Overcoming Every Obstacle
Hi Friends,
Today is a beautifully warm day in the 90’s. For May in New Jersey this is summer! Of course all the summer activities begin on Memorial Day, which is only nine days from today. However I heard that it just snowed in the mountains of Colorado. Brr– This is a time to count our blessings!
I am sharing three visions the Lord has given me over the week.
The Visions
The Two Snakes
In the first vision that I am sharing, I see a partial view of what I believe to be, two snakes, lying next to each other. My limited view was about 10” square. The diameter of the two snakes was between 4-5 inches, which would make them very large snakes. Because their heads were not in visible, it is possible that there was only one snake. But because the body parts were aligned and pressed up next to each other, it made me believe that there were two separate snakes.
When we think of snakes, generally, we think of the serpent, who tempted Eve in the garden. Because the serpent deceived Eve causing her to sin, the Lord placed a curse on the serpent.
“So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Genesis 3:14-15
The serpent is of course the devil, so snakes represent the devil and his demons. They represent deceitfulness and wickedness. In speaking to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, Jesus said:
“Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:43-44
The two snakes in the vision were united, perhaps in the act of mating. (I am so thankful that the Lord never offends my eyes. He only shows me what is necessary to convey the idea.) The purpose in mating is to increase in number. I believe that this vision is a warning. Even though we have already seen an increase in wickedness in our nation and around the world, I believe that this vision warns us that greater wickedness is on the horizon. We need to be in the word of God and in his presence through prayer and worship. There will be persecution as a result of this increase in wickedness. We must stand firm in our faith and hold fast to our testimony,
“For everyone will be salted with fire.” Mark 9:49
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death.” Revelation 12:11
This is a scripture that we need to know and remind ourselves. If the early church overcame sin, the devil and wickedness by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, then we will also overcome in the same way. When we testify to others of the goodness and faithfulness of God, we build up our own faith. We speak the truth and there is power in the declaration of truth. Jesus will be with us in the fire and in the trials that may come our way. For God has promised: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
The full testimony of Stephen who was the first martyr in the church is found in the Book of Acts. The Sanhedrin listened to his whole speech, until he finished with these words:
“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.” Acts 7:51-53
Then they took him out and stoned him.
The word “martyr” means witness. It is what we declare to be true about Jesus–his deity. It is his deity that causes people to hate him and to hate us.
“For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and the stench of death to those who are perishing.” 2 Corinthians 2:15-16
No wonder the enemies of the Cross are persecutors of those that hold to the truth. So Let us hold to our testimony and stand firm in our faith. For we love the Lord, and love not our lives, so as to shrink from death.
A Wall of Cleaners
In the second vision, I saw a 6’ section of a normal 8’ high wall. Mounted on the wall were plastic bottles: pistol grips and bottles with caps. These plastic bottles were filled with a variety of cleaners. The wall was white and the cleaners were very colorful.
I believe that the white wall represents God’s holy standard of perfection. The cleansers that are mounted to the wall are all man-made. I believe that these cleansers represent the purification rituals that different people groups follow in an attempt to make themselves “worthy” of a life blessed by their “god” or “gods.” Traditions and regulations that are man-made, please only those that create them. It gives people who do not know God, a sense that they are “holy,” and “pure.” In their man-made framework of how they explain the universe to be, and who created the world, they feel that they need to satisfy some requirement of purification to enter into “the next world” or eternity. This attempt to please a god of their own making is a futile endeavor. Without knowing the creator, God Most High, it is impossible to please him. These cleansers are based on man’s ideas of how to reach God.
As born again believers, we know that there is only one way to be cleansed of sin, and that is with the precious blood of Jesus. It was God’s plan of salvation for the whole world that Jesus, both God and man would offer up himself as the sacrificial spotless lamb for the sins of the world. He shed his blood on the cross, that we might have forgiveness of sins and eternal life with him.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
To receive the Lord’s free gift of forgiveness and salvation, we must come to him, and acknowledge who he is: Jesus is God; He is king; He is Savior; He is healer; He is deliverer; He is provider, and He is Lord of All. We must come to him with a repentant and contrite heart, asking him to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We must ask him to be the Lord of our life, and to write our names in the Book of Life. He will forgive our sins, and reconcile us to the Father. He will fill us with his Holy Spirit, and lead us into all truth. He is the only way.
