Roadblock
or Detour
Definition of roadblock:
1.
A barricade set up to prevent the escape or passage
2. An obstruction in or across a road, such as fallen rocks or trees.
3.
Something, such as a situation or condition, which prevents further progress
toward an accomplishment.
Definition of Detour:
1.
A roundabout way or course, especially a road used temporarily instead of a
main route.
2.
A deviation from a direct course of action.
3.
Bypass, Alternative route
Have
you ever found yourself at a roadblock in life?
I can answer that with a yes….and sometimes it has been many
roadblocks...they’ve not all been at once though at times it may have felt like
it.
God
will sometimes position roadblocks in front of you that call for your immediate
decision to stop or go into another direction. Some of the paths God will clearly mark out
for you to follow, and others you'll have to choose direction according to what
the Holy Spirit says.
I’ve heard of people at railroad crossings who
saw the red lights flashing, bells ringing, the train approaching, and still
they attempted to race across the tracks. Those fortunate enough to survive being
slammed into and pushed hundreds of feet thought they could outrun the train. Even
the littlest signal swaying back and forth at some crossings, if you’re not
looking and paying attention, could find yourself in disasters way.
The
same is true of people who drive around roadblocks set up during flooding.
These people see the water running over the
bridge, but the water appears low enough to go across safely. Halfway across,
the vehicle stalls and they have to be pulled out by a rescue team. Or worse,
the driver gets washed away.
How
many times have you and I been so headstrong and plowed ahead ignoring all the
visible signs to stop? If you disobey the Spirit’s leading, the odds of ending
in failure are greater than the odds of ending in success.
When
things aren’t working according to your plans, you must believe God has put the
roadblock up for your own protection. Now you may be thinking, why hasn’t she
brought into the equation, prayer, just read on! When you come to a roadblock there’s
always a detour that allows you to take an alternative route. Do you take the detour? A detour could be an
interstate highway to your dream, as you will read Paul had. It’s not the end
of the road; it’s a bend in the road.”
God
desired for the children of Israel to leave Egypt and return home to the
Promise Land. After four hundred years
of captivity, the time came when Pharaoh let God’s people leave Egypt. Instead of God taking Israel the shortest way
possible,(3 days) He took them through the wilderness before reaching the
Promised Land (Exodus
13:17-18).
Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God
did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was
near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see
war, and return to Egypt so God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel
went up in orderly ranks out of the land
of Egypt.
At
this point Moses HAD to hear the voice of God to lead them in a detour.
This
could have been a roadblock, for if they would have seen with their eyes/mind, at
that point and made a decision not to go ahead and follow the detour, thus not
making the right decision with their hearts to follow after God, they would
have never made it to the Promised Land.
Maybe
the road of life you’re traveling seems to be off track a bit from your desired
destination.It may even look like you are going in the wrong direction. However,
do not be concerned when God takes you on His detours because you will always arrive at the correct location.
In
another Biblical example, Paul and Silas were two men in the New Testament who
traveled around preaching the gospel. Both of these men held true to the
path of righteousness and went wherever the Lord guided them. On two
occasions the Holy Spirit blocked them from going where they had planned.
Acts
16:6-10 tells us,
6
Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were
forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come
to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them (the Holy Spirit blocked that route.) 8
So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul
in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over
to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we
sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the
gospel to them.
I
can just imagine the conversation between the two of them, can’t you? Why aren’t
we following through, this is the shortest way for us to get to our destination
and so forth. Do we not have those type of conversations with ourselves, with
others and with God?
If
Paul would have gone the way he and Silas were planning, God knows what
could’ve happened.
Wisely,
they chose to heed the leading of the Holy Spirit and
because of their
obedience, God revealed to Paul the correct path for them to
follow. Paul knew the importance of making time to seek God in prayer. I’m certain that he called out to the Lord and
asked Him for confirmation on the next move to make.
Proverbs 16:9 says, “The mind of a man plans his way, but the
Lord shows him what to do." (NLV)
It’s
easy to become irritated with God when you hit a roadblock. And how unfair is
that? It’s because we think we know what’s better, maybe? God only wants to
keep you on the right path. He is not there to hinder you; He is there to
assist you in knowing what avenue to take.
Therefore, the next time you’re faced with a
roadblock, turn to your personal tour guide, God, and He will direct you on the
rest of your journey, by the Holy Spirit. Check your roadblocks are they self
induced, or is God redirecting you.
Prayer
is so important, however we shouldn’t forget it’s the person, not
prayer, that God hears. He doesn’t answer prayer, He answers praying people.
Consequently
your request to be heard in heaven becomes a
person God listens to.
Are
you at a roadblock today, have you been traveling so to speak on this journey
and things have been going pretty well, you’ve mapped out your destination and
then all of a sudden you see ahead lights flashing, cones in the road and
someone standing waiting to speak to you regarding the furtherance of your
journey? If so take time to Pause, Pray and Praise, be thankful that He is interested in you and loves you enough
to direct you into a promised land, waiting ahead. It just may not be in the
direction you’ve planned!
Thanks
for stopping and observing the roadblock! It could mean a matter of a life
changing event!
Debbie
