6 | Obstacle and Opportunity

The greater the opportunity the greater the obstacles. 

1 Corinthians 16:9 for a wide door for effective [service] has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.

Deuteronomy 7:3-6 "Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. 4 "For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. 5 "But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their [sacred] pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. 6 "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Haggai 2:4 'But now take courage, Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD, 'take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,' declares the LORD, 'and work; for I am with you,' declares the LORD of hosts.

“Outside” obstacles the enemy uses:

Flattery/smooth speech

“Outside” obstacles the enemy uses:

Accusation

“Outside” obstacles the enemy uses:

Intimidation

“Inside” obstacles the enemy preys on:

Fear

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

“Inside” obstacles the enemy preys on:

Comfort

Haggai 1:2-4 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'This people says, "The time has not come, [even] the time for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt."'" 3 Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, 4 "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house [lies] desolate?"

Haggai 1:12-15 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the LORD. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, spoke by the commission of the LORD to the people saying, " 'I am with you,' declares the LORD." 14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king.

How do we overcome fear and discouragement? The Spirit makes the opportunity bigger than the obstacles.