Breaking Down Walls: Overcoming Obstacles in the Christian Life
Stephen Arterburn
There are five walls that keep men locked into a hopeless rut of trying harder and experiencing less and less of God's presence. This session will enable men to tear down walls such as stubborn resistance and disconnected isolation.
Although this session was taught to men, it has amazing value for women as well.
In this podcast episode, we explore the five walls that prevent us from living a fulfilling Christian life. These walls are stubborn resistance, arrogant entitlement, justifiable resentment, disconnected isolation, and blind ignorance. By breaking through these barriers, we can experience new insights and transformations in our lives.
Key Points:
1. Stubborn resistance: Often, our unwillingness to change or try something new holds us back from experiencing a deeper relationship with God. Developing a willingness to obey God's Word is crucial to breaking through this wall.
2. Arrogant entitlement: A mindset of always feeling as though we deserve more than we have can prevent us from experiencing true contentment. The cure for this is humility, as demonstrated by living a life marked by good works and wisdom.
3. Justifiable resentment: Holding onto anger and bitterness can be a heavy burden that weighs us down. The remedy for this is forgiveness, letting go of past hurts, and allowing God to bring healing and restoration.
4. Disconnected isolation: Many people struggle with developing deep, meaningful connections with others. Building authentic relationships, particularly with people of the same sex, can help us grow as individuals and foster deeper connections with our spouse or significant other.
5. Blind ignorance: We may be blind to the areas of our life where we need help or growth. Opening ourselves up to the insight and guidance of others can help us break through this barrier and grow in our Christian walk.
Verses mentioned:
- Psalm 51:12
- James 3:13
- Proverbs 10:10
- Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Quotes From This Episode:
"Satan is the one that comes to steal and to destroy. But it is the purpose of Jesus to give us a rich and satisfying life."
"Romans 12 to says don't be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind or a better translation says to be transformed by changing the way that you think."
“Sometimes we have to get in a relationship and do some tough work together if we're going to have peace, or serenity in the relationship.."
"For the arrogantly entitled person, enough is never enough. In fact, more than enough is never enough. Expectations are so high that nobody can ever meet those expectations. It's an adolescent mindset, where there's never any contentment."
"Men become men in the company of men."
"A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer."
"The more us men connect with other men and can feel like we're authentic men, the less we have to present a false front."
"A lot of people think that the truth will set them free. The truth doesn't set you free. Bible doesn't say the truth sets you free. Here's what the Bible says. It says, if you follow my teachings, you are truly my disciples, then you will know the truth."
"It is in obedience, where we do the right thing and we have the support around us. That is where we work through our blind ignorance and become real connecting human beings with our wives and with other people."