The Attempts that Stop You
I genuinely believe that there is a compelling case to be made that life becomes more challenging after you surrender your life to Jesus and make Him Lord of your life. Why is that? Because we naturally don’t want others to control us. Our sinful flesh desires to be in rebellion against the God who calls us to deny ourselves daily (Luke 9:23). Not only that, but the devil and his demons, while limited in power, are looking for people to destroy. They especially look for those who have a special calling on their life.
Therefore, there will be attempts to stop you from pursuing what God has called you to do.
Ezra 4:1-5 says: When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.” 4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. 5 They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.
The people of Israel had finally returned to their homeland after years of oppression from enemies. Their first task was to rebuild the temple. They did not start with the city walls or any other buildings. Instead, they began with the temple because the temple signified God’s presence. The people knew they needed God’s presence before military rule or any other building.
But as they continued to pursue God’s plan and surrender their obedience to Him, opposition came in the form of doubts and fear from their enemies. The enemies of God’s people tried to distract them from rebuilding the temple.
What has God called you to do?
Pursuing God’s call and being obedient to His will is not easy. It goes against every form of normalcy you can think of. Distractions may come in the form of friends and family wanting you to pursue familiarity and not faith. Sin and spiritual warfare will arise if it has not already. Leaving what is comfortable to step out in courageous faith is challenging.
You cannot afford to miss the blessings of a life that is surrendered to God. There will be numerous things that attempt to stop you. The key to overcoming them is to recognize them and refocus your sight on God’s promises. He never fails to deliver. When God calls you, He prepares you. When the devil and the demons know that you are being obedient, they will attempt to stop you. You may even try to stop yourself. Don’t get in God’s way. Let Him lead.