HINDRANCES TO FULFILLING DESTINIES
The New Year avails us a new opportunity to strengthen our resolve, renew our vows and chart new paths towards our common destiny. Both individuals and corporate bodies appraise their past and the choices they make. These enable them know areas they achieved great successes and those failed in their expectations. A couple of things could contribute to our not meeting our goals and desired objectives. We shall attempt to examine a few of them.
Guess what are the things denying or distracting us from reaching our goals? There are: Fears, unbelief, unforgiveness, procrastination, lack of knowledge and skills, unconfessed sins and lukewarmness as well as laziness, etc. However, two great violent and destructive elephants have invaded the field of our faith and Christian life and are causing havocs and damages that take only God to fix, repair and rescue. These big two are: fears (Matthew 8:23-26); Unbelief (Matthew 17:14-21). “Fear has been described as a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger.” Unbelief is also described as an incredulity or skepticism especially in matters of religious faith. The opposite of faith is doubt and unbelief (Mark 4:40). There are two kinds of unbelief: doubt (Mark 9:24) and hard-hearted refusal to believe (Hebrew 3:14; 1 Thess.3:2).
Fears clog our souls and reduce us to nothing; cause great men to shrink, be stingy, hoarding, selfish and greedy. Fears see mountains of difficulties and impossibilities; run into hiding in the face of challenges. They give excuses for doing nothing and blame other people, institutions and government for their failures. They talk about how big their problems are and how impossible the situations appear. They discourage others who would want to reason and react differently and become wet blankets. Walt Disney once wrote, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” He was saying that your treasure is hidden in your fears. The God of heaven and earth, who formed us, assures us, “fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1b).
Unbelief causes man to fear within and without: fears of the clouds, winds, shadows and future. “Unbelief sees God as a man who is limited; who needs to be careful less He exhausts His limited resources. Unbelief anticipates failures and hindrances, melts and decomposes the heart; demolishes men and makes them wander about in their minds and thoughts.” Unbelief makes you to question the wisdom of God: how can a virgin get pregnant? How can that child born to a poor carpenter be called son of God? How can you receive through giving? It does not make sense to analytic minds. How can bathing in a river makes leprosy to disappear? How can lifting up the staff in your hand cause the Red sea to divide into two (pathway through river).
Unbelief causes people to only see the natural (what they know) and deny the supernatural. Unbelief makes people unbelievers – do not believe Jesus or accept His sonship. Unbelief questions, “If Jesus is the only Way, what happens to the folks of other religions? Unbelief leads people to hell, denies people healing and the intervention power of God. Unbelief blocked and crumbled the disciples (spiritual giants) from spiritual power and progress. It is the reason we do so little with much efforts; make us easily satisfied with the crumbs. We get satisfied with little, with so many efforts. Folks, listen to Jesus saying, “Do not fear and just believe” (Mark 5:36).
We need to bury unbelief and fears. We should start believing and step radically into the impossibilities, uncommon and unusual. Jesus charged Thomas, do not be unbelieving, but believing (John 20:27b). “The fear of failure is the beginning of failure.” “We are built not to shrink down to less but to blossom into more” (Unknown author). Believing on the unseen is the way of faith; only how and means to please God. Abraham did not weaver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God… (Romans 4:20). It means Abraham by faith acknowledged that God was faithful, dependable and powerful enough to keep His promise.
Finally, we should purge fears out of our hearts; they hinder our moving forward. Apostle Paul admonished his son Timothy, “For God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind or self control” (2 Timothy 1: 7). This admonition is applicable to all who are called by the name of Christ. Be valiant and strong, do not fear or tremble before them for the Lord, your God, is with you; He will not leave you or abandon you (Deuteronomy31:6). It is I who command you; be strong, then, and be valiant. Do not tremble or be afraid, because the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go. (Joshua1:9). Even when you pass through the valley of the shadow of death, fear no evil, for I, the Lord is beside you: My rod and staff comforts you (Psalm 23:4).
Reach: Evangelist Ogbonnaya, Godswill @weefreeministries.org or P. O. Box 770035, Houston, TX, 77272.