WHAT ROADBLOCKS HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED IN YOUR LIFE?

WHAT ROADBLOCKS HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED IN YOUR LIFE?     Do you feel as if you face roadblocks everywhere you turn in your family life, ministry, or career? Roadblocks to your dreams, intimacy, or continuing education? What's Murphy's Law? If anything can go wrong, it will. What a truism! So, what roadblocks have you had to outmaneuver on life's pathway? Are you stalled by the same one each time or do new ones keep taking you by surprise? Regardless of whether you've encountered one or more roadblocks, it is important to establish some best practices for navigating through. How you deal with the delays and difficulties you face today will affect whether you are able to complete God's plan for your life.     ROADBLOCKS GALORE     Have you ever been stopped dead in your tracks by one of these persistent headaches: insufficient knowledge, a critical spirit, laziness, shifting agendas, or not being connected with the right people? Has your biggest roadblock been not owning land to build on, not knowing how to write a grant, overcommitment, or personal pride? Has it been a lack of faith or financing? Was it a personal inhibition, an illness, exhaustion, people politics, or procrastination? Is it currently the greeneyed monster of jealousy, or is it, perhaps, a standing invitation to a self-pity party that you simply can never resist? Ann Platz, an interior designer for twenty-eight years, made an executive decision not to let a particular roadblock stop her any longer.     ANN PLATZ NOW TAKES FULL ADVANTAGE OF ROADBLOCKS     Ann is an author of eleven books on topics such as reclaiming your dreams and the pleasure of having company. She is also a book illustrator and a speaker who plants hope, imparts courage, and helps women invite beauty and love into their hearts. She is dedicated to transformation, especially in herself!     Ann loves growing in her faith and opening her home to others to experience grace-filled moments of hospitality.     Ann's passion is mentoring women. She thinks of herself as a heart-opener, that is, one who is privileged to be God's tool for opening the hearts of women. In this role, she helps them see God's intended sphere of influence for them on earth. She cherishes the opportunities that she has to watch women become vessels of grace, those whom God uses to impact his world. She encourages women and cheers them on toward their purposes and destinies. She has even written a book on the topic, Guardians of the Gate: Enriching Your Life through Spiritual Mentoring.     Ann's biggest roadblock was a control issue that centered around abrupt changes. When a scheduled meeting was canceled at the last minute, she would become very agitated and irritated. She did not like feeling that way, because she did not like losing the peace of the Lord. As she began to question her reaction to having her schedule disrupted, it became apparent that she had a choice to make about her negative attitude.     Eventually, Ann decided to use delays as an opportunity to trust the Lord with her time. She now chooses to let the Lord order her steps, anticipating that he will use her rescheduled times for his plan. Now these roadblocks have become times of refreshment and are actually joyful for her!     She says, "I finally figured out that roadblocks are often God's test of our character; other times they are just life or the enemy's plan to use discouragement to halt our journey of spiritual growth. I am convinced that obstacles can become incredible doors of opportunities to those who choose to pray their way through them."     What Roadblocks Have You Encountered in Your Career, Ministry, or Family Life?   Ruth Had a Roadblock     When Ruth's husband died, she had to decide whether to react with a positive or negative spirit. Read Ruth 1:1–18. If you had been Ruth, how would you have dealt with this roadblock? (My heart goes out to you, if you have been Ruth.)     SCRIPTURE TO PONDER     "I [Jesus] have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)     SUGGESTED PRAYER     Dear Lord Jesus, you have told me, _________, about your relationship with God your Father and about his love for me, so that in you, I may have peace. I know that in this world I will have trouble, but I take heart because you have overcome the world. I pray today that you, as my King, will remove roadblocks for me or help me mature spiritually as I hurdle them. I pray, too, that you will reveal to me when you are putting up a barricade to stop me versus when you are inviting me to climb over it with you. If I hear you calling me, please give me a spirit of fearlessness when it comes to overcoming obstacles.     So . . . What Insight, Prayer, or Action Step Has God Laid on Your Heart Today?

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