The Spiritual Man's Obstacle CourseSample

10. Breaching Barriers (part 3)

Carrying Crosses & Demolishing Defenses

“With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall”
– 2 Samuel 22:30

If we’ve gone deeper first, now we can also go further and higher. For the man of God his spiritual renewal and refreshment is about more than mere matter of his own salvation. It is also about the advancement of God’s kingdom and the salvation of others. "Others" should firstly include your family and closest friends. It most definitely refers to fellow believers, but also extends much further to strangers and foreigners.

Jesus’ invitation to us to be his disciples also call us to pick up our cross and follow Him daily (Luke 9:23). This means daily devoting yourself with the willingness to lay down your comfort living and take up the responsibility of representing Jesus well in this world. Simply put—pick up that log, put it across your shoulders, and play your part in advancing the Kingdom of God.

The greater our obedience, the greater our authority now that you follow Jesus and are born again of water and spirit. You have the authority to take down enemy defenses, breach age old barriers, and live in victory. But this is not for your own sake that you overcome obstacles. It’s for the sake and salvation of many more. You’re scaling enemy walls to bring light into darkness. Through faith and prayers, testimonies, and opportunities, you’re overcoming spiritual walls and strongholds with a strength that’s out of this world.

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

So, let’s understand and apply this correctly. We are not busy with wishful thinking or selfish gain. Neither should we slave ourselves to a point of burnout, for Jesus alone gives salvation. But we are actively partnered with Him, our Lord and Savior, to take the hill and face our personal challenges, all while we are also capturing other hearts and minds for Christ through both intercession and intervention.

Thus, truly carrying your cross, will lead to demolishing the enemy’s defenses.

Read Romans 8:1-17 and reflect on the following:

• What’s your observation(s) from this reading?
• What’s your understanding of carrying your cross and demolishing defenses?
• What’s your biggest obstacle to being led by the Spirit of God?
• Pray for and identify barriers to be broken in your life and the lives of others.