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Warning: Get these 7 things out of your life if you truly
desire to do God’s will
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Article By Dina Mason// EEW Magazine Spiritual
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Posted May 1, 2017
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Credit: Getty/ DigitalVision / Gary John Norman
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God has big plans for your life and a great work for you to do. In light of this, you cannot afford to be
sidetracked by foolishness, unhealthy people, mindsets and behaviors that threaten to stifle your
growth, and distract from your purpose.
Of the many traps and pitfalls that lie in wait to ensnare every believer, Empowering Everyday Women
Ministries has chosen to highlight 7.
Be aware of and avoid them in order to preserve your spiritual health and effectiveness in God’s
Kingdom.
#1 Gossip
2 Thessalonians 3:11 NIV - “We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are
not busy; they are busybodies.” Investing time in knowing and spreading others’ business is
wasteful. Not only does participating in gossip make you messy and ineffective in your love walk
with the Lord and others, it absorbs too much time, limiting your ability to engage in fruitful
things. Don’t be a busybody, meaning being busy in everybody’s business. Instead, be busy
about the work of the Kingdom. As Jesus said in John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that
has sent me while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work.”
#2 Envy
James 3:16 NIV – “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and
every evil practice.” Being jealous or resentful of what someone else has, or has become, is
dangerous ground. Enviousness robs you of purity of heart. It sets you up to head out on a
course driven by selfish ambition, which is the opposite of divine submission. This produces
nothing but rebellion against God’s will, tainted motives and evil works. If you feel jealousy and
envy taking shape within you, confess it, pray to the Lord for help, healing and restoration, and
get in God’s word, which cleanses our hearts of unrighteousness.
#3 Small-mindedness
In Numbers 13, it was time for Israel, God’s chosen people, to enter the Promised Land, which
was Canaan. Even though God assured them He had granted full access, some of the leaders
were scared of the giants in the land. One of the things they said in verse 33 to explain their
fear was, “We were in our own sight as grasshoppers.” Do you suffer from a grasshopper
mentality? Have you elevated your fear above your faith? If so, the disease of small-
mindedness will stop you from entering your Promised Land. How can you believe God for big
things with a small mindset? It’s impossible!
#4 Dream Killers
Remember in Genesis 37 when Joseph told his brothers God revealed to him in dreams that he
would rule over all of them? Joseph, who was no doubt favored by his father, instantly fell out of
favor with his siblings. They openly expressed displeasure, then plotted against him and sold
him into slavery. Sometimes, dream killers in our lives aren’t so overt. They secretly harbor
resentment toward us and are actively working to stop our dreams from ever getting off the
ground without our knowledge of their plans. That’s why it’s so important to be prayerful about
who’s in your circle. Be watchful. Be careful. While you shouldn’t do anything hastily when it
comes to managing relationships, when God lets you know someone is toxic, jealous of you and
doesn’t want to see you prosper, don’t be afraid to remove those dream killers from your life. If
you want to see God’s will for your life fulfilled, don’t let them get in the way of what He has for
you.
#5 Cliques
Romans 12:16 ESV – “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with
the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.” Cliques, also known in modern terms as “squads,”
are social groups comprising folks with similar mindsets. Often, members of said cliques are
reluctant to let anyone else in that doesn't fit their standards or criteria. Don’t be a part of one!
Be loving, kind and gracious to everyone, regardless of clout level, social status or compatibility
with your mentality. It is God’s will that we draw others to Him by showing love. This can’t be
done when you’re confined to just one group of like-minded people with no interest in opening
up to others. Be courageous enough to risk criticism by breaking out of the pack, embracing
outcasts and overlooked people, and allowing God to use you as an example of what
compassion really looks like.
#6 Reluctance to ask for what you want
John 15:7 NIV – “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it
will be done for you.” God, who is a loving Father, desires to bless you. But you have to ask
Him for what you want in order to receive it! Don’t you know that, as one of His children, there
are good things He has in store for you to aid in the fulfillment of your destiny? If you want to do
God’s will, yet you’re reluctant to ask for what you need, how do you expect to be equipped? If
you struggle with making your requests known, get rid of that hesitancy. Open your mouth and
ask your loving Father for what already rightfully belongs to you according to your inheritance
as a believer. You don't have it because you haven't asked for it. So start asking!
#7 Laziness in your study of God’s word
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV – “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be
competent, equipped for every good work.” Men and women of God alike can benefit endlessly
from a careful study of the word, empowering him or her to rightly divide it and uncover truth.
There is no way to live a holy, empowered, fruitful life that pleases God without knowing and
obeying His word. If laziness has stopped you from digging into the meat of Scripture, expel it
from your life. Your eternal destiny and God-ordained prosperity, in terms of fruitfulness in your
life, is at stake. Never excuse your own lethargy or laziness in approaching biblical truth. Make
time. Carve out space and do it daily. Your very life depends on it.
These things listed here are by no means the only ways by which believers get tripped up along their
path to the great destiny God has for them. There are many more. So be alert and open to hearing
God. When you are, the Holy Spirit will provide the additional clarity, insight and guidance you need to
carry out God’s will.
Need help strengthening your walk with God? Allow Empowering Everyday Women Ministries’ prayer
team to intercede for you. The Lord is ready, willing and able to aid you in your journey. Let’s pray!
Click here to submit your request.
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