What Hinders You?

WHAT HINDERS YOU?

      Read II Corinthians 12:7-10 before you read the rest of this article.

      What do you know about Paul?  You know he was first known as Saul of Tarsus.  He persecuted the church.  He had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and was led to Ananias who taught and baptized him.  He became the great apostle Paul and took the gospel to many people.  He wrote over half of the New Testament. 
But did you know…?

Paul had what he called a thorn in the flesh.  Some think it was his poor eyesight. Galatians 4:15 & 6:11  indicate he did.  He suffered hardship in many ways just doing the work of the Lord. Read what he said about it in   II Corinthians 11:22-33.  But none of those things hindered him from doing the Lord’s work.  He even said… “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Philippians 4:13. 

Most of us find a way to overcome weakness and other difficulties in life when we want to do something.   For example…

A man who was paralyzed from the neck down learned to use a crossbow
and could hit the bulls eye...using his teeth.
A calf roper lost both arms and learned to rope...with his feet.
A 10 year old wanted to learn Judo… problem… he lost his left arm in an accident.  But he was determined to learn and in three months learned one of the most difficult throws in Judo and won a major competition some time later.
Moses told God “I can’t.”  God said “you can.”  And he did.
Fanny Crosby was blind from infancy but wrote over 8000 hymns.  Many are found in our hymn book today.
Helen Keller was blind and deaf from infancy but became a writer and advocate for the disabled through her life.
So what hinders you?  Remember Paul’s words in II Corinthians 12:10… “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in  persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”   What hinders you?