Every one of us has obstacles in our lives from which we need to get delivered. Whether it be the lust of the flesh or the pride of life, there needs to be that final breakthrough in which we are set free from the thing that ensnared us.
Consider the loss for the kingdom because of the things you hold onto in your life. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 NKJV).
You can have a breakthrough if you want to. You must first confess the thing that ensnares you. Whether it be lust for something, gossiping about someone, not trusting that the Lord has you, or any other failure, you can have the breakthrough that will change you.
You need God’s help to overcome the obstacle of yourself. “I will put my Spirit inside you and cause you to live by my laws, respect my rulings and obey them” (Ezekiel 36:27 CJB).
There is nothing you cannot overcome once you let the Lord help you. By your strength, you have limits, but by His strength, nothing is impossible. The great and difficult journey you must make is to turn your focus from yourself and only look to God.
God will help you to the degree that you will let Him. “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22 NKJV).
The world teaches self-help because the world only has self to which they can turn. In our sinful nature, self rules, and the surest sign of an immature Christian is one who looks to themselves to get the victory in whatever they are battling.
It’s not a question of whether God will help you overcome but whether you will let Him. “Yes, it is God who is working in you. He helps you want to do what pleases him, and he gives you the power to do it” (Philippians 2:13 ERV).
The mature Christian is not the strongest before man but the weakest before God. The closer you get to God, the more you realize just how much you need Him. The more you trust that God can help you, the more you will let Him help you.
You can trust the Lord more than you can trust yourself. “Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way” (Proverbs 3:5-6 ERV).
You can run the length of a football field, but unless you cross the goal line, you have not yet reached the prize you desire. There are many people who make it just short of the goal line but cannot make that final step on their own. God can make that last step for you.
Be honest about where you’re failing, and then let God help you overcome it. “For You light my lamp; the Lord my God illumines my darkness. For by You I can run at a troop of warriors; and by my God I can leap over a wall” (Psalm 18:28-29 NASB).
It takes a breakthrough to let go of your old nature and let the Holy Spirit form a new nature within you. Just as a caterpillar has a breakthrough to become a butterfly, so you need that breakthrough to live the life that God has intended for you to live.
You’ll overcome sin when you let the Holy Spirit overcome you. “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” (Romans 8:5-6 NLT).
God is calling all of us to a higher life, but only a few will answer this call and let Him do what must be done so that they can then walk in it. The hardest thing that you must do is come to that final decision of your will to give up the right to yourself.
The higher calling is not a greater portion but an absolute surrender. The Lord Jesus is not searching for part-time believers or two scoops of faith. “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind’” (Matthew 22:37 NKJV).
The greatest breakthrough you can ever have is giving your life to Jesus. When you truly give up the right to your life, He will infuse you with His life so that you will finally be free. The bondage we must all be delivered from is the bondage of self.
The greatest obstacle that you can ever overcome is yourself. “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 NLT).
You can have a breakthrough. Pray the Lord will help you. Decide today that you will let Him. Persevere in this, and He will help you overcome it. Don’t be discouraged when you fall, but only remain firmly pointed in the direction of Christ every day.
Be honest about your failures, and you’ll have more success. “The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who fall and raises up all those who are bowed down” (Psalm 145:14 AMP).
Blessings to you always,
Paul Balius
Thank you for all your writings. I appreciate them so much. You helped me so often. May the Lord continue to inspire you by his Holy Spirit. Receive the Shalom of the Lord.
Oh, thank you so much. Your wonderful words of encouragement are just what I needed today!
I appreciate HE HAS YOU so much. All the writings are inspiring. May the Lord continue Mr Balius to inspire you. Receive the Shalom of the Lord.
Thank you! I am wanting to press into my 4th book, hoping to release it by next year. I was just thinking it requires no striving whatsoever, but only a surrender to what He would have me do. The same is true for all of us.