Only yesterday, I heard this story and I want to share it with you immediately. And that is because it is a real-life example of what we have been saying. If you are a child of God, every problem that comes your way is a positive problem. The gentleman who experienced the beneficial obstacle in this story is a child of God. How do you know a child of God? I grant you that knowing is tough since the Bible says God knows those who are His.
But the bible also says by their fruits you shall know them and here are some of his fruits. This man does not depend or lean on his understanding. That means he is trusting in the Lord with all his heart as we read in Proverbs 3.5. The man also acknowledges God in all that happens to him. It should therefore come as no surprise that God directs his paths. And when God directs a man’s path, it is always smooth and straight.
So, allow me to say I am right in believing this man to be a child of God. Do you see yourself in the above description? Perhaps you depend on your understanding. That is a real trap for humans, especially smart and well-educated ones. You reckon you know what you are doing and lean on your understanding.
I did that only recently. Because I am a veteran doctor, I tend to fail in the health arena by leaning on my understanding. Well, a fat lot of good it was doing me; my blood sugar was going up. Until this morning, I stopped depending on my training and prayed. Guess what? My blood sugar had started going down.
You Get Beneficial Obstacle When You Trust God
It is in our area of training that we need the most help not to trust God. Well, this man trusts God and acknowledges Him. Anything that comes his way is from God as far as he is concerned. You may recall that in a previous post, we noted that satan cannot bring anything to a child of God.
All that comes your way is from your Father, God, not from satan unless you are the child of satan. Well, this man knows that everything he encounters is from God. He acknowledges God in all his ways. Do you? Or do you spend most of your prayer time binding the devil? Only you can answer these questions. But this man knew and that knowledge brought him positive results.
He had been staying in a hotel and that was starting to strain his finances so he went apartment hunting. In a short while, he located one but in an environment he did not like. Thinking he was out of options, he was willing to take it but the management would only accept cash. That was the first obstacle. Next, he approached a usually generous friend for a loan, not a gift but a loan. The friend told him no. That was the second obstacle.
This gentleman was surprised but acknowledged God even in that situation. Little did our man know that God would work to turn each one into a beneficial obstacle. God then directed him in another direction according to the promise in Proverbs 3.6 as we saw earlier. And that was where God had put his miracle for him. At that point, he found an apartment about the same price and in a very good location. Additionally, the management would accept credit card payments.
Here Is The Lesson
A regular person would have argued about the first obstacle. He could be an unbeliever or a so-called believer who does not know how God works. But not this child of God. He accepted and embraced the obstacle and moved on, knowing that God was in control. If he had tried to argue or fight his way around it, he would never have discovered the solution. And we would not be here now talking about his experience with any beneficial obstacle. Stop and ask yourself, “What would I have done in a similar situation?”
This man humbly accepted it as coming from his father. But it did not end there. There was a second obstacle but his lifestyle of acknowledging God also saved him there. He accepted that obstacle as God-given and moved on. Now that his every problem had become a beneficial obstacle, he can thank God. Not so much for the positive result but that he has learned to trust in God with all his heart.
What are you thanking God for? That you are a prayer warrior who can put the devil to flight? Or that you are a child of God who does not lean on his understanding? Can you be grateful that God has taught you to trust him with all your heart? Then relax. Every obstacle that comes your way will become a beneficial obstacle. And you will always have joy, even in the storms of life. Guaranteed.
Maranatha!
