by Rob Parlante
1 Thes 2:18
Driving your car to a specific destination is a whole lot easier today than it was 20 years ago. In the past one had to know what major roads to take, what exits to look for, and in general what direction one is going. Am I going north, south, east or west? It was a lot more stressful driving looking for landmarks, exits and a street sign to turn off than it is today. GPS has made driving directions much easier. Just follow your GPS and you will arrive at your destination. You don’t have to know any streets, highways or exits. Just follow the GPS. The only complication with GPS is when you encounter a detour sign or road block. When you see the detour sign, you no longer can relying on your GPS (even though it says its recalculating) and now have to follow the detour signs. Now you are on your own, and have to navigate the old fashion way. I recently had to cross over a bridge under construction to get to a suburb in New Jersey. There was a maze of detour signs. I followed the signs, made lefts, rights, and u turns trying to get onto the entrance to the bridge. After about an hour of utter frustration I gave up, I couldn’t enter on to the bridge to go over it. I had to cancel my appointment at that particular destination and reschedule. All my mind could think about was what a waste of time and energy. It was quite frustrating, there were detour signs and road blocks everywhere, and no clear directions to enter and go over the bridge. I was hindered and impeded from going over. GPS couldn’t help me; I was on my own and failed driving 101. I recently thought about this experience after reading 1 Thessalonians 2:18. Let’s read below:
1 Thessalonians 2:18 (AMP) Because it was our will to come to you. [I mean that] I, Paul, again and again [wanted to come], but Satan hindered and impeded us.
Paul after preaching and establishing the church in Thessalonica, wanted to go back and make a follow up visit to check on the churches (believers) progress. Paul states in this verse he wanted to come twice and was hindered and impeded. What’s interesting here is that Paul attributes being hindered to Satan. He says he wanted to come, it was his will to come, but Satan hindered and impeded us. Paul says the word us, biblical scholars believe this to be Paul and Silas. Looking at the original Greek word for hinder, we get more insight into Satan’s deceptive ways. The words original meaning means to cut into, like blocking off a road, to introduce an obstacle that stands in the way. We could think of this today as Satan putting road blocks in front of us, causing you to take a detour. We don’t know for sure what the hindrances (road blocks) were put in front of Paul, but we know that they existed. Something Satan initiated prevented Paul from going back to Thessalonica and helping advance the church there.
Isn’t this just like Satan. Satan is the great deceiver, this is his nature. Satan puts road blocks in front of future and existing believers trying to keep them from their destination of getting to know Christ in an intimate way. Blocking the final destination of exercising saving faith in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins, and blocking total reliance on Christ to meet all of one’s needs to live the Christian life. Satan wants to keep us away from Christ, and be on a road to nowhere. Following detours and never getting to our final destination of total trust and reliance on Christ for our salvation and our sanctification. Satan’s deceptions are many and tailor made to each specific Christian and future Christian. I will try to boil it down to Satan’s main deception and road block. The road block is this, Satan tries to influence ones mind into the deception that Christ can’t meet your need of love, acceptance, value, and worth and give you security. Christ can’t give you spiritual life and met your needs, thus you need to look for meeting these needs in people, things, your job, yourself, relationships etc. You need to look everywhere else, but to Christ. I have seen this roadblock deployed many times over the years in people’s lives.
The only way to bust hindrances and road blocks apart is with the truth of God’s word.
Philippians 4:19 (AMP) And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
In context this verse is describing financial needs, but Christ can meet your need for love, acceptance, being valuable, having worth, and Him giving you security. Get off the road to nowhere, bust through the evil ones hindrances and road blocks and put your trust and faith in Christ. There are so many verses in the scriptures describing Christ as meeting your needs and giving you spiritual life, they can’t be listed here. Get off the road to nowhere and put your faith in Christ, stop taking detours.
If you would like to learn more about the truths described here, come join us at Grace Christian Church, currently meeting at the Freehold VFW, every Sunday at 9:30 am.
In Him, Rob Parlante – Elder / Grace Christian Church
