1. guilt - Ps 103:9-14
There are 2 definitions of guilt: 1- the fact of having committed a specific or implied offense or crime & 2- a feeling of having done something wrong or failed in an obligation.
We sometimes get immense pleasure in guilt; it's called the poor mes. However, let's talk about confessed, forgiven sin. Ps 103:9-14 is a great passage telling us to stop wallowing in the past; forgiven sin and move on. In vs 12 the psalmist tells us that God removes our sin as far as the east is from the west. Dr. McGee says this is important because God doesn't say north from south. If you go North eventually you will go South whereas if you go east you will never go west and visa versa. So why would we ever want to dwell on our past sin? God doesn't! Satan knows the best way to keep us from living spiritually effective is Guilt! Beth Moore in her Patriarch study says this "God never has an ugly thought toward us". So we to need to remember to forget our past sin.
2. Fear - 2 Timothy 1:7 - the fear God is referring to here is not a healthy reverent fear; it is the Greek word which could be translated as timidity whic denotes cowardness. A shameful fear caused by a weak, selfish character. The verse gives a positive attribute that comes from God a spirit of power, love & sound mind. As believers we are filled with the Holy Spirit & He gives us this spitirual resource for every trial & threat. This also talks of a sound mind which refers, as per Dr. McGee, to discipline. God doesn't want us to live a life of defeat; one that is driven by emotion, which is an unhealthy fear is just that, an emotion. Conquering fear is not to get rid of fear but to know that fear will not stop me from achieving any goals. This can be a fear of failure or success. If I don't do then I can't fail or if I don't do then I won't succeed which could but me in the spot light.
Ps. 27:1-3 speaks for itself.
3. Unwillingness to Sacrifice - Gal. 2:20 We live in a country of instant gratification. We want what we want without slot of sacrifice. I believe this is the third thing that holds us back. You've heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again & expecting a different result. Well this is an unwillingness to sacrifice. We want to be able to eat the same way but still loose weight. Let me in on a little secret if you are still eating the same as you were but haven't lost any weight in the last 3 weeks, you are taking in too many and/or the wrong kind of calories and not doing enough excercise.
You need to change something. If your children would continue to walk into the door hitting it every time and you ask them what they are doing and they said I was sure that our door had an automatic sensor that would open it just like at the grocery store. You would assume your child had lost his marbles! But that is exactly what we do with food. It's ok I'll just have a bite or two of that cake, I don't eat it everyday but yet we "treat" ourselves all the time. We keep looking for the quick & easy fix. Well, let's look at Esther. Here is a women who sacrificed her own chance at a normal happy marriage; to marry a king that had just banished his first queen because she stood up to him. This doesn't seem like the ideal situation. Chapter 4 is her chance, Mordicia comes to her to tell her to go to the king and petition for her people's lives, knowing how the king tended to be. Esther 4:13-14 - We need to be responsible, God is not going to produce a miracle over night where your metabolism changes so you can eat the way you want and loose weight. If you want to be an effective believer you need to understand that sacrifice is involved. I don't like the phrase "God helps those who help themselves" however we can't sit back and expect Him to spoon feed us miracles. I don't know why God gave you a weight challenge but I do know that when we let fear, guilt, and an unwillingness to sacrifice block our path to success then we take ourselves out of the running to be blessed by a God that loves us and wants to see us succeed spiritually and be an effective witness. I will finish with this thought from Beth Moore's Esther study, "God's Will will get done with or without me! But I will not be blessed if I am not doing God's Will!"
