OBSTACLES & OPPORTUNITIES

The Bible never promises that following God will be easy. 

In fact, Jesus says that believers should expect to experience trouble in this world. While the Bible promises that Christ will have ultimate victory, the Bible gives plenty of examples of men and women who experienced challenges as they sought to obey God’s calling. The question is not whether we will experience challenges in the course of following our calling, but what kind of challenges we will experience and how we will respond to them. 

Challenges can originate either externally or internally. 

The list of external hardships due to a fallen world are seemingly endless: physical or emotional health issues, ongoing relational conflicts, abuses of power, organizational dysfunction, institutional prejudice, natural disasters, even the threat of death. External challenges can also come from the voices around us. 

Whenever we choose to follow God, there will be people who don’t understand our decision, 

and some who may even disagree with it, especially if pursuing our calling involves risks and unknowns that don’t seem safe or logical in the world’s eyes. Well-meaning friends and family members may question our actions. Others may be blatantly critical. In these situations, we must continue to tune our ear to the voice of our Good Shepherd. We should also seek wise counsel from those who do not have a vested interest in our choices. 

Perhaps the loudest voice and the biggest challenge comes from within—

in the form of self-doubt, discouragement, feelings of unworthiness, or fear. We wonder if we heard correctly. We question God’s judgment. Like Moses, we ask God to send someone else instead. Again, we must cling to the truth of God’s presence and His work in our lives. Challenges, hardships, and doubts are not automatically a measure of your spiritual maturity or faith, or lack of it. Ultimately, God wants you. More than anything you can do in service to him, God wants to shape your being. He values the condition of your heart over the works of our hands. Trust His work and His timing. Remember, God is always at work, and God never wastes anything.

Questions:

• What challenges are you currently experiencing as you seek to follow your calling? Which of these are external, and which are internal? 
• When was a time that you experienced God’s faithfulness in the midst of a challenge?