Now let’s talk about some oppositions you face while pressing towards your dream or vision. I have found these oppositions or things that can delay or block your purpose, destiny, dream, or vision from coming to pass in the Bible. I named some of them after the persons in whom it appeared, and I would like to share them with you. But first, let’s start with your greatest opposition in life:
1- Self (yourself)
While there are many obstacles and oppositions you may face in life in the pursuit of your dreams, visions, and good heart desires, or wishes, the first and strongest opponent you may ever have to fight against and overcome primarily is yourself; I mean, your weaknesses or flaws. Self-destruction isn’t only about drugs and alcohol. Your weaknesses account for seven-ty-five percent (75%) or more of your life problems. Your mistakes, indiscipline, laziness, indifference, stubbornness, incredulity, foolishness, pride, arrogance, greed, selfishness, and many other negative characteristics and attitudes may be the cause of many of the problems you may experience when fighting the battles of your life. Your first greatest enemy is yourself.
Frequently, we look outside for reasons to blame people for our problems and failures. It’s true that sometimes people who are under the influence of devil cause some problems in our lives. But it’s true all the same that sometimes we’re the cause of our own issues, suffering, setbacks, or delays, broken family, relationships, marriage, business, organization, among many other areas of our lives. The devil can blind and prevent you from detecting the cause of your problems by looking inside yourself and evaluating your life in general, your charac-ter, attitude, dealings, and actions. Until you’re able to detect the source of your problems in life, you may not be able to solve them and prevent them from happening repeatedly.
Everybody has Weaknesses
Listen, everybody has weaknesses. Only God is perfect. There-fore, don’t be ashamed to admit to yourself and others that you have flaws as well as any other human being. It takes courage to be honest with yourself and stop fooling yourself and others into thinking you’re perfect and somebody else is the cause of all your dilemmas.
Job once said, “If you say, ‘How we will hound him, since the root of the trouble lies in him?” (Job 19:28, NIV). Check yourself up to see if the cause of the problems or matters, challenges, oppositions, or obstacles negatively affecting your education, career, relationship, marriage, business, and minis-try isn’t in you. If it’s in you, then look for help from God through prayer to change those things and better your life to change the lives of your loved ones or those who are around and connected to you. You may fulfill some of your dreams, but to fully attain your maximum achievement, fulfillment, or satisfaction, peace, and happiness in life, you need to find the root of the matter (the problem) in you and deal with it until it dies from the root. God can set you free from your weaknesses or flaws if you will only admit and work on them with God through prayer and His grace.
Can you find yourself saying what Apostle Paul was honest about telling the Romans in his letter to them? It reads, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot car-ry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7: 18-24, NIV).
In nature, man is a sinner, but God can help you overcome your weakness if you let Him. The first opposition in your life may be yourself; therefore, learn how to control or discipline yourself. By the grace of God, learn how to control your mouth, your feelings, actions, and sight. Understand that your first enemy, opponent, or opposition is your own flesh. Your own mistakes, pride, arrogance, mismanagement, laziness, and sometimes sin can fight back against you, opposing and delaying you, or permanently block your dreams or visions in life.
To overcome the other oppositions in your life, you must overcome yourself first. Train yourself to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit as Apostle Paul taught the Galatians. We read, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22-24, NIV).
2- The Laws of Nature
Moses recorded, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth – And God said…” (Genesis 1:1-24). Apostle John accounted, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3, NIV). And the Psalmist, arguably, King David, said, “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants.” (Psalm 119:89-91, KJV). God’s word created the universe and the laws of nature.
The laws of nature can become an opposition to your dreams or vision in life. The laws of nature, also known as physical or scientific laws, were embedded in nature since the beginning of creation. They may sometimes constitute an ob-stacle to victory and success, or to reaching your dreams and goals in life.
What’s the Law of Nature? Remember, God is the Author of science. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Science as “The state of knowing: knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding.”
God is Omniscient, which means all-knowing. The Bible says, “For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.“ (I John 3:20, TLV). The natural law, also called a physical law or scientific law, is a scientific generalization based on empirical observations of physical behavior. Laws of nature are observable. Scientific laws are empirical, describ-ing observable patterns. Empirical laws are typically conclu-sions based on repeated scientific experiments and simple observations, over many years, and which have become accepted universally within the scientific community. The production of a summary description of our environment in the form of such laws is a fundamental point of science.
The laws of nature aren’t identical with religious and civil laws, and shouldn’t be mingled with the notion of natural laws. Also, keep in mind that a “physical law” is different from the “law of physics.” The term “physical law” usually covers laws in other sciences as well as biology.
