Overcoming Obstacles

I. EXORDIUM:

Do you have enemies? Are you facing obstacles?

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To acknowledge GOD in everything therefore winning any obstacles or hindrances over to GOD.

IV. TEXT:

1 Samuel 7:3 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Determine to obey only the Lord; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”

V. THESIS:

Surrendered life is secret to overcoming every obstacles

VI. TITLE:

Overcoming Obstacles

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Authors: Samuel (Israel's last greatest judge) - some parts of it, Nathan and Gad (1 Samuel 10:25, 1 Chronicles 29:29) and some say it's Anonymous

1 Samuel 10:25 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home again.

1 Chronicles 29:29 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

All the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in The Record of Samuel the Seer, The Record of Nathan the Prophet, and The Record of Gad the Seer.

B. Purpose of writing: Account of the history of Israel from 12th to 10th B.C.

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. Return to the LORD GOD with all heart, soul and mind

"If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord"

1. Return came from the Hebrew word:"shub" meaning to turn back, to take back, to retreat.

Retreat from your idolatries back into the arms of the Mighty GOD.

a. the reason is idolatry, if you're really serious, return to the LORD with all your heart, mind and soul. Even if Israel has finest, powerful weapons of mass destruction today in our times, they still will fight a losing battle for battle is the LORD's (1 Samuel 17:47)

1 Samuel 17:47 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”

2 Samuel 22:48 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he brings down the nations under me

2. Greatest enemy left to conquer is ourselves, if we don't have expressed idolatries most probably it is ourselves. Stop worshipping yourselves by crediting your success and victories back to yourself, turn back to GOD, acknowledge GOD today in everything, every success and victories are from Him for He has already commanded it to us.

Judges 5:11 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

Listen to the village musicians gathered at the watering holes. They recount the righteous victories of the Lord and the victories of his villagers in Israel. Then the people of the Lord marched down to the city gates.

3. You might ask an obvious question of what are the connection of these things if Israel wants to win the battle against Gaza? Remember the physical starts with the spiritual. There was no physical light before that we can benefit from, but GOD said, "Let there be light. and there was light" If the physical light started with the Spiritual GOD then everything have to start from something or specifically Someone, and that Someone is GOD. The Spirit gave birth to everything physical we use our five sense on.

1 Samuel 7:10 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them.

Ephesians 6:12 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Genesis 1:1 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:3 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Colossians 1:15-16 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

B. Remove all idolatries in your life

"get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth."

1. Israel is full of idolatries, hence, idols and idolatries hinders them from coming back to GOD, who is the Source of all victories. The issue is their heart before GOD, the way to return to victory over Gaza is for them to remove all their idolatries: anyone or anything that hinders them from getting back to GOD. Furthermore, if Israel will reject this Biblical advise, then the LORD GOD rejected Him and will hand them over to their enemies.