Obstacles that God won't remove

The gaurentee of obstacles

Matthew 18:7 NKJV

7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

As long us we are in the world we will face obstacles when we try to accomplish the will of God.

Obstacles are a must when one begins to live for God.

Hebrews 11:32–40 NKJV

32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

Verse 32-34, speaks of what they accomplished through faith for God

Verse 35-38 speaks of the obstacles that they had to overcome while fulffilling the will of God. while serving God, while living for God.

Two type of obstacles

Obstacles that we have to defeat to overcome

Obstacles that we have to endure inorder to overccome

Obstacles that we have to defeat to overcome.

Numbers 13:25–33 (NKJV)

25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.

26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.

27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.

29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”

30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”

32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.

33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

This was an obstacle that God expected his people to defeat inorder and overcome and having done so to possess the promise land

Numbers 14:9 NKJV

9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

This obstacles in our paths may have a mouth, but they don’t have power to overcome us.

Their goal is to drive us back, to hinder us from fullfiling the will of God.

Is there giants in your life that are hindering you from fullfiling the will of God.

David killed the giant that was hindering God’s people from accomplishing his will

We have to see beyong the obstacle, and overcome it by defeating it and thereby have victory.

Obstacles that you endure in order to overcome

Judges 2:20–23 NKJV

20 Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, 21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22 so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.” 23 Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.

Judges 3:1–4 NKJV

1 Now these are the nations which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan 2 (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), 3 namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. 4 And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

These are the obstacles that the Lord left, that he would not allows the people of Israel to drive out, to defeat. There were kept there to fullfill a certain purpose. In this case, to test them and to make them fighters, and warriors

There are obstacles that God will not remove not allow us to defeat for a season, because they play an important role in hid divine will for our lifes.

Hebrews 12:2–4 KJV 1900

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Jesus defeated many demons, cast out many demons that tried to hinder him from acomplishing the will of God.

There was one demon he was not willing to cast out. It was there within one of his desciples.

There are obstacles in our life if we pray and do everything we can to remove them, won’t go because they have received a command from God to stay.

Elijah and Ahab and Jezebel

Elijah had victory over many obstacles but they was one that was thorn in the flesh and would not go away. No matter what he did it was always there, God did not give him victory over that obstacle during his life

He was overcome by it, when it finally got into his head and he beca,e weary and discouraged in his heart.

Elijah’s plea to God

1 Kings 19:14 NKJV

14 And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

God’s response

1 Kings 19:15–17 NKJV

15 Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. 17 It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.

God did not even tell Elijah if he would finally deal with Jezebel or not.

Note elijah overcame the obstacle of Jezebel, by enduring her empty threathning and not allowing her to discourage him to the point of Giving up. if he had allowed Jezebell to totally get into his head and caused him to give up, he will not fullfilled the will of God, Elisha and Jehu would not have been anointed and hence Jezebel will still be enthroned.

However in spite of that contradiction, he was able to accomplish God will and thereby defeat Jezebel herself.

There are obstacles that you overcome by just ignoring them. whatever noise they make, you ignore them.

Paul example

2 Corinthians 12:7–9 (NKJV)

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Buffet :-to hit something repeatedly and with great force:, something that will constantly hit you and try to hinder you or make you loose your steadfastness

The reward for those who overcome

The church of Ephesus

Revelation 2:7 NKJV

7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’

The church of smurna

Revelation 2:1 NKJV

1 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:

The church of Pergamos

Revelation 2:13 NKJV

13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

Revelation 2:17 NKJV

17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’

The church of Thytira

Revelation 2:26–29 NKJV

26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— 27 ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father; 28 and I will give him the morning star. 29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’

The church of Sardis

Revelation 3:5 NKJV

5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

The church of Philadephia

Revelation 3:12 NKJV

12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

The church of Laodecean

Revelation 3:21 NKJV

21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Revelation 21:6–7 NKJV

6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.