As a caveat, I’m always surprised by how many scientists are or become atheists. I think scientists ought to be the most believers in God, or the Higher Power that they can confirm in their experiments, than anyone.
According to Richard Feynman, an American Jewish physicist (an atheist), and Paul Davies, an English physicist, writer, broadcaster, professor, and Director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science (a pantheist), several general properties of physical laws have been identified. Consult Davies (1992) and Feynman (1965). Therefore, we should note that physical laws or laws of nature are:
* True, at least within their regime of validity: By definition, there have never been repeatable contradicting observations.
* Universal: They appear to apply everywhere in the uni-verse. (Davies, 1992:82)
* Simple: They are typically expressed in terms of a single mathematical equation. (Davies)
* Absolute: Nothing in the universe appears to affect them. (Davies, 1992:82)
* Stable: Unchanged since first discovered (although they may have been shown to be approximations of more accurate laws).
* Omnipotent: Everything in the universe apparently must comply with them according to observations. (Davies, 1992:83)
* Generally conservative of quantity. (Feynman, 1965:59)
* Often expressions of existing homogeneities (symmetries) of space and time. (Feynman)
* Typically theoretically reversible in time (if non-quantum), although time itself is irreversible. (Feynman)
In effect, if all the above is true, according to physicist Paul Davies, the laws of nature are omnipotent because everything in the universe must comply with them. The truth is, God is the Omnipotent. I believe the reason everything in the uni-verse conforms or submits to the laws of nature is that the Author of the universe and these laws is Omnipotent. The reason there’s always sunrise and sunset is that God is Omnipotent. The reason you can’t fetch water with a basket is that God is Omnipotent. The reason you can’t walk on water is that God is Omnipotent. The only way you can defy and overcome the laws of nature is when the Omnipotent God deactivates His potency in them, or operates it through you. We will ad-dress the Omnipotence of God later in another chapter.
As real, universal, simple, absolute, stable, and omnipotent, the laws of nature are; God, the Creator Himself, has the authority to reverse or change them whenever He wants to. But note that the devil can use the laws of nature as an opposition to prevent you from fulfilling your dreams and goals in life. And I will mention some examples.
The Law of Age
Naturally, a woman starts experiencing menopause or climacteric between the ages of 45 and 55. But when God promised Isaac to Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 17:19), the couple was in their old age. Nevertheless, God reversed that law of nature, and Sarah conceived and gave birth to Isaac at the age of ninety (90) while Abraham was a hundred (100) years old (Genesis 21:1, 5). Right here, we see that menopause and old age could have prevented Abraham and Sarah from reaching their dream. But God, the Omnipotent (Almighty) reversed it and made their dream become a reality. The law of age, health, or your physical body can constitute an opposition to your dreams, wishes, and visions in life. But God, the Omnipotent, can stop and reverse it.
The Law of Water
The law of water nearly prevented the children of Israel from reaching and inheriting the promised land. The many rivers, streams, lakes, and seas around the world provide refreshment, hydration, cleanness, and energy. Records show that around the world, especially during the Industrial Revolution and continuing today, water contributes to the tools that help production beyond human capabilities in one way or another.
However, as we noted earlier, water can become dangerous when certain laws of nature come into effect, like rain, tsunamis, and other forms. Our focus and imagination here is on the Red Sea. Think about this, the Red Sea, also known as “The Arabian Gulf”, is highly salty and known for its dangerous depths for divers. It’s a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia.
God brought the children of Israel out of slavery from Egypt with mighty signs and wonders (Exodus chapters 11-12), with the promise that He would give them the Land He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 6:7-8). However, after they left Egypt, Pharaoh and his people pursued them till the Red Sea, where God made a way through for the children of Israel to pass on dry ground to the other side. Let us read the account of the Bible in Exodus 14:1-31:
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horse-men.” Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of waon their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Isra-elites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen – the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.”
The laws of nature, the Red Sea was an opposition to the children of Israel to get to the Promised Land, because no-body can naturally cross the sea the way they did. But God, the Omnipotent (Almighty) made a way where there was no way for them to crossover. You may have a job interview, a business meeting, or an important appointment that could change your life positively and even lead to greater opportunities. But it may rain, storm, or snow, and the weather may not permit or facilitate that. The laws of nature can hurt your dreams or visions one way or the other.
It took courage for the children of Israel to pass through the miraculous walls of seawater to reach the other side. Think about this: The Bible says God sent a strong east wind to divide the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21).
