Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me, Pastor Jordan, for some Fine Points from Sunday’s service and message “Obstacles To Faith”.
The New Testament tells us of a certain woman with a constant flowing blood problem who had a great desire to be healed of her affliction. After spending all of her money on doctors and her condition worsening, something she had heard or seen about Jesus caused her to believe He could help her.
She heard Jesus was passing through and that was her opportunity to see if Jesus could help her. She was so desperate to be healed that she believed only a touch of His clothes would be enough to be healed.
This is an example of having a strong desire for or hope for something and believing or having faith it will come to pass and be realized. But between the desire and hope for something and the faith to believe it can and shall be achieved lies obstacles to faith.
Obstacles to faith are those things which will cause a person to abandon their hope, desire and faith. The obstacle that stood between this woman and her healing through Jesus was a large crowd that made it very hard to get close enough to Him to touch Him.
There are many people who have faith that will lose it or it will not grow into a permanent, righteous and lasting relationship with God because it encountered an obstacle that it didn’t overcome. Many others will not ever have any faith because of these same obstacles.
The only way for faith to overcome obstacles is for the desired outcome or object of that faith or hope be greater than the obstacles placed before it. Obstacles will come. The question is how great is one’s desire to receive the blessings or reward of faith.
The woman had this issue with her blood flowing for twelve years was greatly motivated to be cured of her affliction. With Jesus so close, she was not going to allow the obstacle of the crowd to prevent her from getting close enough to Jesus to touch Him.
We must set our sights on what we want to achieve from our faith. If we desire it great enough, like this woman we will find a way to overcome the obstacles to prove if the object of our faith shall come to pass.
This woman didn’t know if touching Jesus would heal her but she had reason to believe it would and desire to be healed. Likewise, we don’t know if placing faith in God through Jesus Christ is going to lead to everlasting life. But like her, we have reason to believe it will and desire to live forever.
While there are many obstacles that take many forms and variations, the four mentioned in the message were obstacles caused by reliance of senses, obstacles caused by gratification of the body or lust of the flesh, obstacles caused by conflicting influences and obstacles caused by inadequate foresight.
Any and all of these can interfere with faith and either cancel it or stunt its growth so that it never develops into a mature saving faith that permanently, righteously and lastingly changes our relationship with God.
This woman’s desire to be healed and her belief in Jesus to heal her was greater than the obstacles in her way to reach Jesus. Our desire for eternal life and faith in Jesus must be equally as great to establish the right relationship with God that will endure to the end if we are to realize our hope and desire and object of our faith which is everlasting life.
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Pastor Jordan
