If you are not careful, you can hinder your forward movement, impede your progress, and negate the plans that God has for your life! The bible reminds us that we are to be sober and vigilant because our adversary, the devil, is walking around seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8) This scripture reminds us that the enemy is looking for any door in our lives where he can gain access, come in, and wreak havoc.
When we give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27) because of strife and contention, we are oftentimes, unknowingly losing ground. If you’ve ever felt that it was taking far too long to accomplish your goals and dreams, it could be because there are unresolved issues, demonic activities, or works of the flesh operating in the background to stop you.
The bible says that God gives “more grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) Humility is required if you are going to achieve success in your endeavors because it will ward off the spirit of pride. When pride is in operation, the doors are open for works of the flesh manifesting such as strife and contention. A sure way to block the grace of God from operating in your life is by allowing the spirit of strife to take precedence. Strife is a sin issue that will hinder your forward movement tremendously.
When the enemy invites you to his game, do not show up to play!
Nehemiah is a perfect example of someone who was on a mission to achieve a goal and did not allow strife and contention to break his focus and hinder him. He was able to achieve his goal in record time because he did not “come down from his wall of purpose” to play the “strife game.” Nehemiah even prayed for His enemies.
The devil wants you to get your eyes off the majors and focus on the minors. You must be able to “discern” exactly what you should be doing in this season of your life and do not allow yourself to be distracted. If you become distracted and get into strife and contention, you leave an open door for your adversary to come in and discredit you.
Jesus would often slip away when the people, particularly the religious rulers, wanted to strive with or bring harm to Him. He knew when to “back off,” so to speak. There were times when He would even tell His followers and those He healed to keep the miracles He performed a secret for the purpose of not stirring the religious rulers up because it was not His time to go to the cross. Jesus could not afford for those circumstances to interrupt the schedule of God and hinder Him from completing His ultimate assignment.
Your discernment must be on high alert because your adversary will even employ “spiritual people” to use their words to distract you. In Nehemiah’s situation, even the prophets were being used by the enemy to prophesy lies to distract him from his goal. Haven’t we witnessed enough of this in the Body of Christ as of late? He that has an ear let him hear…
God wants us to obtain our God-ordained goals and dreams, but we miss it when we sin—wander from the Word—the message, the purpose, the plan that God has originally given us. Strife and contention have been designed by the enemy to get us off course!
Recently, I entered a business relationship with a Christian entity that made a lot of promises, and over time many of those promises had not been followed through on. Having been in business for a while and having invested literally tens of thousands of dollars in my business, it greatly perplexes me when I find out that there are those who don’t deliver on their promises. These same people will even expect you to uphold your end of the bargain while floundering on their side of things.
As a businesswoman, if I allow it to, this can cause my spirit to be vexed and can open the door to being argumentative and combative—contentious even. After all, I have a right to fight for what is rightfully mines, don’t I? But as a child of God first and foremost, I must remember to always keep the unity in the faith as my number one goal even if I feel I am getting the short end of the stick.
I’m discovering more and more how to live through it, learn from it, and just keep moving forward.
The enemy would love to keep the church in strife and divided. These “spots and wrinkles” keep us from manifesting as the bride that God has called us to be. Whether it’s through policies and politics, differences and doctrines, or privileges and preferences, the enemy will use any avenue he can to gain access and keep us from completing the goals and dreams God has assigned for our lives.
You have got to be determined to:
Stay focused
Keep moving forward
Drive your purpose
Go full speed ahead
Don’t look to the left or to the right and
Don’t let anything or anyone hinder you from getting your message to the masses!
Listen to my podcast, Hindering Your Goals & Dreams so that you can be inspired to stop hindering yours: STOP Hindering Your Goals & Dreams
#unedited
Dr. Kisia Coleman serves as the Lead Pastor of Kingdom Church Int’l., a non-denominational church in which she and her husband founded. Her job has encompassed many roles in leadership and the organization’s development. She is a Certified Life and Leadership Coach and the Founder of KishKnows, Inc., which has several divisions including consulting, coaching, and book publishing services. Dr. Kisia is also the author of several books and stage productions. In both October 2012 and October 2013, she was the proud recipient of the Literary Award given by A.I.M. (Association of Independent Ministries) out of Houston, Texas.
Dr. Kisia and her husband live in a suburb of Chicago and are the blessed parents of five children: two boys and three girls, which include two orphaned nieces and a nephew that they have raised since the untimely deaths of the children’s parents.
DR. KISIA L. COLEMAN
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