Roadblocks
“…we must be careful lest we put roadblocks in front of the Holy Spirit’s work… we can resist the Holy Spirit by stirring up discord in the Body of Christ. We can quench the Holy Spirit by discouraging the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our fellowship or by judging others. We can hamper the work of the Holy Spirit in our own lives by applying the Word of admonition to others and not ourselves. In short, consider how many ways there are to obstruct the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst. There are as many as the devil can devise. Let us, therefore, pray that the Spirit would break down any blockade that we or others may put in front of His gracious work. And let us resolve that we clear away any barriers to those who come to us seeking the truth and life of belonging to the Body of Christ.” (Fr. Basil)
“…non-participation is very often a combination of obstacles and is sometimes even a consequent of those other obstructions to the Light and thus to the spiritual life in general. For that reason, the spiritual life is best seen as an active struggle against everything that prevents us from being aware of God’s Light and from moving toward Him. This movement (deification) brings us closer and closer to God. We become increasingly like Him, are united with Him, experience Him personally, and our hearts and minds are illumined by the divine light of the Holy Spirit… much of the Church’s teaching on the spiritual life concentrates on overcoming the obstacles that prevent us from seeing the divine light… seeking and remaining in the Light is the basic goal of Christian life” (Fr. Edward Rommen)
“If we are to extend forgiveness, we must overcome the roadblocks of fear, pride, revenge, self-pity and social pressure…When forgiveness is extended and not received, we feel rejection which injures our EGO. When our ego takes charge of our actions, we better watch out. Our Lord asked us to forgive when wronged and ask forgiveness when we fault our brother. When we extend forgiveness, we have done what God asked. We can be responsible only for our own actions. If the feeling of rejection paralyzes our forgiveness, then we should look to the life of Christ for inspiration and direction “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” our Lord teaches us in the Lord’s prayer. Not forgiving…is saying NO to God’s forgiveness. Our feelings of revenge manifest themselves in our attitude of making the offender suffer the discomfort we suffered. We show feelings of indifference and total isolation. This feeling is a detour around the act of forgiveness. Avoiding someone is not forgiving them, but postponing the unavoidable Christian act of forgiveness.” (Archpriest Elias Bitar)
“One of the biggest roadblocks in our relationship with God is unacknowledged or unconfessed sin in our lives.” (Kasey Van Norman)
“…we see lives where people are driven to find peace, closure, and resolution. Their goal is total and complete healing from their past experiences so they can be completely unhindered by their past. These lives often manifest a relentless pursuit of healing. They leave no stone unturned and become like tireless investigators in their lives who want to solve and find answers to their struggles. Truly, this could be called a healing driven life. This work is not merely “psychological” it is spiritual. It is a life of transfiguration. It is a life spent in the pursuit of living as God meant for us to live. It is to remove all the emotional roadblocks so we can achieve full communion with God without being hindered by fear, distorted perceptions, and misguided motivations. However, there is a short-term cost. It is painful and there will be struggle. However, the rewards are great. There will be short-term pain but long-term gain. It is truly ascetical work and part of our spiritual life.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)
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