Blockades appear in life when we walk by faith. It may even appear at those times that our obedience to God has discrepancies. But, the Lord will eventually relieve us by our sincere trust in Him. Blockades appear from many directions. Because we tune ourselves to the will and fear of God, we naturally become the enemies of the world and its ruler. Satan always seeks to find ways to place a blockade before us. He can even capture the ones very near to us in their weaknesses and cause us grief. He exceptionally tries to use unbelievers and the rebellious against us. In time we find that his ways to obstruct are many. But the Lord is aware of them all. He knows the blockades we will face. He allows them that we are tested, see His mightiness and that the enemy is spurned. Pressing in faith and trusting the Lord to perform His goodness toward us is the key to overcome any blockade in life. For we see that He is able for it. “He moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth, for he said, ‘At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land’” (Gen. 26:22).
Blockades are a sign we are walking with the Lord. They signify His help is very near. The more we press to walk with Him when facing them, the surer we become that He provides. As He provides, we get to know that His ways are unfathomable and incredible. It is as if a huge weight is lifted off our shoulders; trusting Him has taught us to see the unthinkable. Many times believers miss His incredibleness, because right before He performs His work they pull out from trusting Him; by fear or perplexity they chose other ways. The greatest quality of faith is trusting God provides. By having it we walk with Him no matter the hindrances. When we have it, we neither fall into the trickery of Satan nor be captivated by the words of men. For it is only by becoming vulnerable to these that we become weak to trust the Lord; we have been disturbed.
The principle Isaac followed can still do wonders for us. Isaac trusted the Lord, did not retaliate against men, but kept moving in the right direction knowing that the Lord will provide. Hence, he joyously said the Lord has made room for us. The outcome of such joy is confidence for a fruitful life. In all areas and matters of life we will see victory. The truth is that if we desire to be fruitful in life, the Lord has to make room for us. No matter our profession this truth applies to it. Through each victory we perceive God’s proximity to us; we perceive His desire and purpose for us. We bring Him glory. We are called and chosen to be an awe to those around us. So, as those willing to trust the Lord, let us consider the dos and the don’ts for a fruitful life. First, let us look at the don’ts.
1. Do not act like the former people. They said, “The land which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock” (Num. 32:4). The sons of Gad and Reuben allowed themselves to be bemused by what they saw around Jordan. Thus, they deemed the Lord’s Promised Land as inconsequential. They became a disappointment to the rest of Israel for possessing the land. After having journeyed 40 years they pulled out on trusting the Lord just before receiving His incredibleness. The Lord was still with them, since by a promise He called them, but they never got to know His best blessings. Sometimes it is the simple things that we fail to consider in God’s realm. And in doing so we even cause discomfort to others. The only way to overcome such attitude is to let faith do its appropriate work in us. Let God make decisions for us and handle our matters.
2. Let us in no way be a pain to the Lord. “But the worthless, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns, because they cannot be taken in hand” (2 Sam. 23:6). Our deeds and words must be holy and hence, our heart must be inclined to the Lord’s. Saul, the king of Israel, was the Lord’s anointed. Yet, he turned like thorns that cannot be taken in hand. He committed sin after sin. First, he did not wait on Samuel and offered the burnt offering for which he received the curse of losing his kingdom to another. This further made him lose wisdom and he spared the Amalekites, took their spoil, and later sought a medium’s help. The Lord had to deal with him righteously and so, punished him. Saul faced defeat in life and lost his kingdom to another.
Now, let us look at the dos.
1. Exercise Faith. The Psalmist was very keen for it and employed a fine act. “But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress” (Ps. 59:16). Practicing to focus on God’s nature and rehearsing His wonders helps us fend off Satan’s trickery and the cleverness of men. If our heart is inclined to the Lord, we quickly recognize the direction we are being led by them and have advantage over them. Then, whatever the nature of the blockade, we will witness God demonstrate His strength and lovingkindness to save us.
2. Remember God’s promises. When in times of facing various obstructions, we ought to be quick to remember His promises. They give us renewed courage. They take us back to the time He showed His kindness and help us trust in Him. Had Isaac lived apart from His promise that was through his father, he would not have seen Him make room for him and his household. The Lord makes promises that His people remember them, live to receive them and be encouraged by them. With such intent He said, “‘For behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.’ The LORD says, ‘I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it’” (Jer. 30:3).
3. Stay uninterested by the World. Do not be amused by it; it is a harlot. It quickly brings ruin to people. If we are captivated by it, it destroys our pure relationship with God. Everything it produces against God’s intent must be left untouched by us. Many bad consequences come from the Lord by having a relationship with it. “All because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the charming one, the mistress of sorceries, who sells nations by her harlotries and families by her sorceries” (Nah. 3:4).
4. Be a beloved one to the Son of God. This keeps us utterly close to God. And Christ will reveal the exceptional, the unadulterated and the life giving things to us. By them our life will be fruitful. And Jesus said, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Luke 10:22).