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6
What are some ideas that people hold that appeal to man’s view of life?
Some people believe that they are “good people,” and that because they have never killed anyone or done anything “really bad,” that God will automatically let them into heaven.
Some believe that the good things they do will offset the bad things, and if the balance sheet shows that they have done more good than bad, then they deserve to go to heaven.
And others believe that praying to a certain saint will help them get into heaven, by pulling some strings, or putting in a good word for them.
But the Lord says:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23
So who then can be saved? What did Jesus say about the kingdom of God?
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” John 3:1-21
People tend to be rebellious. They want to create their own rules, and create a “god” that is to their liking. Their rules about what is moral and what is right is in direct opposition to God. So these “man made cleansers,” that people create to “purify” themselves, following their own man made rules, pleases only themselves.
No matter how righteous they consider their ways to be, no one is forgiven or reconciled to God Most High, the creator of the universe except by the blood of Jesus. When we come to the Lord with a repentant heart and godly sorrow over our sins, He will forgive us and restore us to himself. When we confess our sins to the Lord, he wipes the slate clean. He restores us and sets us in right standing with himself. He redeems our memories, and takes away our guilt and shame.
For those readers that come from another faith, or have no faith at all, I would like to include the portion of scripture in the Book of Hebrews (in the Bible) for giving you a greater understanding of what the Lord did for us by dying on the cross.
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.
Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God.’”
First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
“This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”
Then he adds:
“Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”
And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
Hebrews 10:1-18
Going back to the vision, the Lord shows us that all our attempts to “cleanse” ourselves of sin, and try to be perfect, are worthless without him:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
And:
“All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6
It is only the blood of Jesus that will cleanse us of all sin and unrighteousness.
A Chain-linked Fence
In the third vision, I saw a chain-linked fence standing only knee high. In front of the fence was an elderly man who was bent over with age. He was looking at the obstacle: a short fence. He knew that in order to go forward, he would have to go over it. He stopped to assess the situation. The vision ended so I do not know if he made the attempt to overcome the obstacle, or if he would give up, thinking that he did not have the adequate strength and balance.
This vision concerns our desires, perceptions, fears, doubts and anxieties. Most people have a desire to make their dreams and goals a reality. However, there are also hindrances to achieving those goals. We need to know how to identify and overcome every obstacle.
What are some of the real or imagined barriers that we have when serving the Lord and his purposes? There are many, too many to list. But here are a few: the lack of money and resources, the lack of time, the lack of skill or training, and the lack of energy or health. There are spiritual and emotional barriers as well: the fear of man, which is the fear of what others will say or think about us, and the fear of failure.
Years ago, the Lord spoke to me about the fear of man. He said, “As long as you are fearful of man, I cannot use you, for you are already being used.”
I understood that being afraid of what others might think of me, was a problem when it came to fulfilling my purpose. Here is an example from my life:
One day in church shortly after moving to New Jersey, I saw a woman in a wheelchair about 10’ in front of me and on the other side of the aisle. During the service, I heard the Lord speak to me saying, “Go over and pray with her.” Immediately, I was frozen. I thought, “I don’t want to make a scene in the church. How can I go to her now? I am sure I will offend someone. They will say, ‘Why don’t you wait until after the service?’”
Suddenly I could feel the Lord’s disappointment with me. I fell to the floor behind the pew and cried, because I let the Lord down. How could I not do as He asked? Why am I so afraid of people and what they think?”
A short time later, about 100 people from our church went to the Brownsville Revival sometime in 1997-8, I came back with so much fire. The Holy Spirit came on me nearly everyday. I was shaking and coming under the power of God regularly. All I had to do was pray in the Spirit or even think about the Lord, and I would fall out and shake. Even at home, I would be washing dishes or putting clothes away and my knees would buckle, and I would stay in a deep squat on the floor, until I would be able to stand up again.
