them opportunity to

Call to commitment -

Call to salvation

Call to repentance - you are missing the movement of God in your life because you have refused to turn from your sin.

You are missing the movement of god in your life because you are fearful of where God might ask you to go or ask you to do. (HE HAS ALREADY SAID TO YOU MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS AS YOU ARE GOING.