In this blog post, I am going to wrap up Acts chapter 12. In my previous blog post, we saw an example of how powerful prayer can be. We saw that Peter was pulled out of prison by an angel because of a group of people who came together to pray for him. In this blog post, I am going to address the importance of removing hindrances from our lives.
Herod’s Anger
When Herod and the soldiers noticed Peter was missing from the prison, they searched for him and could not find him. Herod became angry and put to death the soldiers who were responsible for watching Peter. (Acts 12:18-19). In Acts 12:20-22 we see that Herod becomes angry with the people in Tyre and Sidon. The people came to him asking for peace. But Herod denied their request and wanted glory given to himself, rather than to God for the good things that have taken place.
The Death of Herod
In verses 23-24, we see that Herod was struck by an angel of the Lord, and then was eaten by worms. Herod was a hindrance to the spreading of the Gospel during the early years of the church. God sent an angel down to remove the hindrance. Before the angel even came down the people said in verse 22 “The voice of a god and not of a man!”. They were talking about Herod wanting praise from his people when the praise belonged to God. The people here recognized the hinderance. It is so important that we recognize hindrances in our own lives too and ask God to remove them.
Types of Hinderances
I want to talk a little bit more about hindrances because we will all deal with them. These hindrances can be distractions, sickness, financial constraints, and even other people in our lives. Now don’t get me wrong some of these hindrances can be self-inflicted, while at other times they can be the enemy trying to attack you. For example, distractions can be a result of one’s poor time management skills. We all are limited on our time, and we need to be sure we are using our time wisely and making time for the Lord. Maybe you have a financial constraint, it might be caused by poor circumstances that are out of your control, or it could be caused by one’s inability to make wise financial choices.
The Source of Hinderances
We must keep in mind that some of the hindrances in our lives might be the work of the enemy, but we must also be mindful of the fact that we can be our own worst enemy. Not only in our thoughts but in our actions. Dave Roberson once said that the Holy Spirit has one handicap and that is us. We can hinder the work of God in our own lives. Sometimes believers will want to blame everything that goes wrong in their life on the enemy when often it is us who is at fault.
Your Mindset
If you feel that you have a hindrance in your life, ask God to show you the source of the problem. Whether the source of your problem is your mindset, other people, or the work of the enemy. If the issue is your mindset, then you need to get in the Word more each day. Colossians 3:2 (NKJV) tells us, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”.
People Who Are Hinderances
If you have people in your life that are a hindrance to you, ask God to deal with them. God might remove all the contact you have with the person, or God might cause a change of heart on the person. I once was in a relationship with someone who was a hindrance to me in my walk with the Lord. After I got baptized in the Holy Spirit and started praying in tongues God quickly ended the relationship two weeks after I got baptized in the Holy Spirit!
The Enemy Can Hinder Us
Also, we must know that the enemy can hinder us. Paul even wrote about this in 1 Thessalonians 2:18 (NKJV), “Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.”. When God has a calling on one’s life, the enemy will be scared as you step into that calling. The enemy will do everything he possibly can to stop you and distract you. We must know that the battle is already won with the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ.
Final Thoughts
I encourage you this week to ask God to reveal any hindrances in your life. If He reveals anything to you, ask Him to reveal the source and deal with it accordingly. This might include getting in the Word more, making changes in your schedule, or rebuking the works of the enemy. The more time we spend with God, the more we will be aware of His plans for us individually. Once we get to this place, we will see things in our life that are hindering Gods plans for us. So, I encourage you to spend more time with God, ask Him if you are on His path for your life or your self-made path. James 4:8 (NKJV) tells us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”.