fbpx

Removing Hindrances

He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” – Acts 28:31

What hinders you from serving God or telling others about Him?

The passage above is how the book of Acts ends.  What a way to end it!! 

The Apostle Paul had endured many hardships in his ministry,

  • He was rejected by his people (the Jews)
  • Shipwrecked
  • Sent to prison
  • Beaten
  • Threatened with the death penalty.

Through all this Paul spoke about Jesus the same as it describes here at the end of Acts, boldly and without hindrance.

What do we allow to hinder us in our witness?

How often are we timid instead of bold?

Yet, hear the reassurance Paul gave to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 1,

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Paul isn’t just telling Timothy not to be afraid, he’s telling him the Spirit who lives in him, and in all of us, is not timid or afraid. He’s telling him that the Spirit will embolden us to speak if we let Him. This is significant. Paul isn’t saying, “Try harder!” or “Dig deep and muster the strength.” He’s saying Timothy may be afraid, but God’s Spirit isn’t. Rely on the Spirit and get all hindrances out of the way.

Hindrances prevent us from acting according to the Holy Spirit. These hindrances may be…

  • Fear
  • Busy-ness
  • Sin
  • Laziness
  • and more.

What hinders you?

Take a few minutes to pray and reflect on your life. What do you think is hindering you from speaking boldly about Jesus? What can you do to remove those hindrances from your life?

Pray that God would give you opportunities to tell others about Jesus and pray that He would make you bold in those moments, not of your own strength, but through the power of the Spirit.

Dear Jesus,
Before You ascended, You said that it was good that You would leave because You would then send your Spirit.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit.  Transform me by Your Spirit, especially in regards to sharing the Gospel.  Prepare opportunities for me to speak to others about You and then make me bold in those moments by the power of Your Spirit so that I may speak about You boldly and without hindrance.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt