What holds us back?

This study was prompted by a question that Pastor Mark asked in service yesterday - 'What holds us back?' (Click here to listen - then click on Leveled to Reach)

Joshua 6 describes a tribe of people (the Israelites), lead by Joshua, a God-fearing man. The people were collectively obedient to God, and were therefore victorious over their enemy, even in seemingly impossible circumstances. Their task at hand was to overtake the city of Jericho. Jericho, however, was tightly closed up, and had high walls around it, making it nearly impossible to gain entrance. God gave Joshua specific instructions for conquering the city of Jericho - march around the city one time each day for six days. On the seventh day, march around seven times, blow your horns and shout. The people followed their leader, trusting in him and trusting in God. Because they were obedient, they were victorious.

Today we, as the collective church, find ourselves every day facing seemingly insurmountable circumstances. One easy example would be a friend, neighbor, or family member who does not know God and who seems completely closed off to the idea. If we have the same God today that Joshua had the day he lead the Israelites in the destruction of Jericho, then why are we not victorious? What holds us back? What is different between the Israelites in Joshua 6 and the church of 2008?

1. We do not move and work together in one accord. We tend to sort of do our own thing, want to be our own boss, go with what interests us. We can't even agree on a church service - some think the music is too loud, too fast, too slow, to contemporary, to traditional. We get so hung up on our own interests and our own ways, that we become rigid to the idea of melting together as a united body to accomplish a common goal.
2. We are not obedient. This is a major issue. I believe there are several root causes to this - see #3, 4, 5 & 6.
3. Our PRIDE, INSECURITIES, and LACK of FAITH keep us from being willing to obey God. Maybe we're not sure of the outcome. Maybe His instructions don't make sense to us. Maybe we think there's a better, more logical, easier way to accomplish the same thing. Maybe we're afraid to step out and try because we fear we might fail. Maybe we fear God will not come through for us. Maybe we might feel silly doing what God has asked of us. Maybe it's out of our comfort zone, and we are afraid of what others might think. I'm sure all of this was true to some extent for the Israelites. It is reasonable to imagine they might have felt silly walking around in parade-like fashion for seven days in a row. It's reasonable to imagine they might have thought the people of Jericho would be watching and laughing as they did the same thing over and over with no effect. It's reasonable to think that this plan didn't make a lot of sense to many, that they might have envisioned another way to go about their task. Still, they did what was asked of them. They obeyed God.
4. We don't have the endurance to wait for God's timing. We are an instant-gratification society. We want results fast. If we don't get the results we want when we want them, we deem the project a waist of time and we move on to something else. Sometimes we need to wait on God. We need to be willing to do what He has asked, simply because He has asked it of us, and we need to be willing to do it until He says stop...no matter how many times that is. I can imagine the first day of marching, the plan was okay. Maybe even the second. But by the third day, it's reasonable to assume that there was room for questioning. Why do we have to do this day after day? Why can't God work in three days instead of seven? Is this really going to work? What happens on the seventh day if nothing happens? Still, day after day, they were obedient. Day after day they marched, not making a sound, not saying a word.
5. We are indifferent to the fights that need to be fought today. We have a tendency to snuggle in to our own little world - our happy place where our family is fine, our house is fine, our finances are fine, and our church attendance is fine. We are fine. We can find a lot to do to keep ourselves occupied, and to give us something to focus on besides what God is focused on - the lost. We can get so wrapped up in our own lives, that we get blinders to what exists beyond us. We don't see the lost. If we see them, we don't care. We don't care that they are hurting now. We don't care that they are destined for an eternity apart from God and all that is good. The root of our indifference is selfishness. There is no other excuse.
6. We, as the collective church, do not have a proper reverential fear of God. We do not hold Him in a place of awe and wonder. We do not see Him for all that He is and all He deserves. We do not fear displeasing Him. We do not place any real value on pleasing Him through our worship and obedience. We do not truly respect and appreciate His ability, authority, power, and desire to carry out His will. We are not humbled in our spirits by the simple fact that He chooses to work through us to accomplish His will. If we revered Him as we ought to, we would obey Him. We would do so because we love Him; because He is worthy; because He is good; because He has all authority in heaven and on earth; because He is God. We would recognize the value of pleasing Him, and the danger of displeasing Him. Simply stated, we have let go of a right reverential fear of Him.