And let’s imagine what happened. When the strong east wind divided the sea water, there should have been walls of water on both right and left sides of the way made or created in the sea by God. These walls of water must be massive, raging, and noisy enough to scare them away, and thinking that if they ever closed, it would have been the end of their lives and journey. Did God open a door for you, but you’re afraid to utilize it and get to the other side of your dreams and visions? It takes courage to take advantage of the God-given opportunities in life to make it happen.
The Law of Day and Night (Planetary and Satellite
Motion)
Don’t let the day, night, time, or calendar control your purpose, plans, and actions, unless you find it to be wise at a given moment. Do what you must do at the right time, but not because it’s day or night. Think about this: While it’s a new year in one place or area in the world, others may still be in the old year and waiting or counting down to the new year. The law of day and night, planetary and satellite motion, time, and calendar can become an opposition to dreams. Have you ever been told, “Oh, we are already closed.” And obviously, that was the last opportunity you could have used? The law of day and night nearly prevented Joshua and the children of Israel from winning.
Even though I don’t believe or support the spiritualization of some things in astronomy or astrology, such as divination and fortune telling, it should be noted that some truths and facts in planetary and satellite motion may affect your dreams or visions. The day or night, sometimes, can simply be an op-position to your victory. To properly cease understanding about this natural opposition, which grants us the opportunity to rest and sleep, yet can hurt our victory in many ways, let’s think a little about this: As you may know, even though Johannes Kepler, the German Mathematician’s reasons for planetary and satellite motion proposed in the 1600s, are no longer accepted, the actual laws themselves are still considered an accurate description of the motion of any planet and satellite. These works also provided one of the foundations for Isaac Newton’s theory of universal gravitation.
Kepler’s (3) three laws of planetary motion can be described as follows: The Law of Ellipses, which means the path of the planets about the sun is elliptical in shape, with the center of the sun being located at one focus. The Law of Equal Areas, which means an imaginary line drawn from the center of the sun to the center of the planet will sweep out equal areas in equal intervals of time. And the Law of Harmonies, which means the ratio of the squares of the periods of any two plan-ets is equal to the ratio of the cubes of their average distances from the sun.
In effect, day occurs on the side of the Earth facing the Sun. And night occurs when the Earth’s rotation turns that side away from the Sun, as only one-half of the sphere’s surface can be illuminated by light from a single point. We know the same facts apply to the Moon, which, because of its rotation, always shows one face to the Earth.
Differences in its orbital position illuminate all, none, or a portion of its Earthward face. The Earth is tilted on its axis about its orbital plane. This means that some areas will spend a longer period in the sunlight each day at various times of the year. In the Arctic and Antarctic, there are six months of day-light and six months of night. In the tropics, days and nights are always 12 hours long. For the places in between, the days will be shorter in winter (Tilt means less than 12 hours of day) and longer in the summer (Tilt means more than 12 hours of sunlight, or daylight area). And when it’s winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s summer in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.
The Earth rotates about its axis once every 24 hours, plunging about half of the globe into darkness and illuminating the other half at any one time as the Sun comes in and out of view.
These natural occurrences are programmed and settled by God. However, it may threaten your accomplishment and victory in many cases. Therefore, you must plan to address it if necessary. You may ask how? By planning well, prayerfully, and wisely arresting and stopping situations and people who try to kill your purpose, destiny, accomplishment, and victory, because things might not be properly aligned for your victory today or tomorrow, as they were yesterday – time, dates, weather, people, offices, administrations, establishments, laws, situations, and individuals moods do change, and this can affect you. Someone may be in a good mood today and approve something for you, but tomorrow they might be in a different mood and disapprove or decline it – happy people make happy events or things happen. But when they aren’t happy that day, it may turn bad.
Why Joshua Stopped the Sun?
After the death of Moses (Deuteronomy 34:5), Joshua, the son of Nun, who was his minister and servant, was called by God to succeed him. Joshua became the general of God’s army and led them to possess the Promised Land. After Joshua and the army of Israel have defeated Ai and so many other strong cities and kings, all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things and those in the hill country, in the western foot-hills, and along the entire coast of the Great Sea as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites) came together to wage war against Is-rael, but didn’t prevail.
The Gibeonites were ruse, came out to meet Joshua and his army, and made a covenant with them to become their servants. When Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard about the peace agreement the Gibeonites made with the Children of Israel, he was furious and somehow desperate and appealed…
Read More In the Book, COURAGE: Fighting the Battles of Your Life