In church, I would shout and sing in the Spirit and dance. One time I got the entire church up to dance around the room. Then Monday morning would come and I would get the devil’s critique. He would say things like, “Who made you the cheerleader? Boy did you look stupid, yelling and dancing!” I would feel so condemned. My emotions would run the gamut. I would feel shame, embarrassment, and then regret. I would spend the afternoon repenting for making a scene in church. Then after so much self-condemnation, I would tell the Lord, that “I would rather be a fool for you, than to worry about how others see me.”
But every week, I would feel the presence of the Lord and be compelled to worship Him. And every Monday I would feel the condemnation again. I knew it was the devil. I knew he didn’t want me to worship the Lord. Yet, somehow I would feel condemned every time. Now that years have passed I have grown stronger spiritually. I bind up the enemy and cancel every assignment of the devil against me or the church. The devil and his demons will attempt to stop prayer, worship, and ministry. He will try to set up roadblocks and detour signs, to stop our praise and adoration. But when we declare “Jesus is Lord, and you are not!” and “I bind every lying and deceiving spirit in the name of Jesus,” the devil and his demons get the message.
If we ask the Lord to help us overcome the fear of man, He will give us holy boldness, and an opportunity to display his awesome power. The Lord expects us to pray and believe for miracles. He wants us to glorify him by our faith and boldness to declare his word. We cannot remain in the shadows and cower in fear, because of the devil’s lies. Remember the devil is a defeated foe.
We cannot remain quiet and complacent, allowing others to do what was ours to do. This dishonors God. Let us not shrink back and be unfruitful. God wants us to volunteer for his purposes, to pray, to share the gospel, and to give a cup of water in his name.
No matter what may hold you back. Look at your obstacle. Is it a lie? Is it something that you have agreed to believe or have convinced yourself is true? No matter what the hindrance is, the Lord wants you to overcome the obstacle. He wants you to have the freedom to pursue him and achieve his purposes.
Ask the Lord to give you strength, wisdom, power or whatever you need to accomplish his will. He will do it! Be purposeful. Stand firm and declaring over yourself:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13
The fear of failure is another obstacle that keeps us from fulfilling the Lord’s plan. How can we succeed if we are afraid to even begin? This is truly an obstacle. It is a close cousin to the fear of man because no one wants to be viewed by others as a failure. And no one wants to lose whatever they may have invested in a failed undertaking. But all the scriptures above, apply for the same reasons.
Often it is our thoughts about ourselves that predispose us of having the fear of failure. These beliefs about ourselves can be a real hindrance. Usually they are lies spoken over ourselves, with our own mouths. They can be lies directed at us by a family member, friend or teacher. These lies cause us to feel helpless or incapable or even incompetent. These lies need to be broken. They are curses that should be rendered null and void.
We need to come out of agreement with these lies, and speak to the contrary. Declare over yourself: I break the hold of every negative lie and word spoken over me by my friend, my family or myself, in the name of Jesus. I am not_____. I am not_____. But I declare in the name of Jesus that: I am ____!
“I am a capable, intelligent, talented and loving person. I am willing and able to yield myself to the Holy Spirit so that he can use me for his good purposes.” I give myself to the Lord for I belong to him and I choose to honor him with every talent and gift that he has given me. And, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
A thought to share:
As a 10 year old child, my Episcopal priest taught me to say this prayer every day: “I praise my God this day. I give myself to God this day. I ask God to help me this day.” The Lord heard my prayers and he drew close to me. He became my best friend. I was forever changed. The Lord is my all in all. I love him. I love you Jesus! Hallelujah!
Let’s remember to speak to the young children and the teens in our lives. They need to know the Lord now, for life is rough, even for them. The devil shows no mercy towards children! However, we know that the Holy Spirit that indwells each believer is greater than the devil who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
Please share this post with everyone, young and old. There should be nothing between us and the Lord. We need him now, in our lives. We need him to guide us in His ways, and to teach us to love and serve him. The days are evil. The time is short. And God holds out his arms to us. Run to him! Today is the day of salvation. God bless you!
