| Overcoming Road Blocks (What God Does for Me Daily)
By Joseph Prescia 9/18/06 I have confidence in God because of what His Word says about me and what I have experienced with Him through the years. Trusting Him doesn’t happen overnight. We start to trust Him in the small things and build up to bigger things. It’s amazing how many road blocks one overcomes before one can really trust God. One of the road blocks I’ve battled with is: 1. "I need to be really good because I want God to help me. I need to watch my step so that I can gain favor with Him. If I mess up, He’s turning His back on me. " Is this true? Romans 8:31-39 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. He freely gives us all things (verse 32). That word “freely” is from a Greek word which means “to do a favor, to grant forgiveness, to give freely, bestow.” God freely gives us all things. We don’t have to try and earn them. It’s like someone telling you that they’d like to give you $100 and you say, “I need this, but I need to go and earn it before I can take it from you.” We don’t need to work for something given freely. We have to get the mental roadblocks out of the way so that we can directly access the giving grace of God. Why does every Church epistle start and end with the “grace” of God? God really means it. We apparently have to be told this again and again. God wants to give. That is His nature. When we rise up to accept this then we expect more from God instead of the trickle down theory of desperation need. Some erroneously think that this is the only time to call on God, when things are desperate. God wants to give always in abundance. Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. There’s no payment tied to that verse. He shall, absolutely GIVE. Well, what desires do you have? How big can you think? Another area I’ve also battled with is: 2. "Remembering my sins. I know I’m not manifesting the high standard that the Bible says I could be living therefore I have this nagging remembrance of falling short. I remember when I blow it, yet God says He doesn’t remember my sins/failures." God says that He forgives AND forgets. That’s something that used to be hard to do. If the Bible says that I’m to love my neighbor as myself, if I have a hard time forgiving myself, then I’m going to hold grudges against my neighbor when he makes mistakes as well. I’m going to give my neighbor a hard time when he blows it. God says to forgive and forget. Psalm 103:10-14 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. Aren’t you glad that He doesn’t reward you according to your sin? He casts our sin as far as the east is from the west and remembers them no more. What He DOES remember is that we are dust. This was written when they had to offer sacrifices for their sins. How about now that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law? Are we in better shape now? Yes, we are. Romans 5:18-19 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. In addition to taking away sin, Christ made us righteous. You can only be righteous when sin is removed. We blow it in our minds. We sin mentally, but Christ made us righteous spiritually. Christ came in with holy spirit when we got born again (Romans 10:9-10) and we were made righteous at that very moment. There is no condemnation because of this. No one has a right to condemn me (Romans 8:1). I also have no right to condemn myself. For me, getting rid of the need to work for my righteous standing before God was the most major healing I could obtain. Believing I had to accomplish my right standing with God kept me from obtaining answers to prayer. I never felt good enough to receive. It’s not based on being good enough. If I get rid of that road block then I can ride on the main highway. I don’t need to go off-road, my way, the bumpy way. I can drive down God’s Divine Highway of Grace. When the Bible speaks of God’s grace it refers to that which God freely gives, with no payment required. On that main road of life I get answers to prayers because I’m yielding to His way, His path. Psalm 34:15-17 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. God continues to deliver me day after day. He answers my prayers because He wants to answer my prayers. God wants to help me but if I keep hitting roadblocks and diverting off-road I’m not staying on His Divine Highway of Grace. God shows me how to overcome any situation, no matter how difficult I may think it is. He builds me bridges to go over difficult terrain. He makes the way smooth so I can stay on that Divine Highway. He doesn’t want me to veer off the road so He guards my path to help me through life’s treacherous situations. If I’m not sure which way to go He can lead me in the right direction. His way is carefree. I don’t need to be anxious about life on His Highway. So I can choose the rough terrain, my highway, doing things the hard way, working for His approval, or I can stay on the Divine Highway of Grace where life is best and easiest. I can prepare myself for the highway encounter by deciding to check with Him in all of life’s situations. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Copyright 2006 Household of God Return to main page |