Goals are a dime a dozen! since we were kids, we've been taught to dream big, to reach for the stars and to set valuable goals worth achieving for the purpose of accomplishing success in life! That in itself is amazing, I would never discourage people from goal setting, but I would caution against one particular thing when it comes to it......I would warn people of looking past the sure opposition and resistance that comes with any goals we set.

Again, most people either have, or certainly have had big goals when they were children but if you look around, it doesn't seem that many people are living out what they dreamed of. Why is that? in my opinion it's because somewhere down the line, they were stopped in their pursuit of greatness by 3 potential enemies. Let's talk about three threats to all our lives when it comes to Godly success.

on last Sunday I spoke about the children of Israel returning to their land after seventy years in Babylon. I came out of Ezra chapter 4, and we seen how upon arrival the Jews begin to lay the foundation of their temple again so they could resume worshiping God. Unfortunately, not everyone was happy about this building project and from Israel's enemies we get our three threats I mentioned above

#1.) Ungodly unity

Right when Israel began rebuilding, their enemies approached them out of jealousy mainly and asked a simple but powerful question, they asked " can we join you"? in our culture, the word no isn't nice usually, but trust me, many times it's necessary. The Jews responded to their jealous neighbors with a big fat NO!! They said no for a great reason, not all unity is Godly unity! Again, in our world we often prioritize togetherness over truth, and that mistake in priorities can have major consequences! Before you partner with anyone or allow someone to partner with you in life, make sure that you both are aligned on the essentials of Godliness and righteousness, if not, an ungodly partnership can poison your purpose in every area of life.

#2&3- Discouragement and fear

I grouped these two together because many times in life they show up holding hands. After the Jews rejected the offer to unify with their enemies, you can imagine how said enemies felt about it. In a fit of anger, frustration and jealousy they began literally weakening the people's hands by discouraging their hearts with threats and intimidation. Can you imagine being a Jew in this situation? you've been in bondage for decades, and returned home with goals, and plans to build, restore, and succeed in every way, but to your dismay you are immediately met with opposition that removes courage from your heart in exchange for fear. I believe the Jews were discouraged because they hadn't imagined that resistance would welcome them upon return. I find hope in the fact that Jesus didn't sugar coat this life for us when he said clearly " in this life you WILL have tribulation, but be of good cheer i have overcome the world" - John 16:33

I know you have great plans and goals for yourself, and i definitely know that the plans God has for you are even grander than yours, but i also know that between us and what God has planned for us to have lies mountains and obstacles. Don't be discouraged or caught off guard by trials but set your focus on the promises of God in Christ Jesus

Pastor J