Message
Today, I will continue the discussion I started yesterday on the factors that can hinder a person’s progress. Sometimes, the wall hindering your progress could be someone you have a relationship with. Many people don’t know it, but sometimes, even the people you love may be a hindrance to your progress.
In , Abraham took Lot with him when God called him to leave his family behind and go to a place that He would show him. However, it wasn’t until Lot separated from him in that God spoke and showed him the land He had promised.
The spiritual authority a person submits to can also hinder the fellow’s progress (). This is why you must carefully choose your spiritual father or mentor with the Holy Spirit’s guidance. says that the servant cannot be greater than the master. Whomever you choose to be your master will determine how far you can go. Prayerfully choose someone who is constantly growing so that there won’t be a limit to your progress.
Another kind of person that can be a wall of Jericho that is hindering your progress is your friend. To a great extent, those you call your friends will determine how far you will go in life. This was why Solomon warned his son in not to keep company with certain kinds of friends.
When I became born again, one of the first things I did was to change my friends. It was painful, but if I had remained in their company, I would never have come this far in life. Amnon would have lived a long and good life as a son of David, but he ended up badly because he had the wrong friend. In , the Bible says, “But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab...”
There are some people who pose as friends but are actually like the wall of Jericho. If you have such friends, stay away from them because they are enemies of progress. If you have a friend who you only gossip with, but you never pray or discuss the Bible, that friend will become a hindrance to your progress. If you have friends whose pieces of advice are always contrary to what the Bible says and are always encouraging you to reduce your dedication to God, such friends are a wall of Jericho between you and God’s perfect plan for your life. Beloved, please run away from such friends.