Focus: The Hinderers

Text: Gal.5:7

"Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?"

People of God, we are in a race, and God has all the grace we need to running it successfully. But we must be on the watch for hinderers and distractors. Up to a point you have been running well and making great strides, but you have slowed down drastically due to hinderers. Your zeal is low and your speed is at the barest minimum. You were once energetic, up and running, but you have slacked. Reflect deeply on your current level of faith. Is this you? Who is stopping you? Why has your zeal for God abated? What are you allowing into your space that you shouldn't? Who is making you go down? Suddenly or slowly, things have gone awry. You have not been yourself lately. Moses confronted Aaron about the golden calf and he said the people made him do it. The people made him do the wrong thing (Ex.32).

Israel complained about the manna and lusted for the foods in Egypt because of the mixed multitude (Num.11). Moses could not make it to the land of promise because of the people (Dt.3:23-27). Jesus says to the lawyers of his day, "Woe unto you, lawyers! For ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered" (Lk.11:52).

All of hell has conspired to hinder you from doing the will of God and from making things happen in the name of the Lord (Neh.4:8).

It is about time you stood your ground, warding off hinderers. The Ethiopian Eunuch would let nothing hinder him from doing what God wanted, which in his case is water baptism (Act.8:36).

Paul did all in his power not to hinder the progress of the gospel, and he wouldn't even let himself be hindered by anyone (1Cor.9:12). In fact, he was ready to cut ties with Barnabas, his great friend and partner, just to avoid being distracted or hindered.

I love what Abraham's chief servant said: "Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master" (Gen.24:56). You have come a long way to let anyone stop you now. Your faith has weathered storms and advanced amid adversities. Why the apathy?

Nobody can hinder your God from doing a thing (Jb.9:12; 11:10), so let no one hinder you.

Declare like Paul, "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus" (Gal.6:17). Don't tolerate hinderers or troublers. Satan is your number one hinderer, and he uses people to achieve his evil aims and vile plots (1Thes.2:18; Rom.15:22; Gal.1:7; 5:12; 2Thes.1:6). And be not a hinderer of your own prayers (1Pet.3:7).

Have the right focus: "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…" (Heb.12:2). Recover your passion and keep running. Amen.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter