There may be times when we feel that God is not answering our prayers or that we cannot feel peace over our situations. We may feel that God is quiet and isn’t speaking to us, and that can be frustrating. Maybe, it’s not God that is silent but it’s our own spiritual walk that has been hindered. We may set time apart to seek God, but God can talk to us throughout the day, not just during our prayer time. If we allow distractions and focus on things of this world, we drown out the voice of God. In order to hear Him, we have to be constantly listening. We do not necessarily need to completely remove these distractions but keep them in check.
Unconfessed Sin - Disobedience is a major barrier because it creates distance in our relationships with God. It’s not that God has turned away from us but rather that we have turned away from Him through our human rebellion. You can’t have a closer relationship with God if you don’t respect His boundaries. Our obedience demonstrates our love for Jesus. As we respect God’s rules, He permits us to see more of Him, and as we see more of Him, our relationship with Him can become more intimate. Whatever temporary satisfaction is gained through disobedience is not worth the loss of joy and peace that comes from having a right relationship with your heavenly Father.
Depending On Pastors - This can be a really deadly interference in your walk with God. It is not your pastor’s responsibility to feed you all you need to be spiritually healthy; it is your responsibility. A lot of people fall into the habit of only giving God time on Sunday mornings. That is like only eating once a week! If we did this, we would be horribly malnourished! Sadly, this is the case for many Christians. Our pastors are leaders set in the church to guide us and teach us, not to feed us daily. We have a Bible to feed ourselves with.
Love Of Money - We all need money to live in this world, but we must not be owned by it if we are to be “not of this world.” Money itself does not interfere in our walk with God—the love of money interferes. Don’t get so obsessed with making money that you forget who your provider is. God wants us to prosper and lack no good thing, but He also wants us to give unto others out of our abundance. There’s nothing wrong with having money-- just don’t let money have you.
Media - Sometimes we get so caught up in the news, celebrity gossip, television shows, and even social media that we forget to make time for God. Everywhere we turn, some sort of media is in our faces and is littered with filth. All the commercials on TV and all the advertisements on the Internet try to convince us that we are missing something and that they are the ones that can fill the need. The key to overcoming the media is to be wise about what we watch, read, and play and about how much time we spend with it. We should always be willing to give it up to spend more time with God.
Religious Traditions - Somewhere along the way, people have gotten the idea that they need to pretend to be perfect at church. They think that if they show their weaknesses and struggles, they will become outcasts. Many Christians have become so obsessed with looking and acting right that they don’t seek God. This is opposite of what the church is supposed to be. Church is really the body of believers. We are supposed to help each other, hold each other accountable, pray for each other, and love one another! To keep church from becoming a distraction from God, make sure you are pursuing God and not religion.
Ungodly Relationships - It is our relationships that are our connections with the world, and it is human nature to have them. However, when we allow our relationships to become more important to us than God, they become a distraction. The type of relationship with the most danger of becoming a distraction from our walks with God would be a romantic relationship. These relationships demand the most time, and that is why it is extremely important that they are centered on God.
Work/Life Imbalance - Everything from a job to leading worship to teaching a bible study to being a pastor can become a distraction from God. It is so easy to get caught up on our duties, but the most important thing is that we work entirely for the Lord. Our tasks are to glorify God, not ourselves. We can have great motives behind our work, but sometimes, we let the work become more important than spending time in prayer with God.
Hobby Obsession - Hobbies can range from playing guitar to singing to video games to playing sports. The dangerous thing about them is that they can consume a lot of our time. A great way to keep them in check is to do them with God in mind! A perfect example would be worshiping God with music. Also, we can play video games or sports with people to develop relationships. Having hobbies is a great way to get into the world to be influences, but we have to do them with God at the center. Otherwise, our hobbies become hindrances in our spiritual walks.
Complacency - We don’t miss what we have never experienced. And if we are unaware that something better is possible, we will never seek it. And that’s the way it is with our relationship with God. Our heavenly Father offers us unimaginable joy, delight, and completeness through an intimate relationship with Him. Too often, we are complacent with where we are in our relationships with God and don’t desire to go any further. We are ignorant of the incredible privilege and potential we have been granted to know Jesus intimately.
Doubt - God wants us to have confidence in His ability and His willingness to provide what is necessary for us to reach new levels of holiness. He wants us to believe that He can and will do what He says. When we doubt Him, we are basically expecting rejection. Our prayers cannot be separated from our faith. If we are to ask God, we must ask with expectancy to receive. God will give us what we desire; if what we desire is really what we need and what will bring glory to Him! We are to ask with confidence and expectancy, praying out of the faith He has given us.
Unconfessed Sin - Disobedience is a major barrier because it creates distance in our relationships with God. It’s not that God has turned away from us but rather that we have turned away from Him through our human rebellion. You can’t have a closer relationship with God if you don’t respect His boundaries. Our obedience demonstrates our love for Jesus. As we respect God’s rules, He permits us to see more of Him, and as we see more of Him, our relationship with Him can become more intimate. Whatever temporary satisfaction is gained through disobedience is not worth the loss of joy and peace that comes from having a right relationship with your heavenly Father.
Depending On Pastors - This can be a really deadly interference in your walk with God. It is not your pastor’s responsibility to feed you all you need to be spiritually healthy; it is your responsibility. A lot of people fall into the habit of only giving God time on Sunday mornings. That is like only eating once a week! If we did this, we would be horribly malnourished! Sadly, this is the case for many Christians. Our pastors are leaders set in the church to guide us and teach us, not to feed us daily. We have a Bible to feed ourselves with.
Love Of Money - We all need money to live in this world, but we must not be owned by it if we are to be “not of this world.” Money itself does not interfere in our walk with God—the love of money interferes. Don’t get so obsessed with making money that you forget who your provider is. God wants us to prosper and lack no good thing, but He also wants us to give unto others out of our abundance. There’s nothing wrong with having money-- just don’t let money have you.
Media - Sometimes we get so caught up in the news, celebrity gossip, television shows, and even social media that we forget to make time for God. Everywhere we turn, some sort of media is in our faces and is littered with filth. All the commercials on TV and all the advertisements on the Internet try to convince us that we are missing something and that they are the ones that can fill the need. The key to overcoming the media is to be wise about what we watch, read, and play and about how much time we spend with it. We should always be willing to give it up to spend more time with God.
Religious Traditions - Somewhere along the way, people have gotten the idea that they need to pretend to be perfect at church. They think that if they show their weaknesses and struggles, they will become outcasts. Many Christians have become so obsessed with looking and acting right that they don’t seek God. This is opposite of what the church is supposed to be. Church is really the body of believers. We are supposed to help each other, hold each other accountable, pray for each other, and love one another! To keep church from becoming a distraction from God, make sure you are pursuing God and not religion.
Ungodly Relationships - It is our relationships that are our connections with the world, and it is human nature to have them. However, when we allow our relationships to become more important to us than God, they become a distraction. The type of relationship with the most danger of becoming a distraction from our walks with God would be a romantic relationship. These relationships demand the most time, and that is why it is extremely important that they are centered on God.
Work/Life Imbalance - Everything from a job to leading worship to teaching a bible study to being a pastor can become a distraction from God. It is so easy to get caught up on our duties, but the most important thing is that we work entirely for the Lord. Our tasks are to glorify God, not ourselves. We can have great motives behind our work, but sometimes, we let the work become more important than spending time in prayer with God.
Hobby Obsession - Hobbies can range from playing guitar to singing to video games to playing sports. The dangerous thing about them is that they can consume a lot of our time. A great way to keep them in check is to do them with God in mind! A perfect example would be worshiping God with music. Also, we can play video games or sports with people to develop relationships. Having hobbies is a great way to get into the world to be influences, but we have to do them with God at the center. Otherwise, our hobbies become hindrances in our spiritual walks.
Complacency - We don’t miss what we have never experienced. And if we are unaware that something better is possible, we will never seek it. And that’s the way it is with our relationship with God. Our heavenly Father offers us unimaginable joy, delight, and completeness through an intimate relationship with Him. Too often, we are complacent with where we are in our relationships with God and don’t desire to go any further. We are ignorant of the incredible privilege and potential we have been granted to know Jesus intimately.
Doubt - God wants us to have confidence in His ability and His willingness to provide what is necessary for us to reach new levels of holiness. He wants us to believe that He can and will do what He says. When we doubt Him, we are basically expecting rejection. Our prayers cannot be separated from our faith. If we are to ask God, we must ask with expectancy to receive. God will give us what we desire; if what we desire is really what we need and what will bring glory to Him! We are to ask with confidence and expectancy, praying out of the faith He has given us.
