Obstacles to God’s Will
What Gets in My Way of Doing God’s Will?
- I don’t think I have the ability.
2 Corinthians 1:21
- I don’t want to do it because it is too hard.
Philippians 4:13
- I don’t know how to do it?
James 1:5
- I am lazy.
Proverbs 15:19
Proverbs 18:9
- Others will make fun of me if I do it.
Matthew 4:10
- I am afraid to do it.
Jeremiah 17:8
- I’d rather serve myself.
Luke 8:14
- There are other things more important to me than serving God.
Psalm 19:8-10
Psalm 119:10
- I try do do His will in my own strength instead of His strength and I fail.
Philippians 4:13
John 14:26
It is not too early to begin to teach this to kids, very simply. You might spend a week on each obstacle talking about what this might look like in their lives and then read and talk about the Scripture that goes with it. Talk to them about how God can help in each of the situations.
A Downloadable List of Scriptures
Click here for a downloadable resource list of Scriptures you can use to teach about these obstacles. These are taken from the Mr. Blue Worksheets which accompany the Mr. Blue- a Job for You picture book
Knowing God’s Will for Me
Some of you might be thinking, but I really want to know God’s will for me on the grand scale of things. I want to know whether I should make a certain investment or which ministry I should take on. He doesn’t tell us those in Scripture. But He does tell us plenty of things that he does want us to do. We need to start with those. If we are trusting Him, and following Him in the small things, then the grand picture will be obvious. And if it isn’t, then we can make any number of correct choices as long as we are following those things He does tell us to do.
If we look at the list above, we might find that most of the obstacles are self-induced. Identifying the reason/excuse for our not doing what is right is a great start. Then we can pray for God’s help and find others to hold us accountable. Doing God’s will is not always easy, but it will become easier as we practice, and overcoming obstacle to doing God’s will be easier when we face them.