In the previous two articles, we discussed two of Satan’s main tools to thwart Elohim’s plan. Overtaking and pushing to extremes are maneuvers that serve the same purpose, which is none other than wasting our time. When he feels unable to divert the chosen ones from the right path, he tries to lead them into dead ends and detours, in order to steal our time, our energy and cause infertility. All of this prevents us from fulfilling our calling and our own spiritual growth is greatly impaired.
Our previous two topics, OVERTAKING and PULLING TO THE EXTREMES, both serve essentially to RESTRAIN us.
The line of Cain for that of Seth, Ishmael for Isaac and Esau for Jacob, all are a repelling force of the enemy in order to overthrow the Plan of Elohim.
When he deceives believers into EXTREMISMS and human dogmas arise from certain truths, thus degrading their spiritual restoration into a false self-righteous effort, he once again slows us down, in some cases even brings us to a complete halt on the path the sanctification of the whole Body of Christ.
It is precisely these recurring stops or blockages that inspire many to get out and continue the true race on the Narrow Path so that the torch of the Messiah would never be extinguished.
Retention forces
There are, however, other factors that can slow our progress in ministry besides getting ahead and pushing to extremes. This is when they try to hold us back from moving forward.
Some hold us back by clinging to our clothes/our ministry
When we waste our time evangelizing people who have no intention of submitting to Yahoshuwa and forsaking their sins, but just wish to pour out their misery on us and are only looking for someone to listen to them and above all to support them in what they think is the truth. In such cases of apparent unwillingness to change and accept the only solution to their problems is to refer them to a psychologist, for this type of mental health ministry is not the purview of Yahushua’s followers.
we find One of the earliest examples of this mechanism in the life of Abram: When his nephew Lot clung directly to him following his call to come out from among his people. Nowhere do we read that Yahuwah allowed or even asked Abram to take anyone with him except his own men and cattle. Learn more about Lot and Abraham in the article in the paragraph: Lot the righteous.
Lot put Abram, his people, his wealth, his inheritance and his time in great peril. And before separating from his uncle, his men even became source of conflicts with the men of Abraham.
This phenomenon not only robs us of our time and energy, but can easily become a source of remorse as well if we are not mature enough in Spirit. For lack of spiritual vision, we stop to discuss and get bogged down in vain details of the life of people who do not even want to advance in humility towards the Messiah, but assail us with their miseries and after a while we have no clue of what to say or advise them. We then begin to accuse ourselves of not being up to it and of having failed in the call that we have received from our Master.
We often see during street evangelisms, for example, that some people do not feel the limit when the time for patience and love towards our neighbor has expired and another rule comes into force: the one of stepping forward and shaking the dust off our feet. Many waste their time listening to people’s life stories and get into useless discussions focusing on details of private life instead of drawing attention to the Global and Final Solution which is REPENTANCE, followed by BAPTISM of WATER and of FIRE.
In many cases, false humanism rubs shoulders with the love of Christ. This is seen especially in women, when they stop and chat for long waisting precious minutes with people who are obviously not interested in Christ, but who often expect us either for money or for we agree with their theories on life and on “God”. We don’t have to let people with no intention of setting foot on the path of submission rob us our time and energy while those who would be open to the gospel pass through us withouth having the chance to encounter with us. We must imperatively learn to recognize in a few seconds who are the people of peace, those whose hearts are prepared to hear and receive the Gospel.
As in the case of Abraham, we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the presence of people who obstruct and who do not want to move forward. It is up to us to always look ahead, recognize and focus on those who have the potential to truly become disciples like us.
Let us turn away from these superfluous false ministries and learn to stop them in time so that we can turn to the real ones.
The rescuer is also not going to grab the clothing of the suicidal person who wishes to jump out of the window for fear of not being dragged down himself in his fall. Know that the one who is not open to the gospel is such a suicidal person which is better to let go in time.
Maintaining in a state of spiritual childhood
Another very common brake in Christianity and which slows down the progress of many disciples is when they remain consciously or not under the authority of their spiritual fathers. When we see many Christians going on living for years on the food of the same person(s) when they themselves should be teachers of their own spiritual children since long. It is obvious that there is a very big problem. By dint of always depending on others, we end up never becoming servants or fathers for others. This is how most churches and assemblies work. Often without realizing it, they are still built and functioning on the model of Catholicism, where the same handful of pastors are endlessly teaching hundreds or even thousands of people. Thus are the most ultra-neo-Pentecostal and Protestant circles still building their little Vaticans today, with their little popes surrounded by their little altar boys.
I discuss this subject in more detail and draw attention to the solution to this scourge in several of my articles: e.g. The Acts of the Disciples
Other examples of BRAKES
The list of various spiritual brakes that prevent us from advancing in our ministry, our sanctification, in a word, on the Narrow Path could go on indefinitely. In this article, I would just like to introduce those that I have met the most often in recent years.
I encourage all readers to write in the comments what are the have broke or still breaks them in their own life of disciples in order to dismantle as many evil schemes as possible and help us each other to evolve in the right rythm on our way of Sanctification.
So let’s meet in the comments below.
Also see: Tools of Deception 1 – OVERTAKING, Tools of Deception 2 – PULLING TO EXTREMES