Judges 18:9
“ And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.”
The verse above is the response from five men who spied out the city of Laish. These men came back with the report that Laish was careless with their defense and was ready to be taken. They challenged Israel to “Arise…” and “…be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.” They were challenging the men to not let their slothfulness be the hindrance of their progress in taking the Promised Land.
Progress is a forward direction. Progress is the fuel of success. You will never experience success without progress. It is progress that determines the potential of an individual or business. Without progress, the Christian will never grow in grace for growth is progress. As I study the Scriptures, I find there are four hindrances to progress.
The first hindrance to progress is the inability to step out. The verse above says, “…be not slothful to go…” This verse was not saying they were slothful in everything, but they were “slothful to go.” That inability to step out has kept many people from fulfilling God’s will for their life. If you continue to wait for the perfect setting, you will be waiting your entire life. It may be difficult, but you must be willing to step out if you are to see progress in your life.
The second hindrance to progress is a lack of initiative. In Joshua 18:3, Joshua chides the men of Israel for being “slack” to possess the land. At some point in your life you have got to stop waiting for someone else to push you, and you must have the initiative to push yourself. Those who reach their potential in life are those who have the initiative to push themselves. Great leaders don’t have to be pushed to do what they are supposed to do, because they push themselves to do what needs to be done. If someone constantly has to push you to get your responsibilities done, you are hindering progress.
The third hindrance to progress is fear of the “what if’s.” Israel faced this when the ten spies came back with their evil report about the obstacles they faced. I often tell people that I refuse to live in the land of “what if.” There will always be a “what if” to stop progress if you entertain “what if’s.” Instead of worrying about what might happen, keep going forward and deal with it if it comes. I have found that most of the “what if’s” that we worry about never happen.
The fourth hindrance to progress is a lack of strength to face the impossible. In 2 Samuel 10:12, Joab told the army to “play the men for our people.” They were surrounded by the enemies, and it seemed as if it was impossible to win, but he challenged them to step up and face the impossible and see if God would come through. You must not let the impossible stop you from progress. Find a way to overcome the impossible. You can retreat in the face of the impossible, but retreat will stop and kill any momentum and progress you may be experiencing.
Friend, the world needs Christians who won’t allow any hindrance to stand between them and progress. You serve a great God Who is capable of helping you face any obstacle that stands between you and progress. Decide to go forward and let progress continue.