Growing up, part of my childhood was spent on the East Coast. There, I took English riding lessons in the verdant hills of Virginia on a farm owned by a British family. After my riding lessons, I was given free reign to roam the stables, farm, and woods onsite.
One day, after my lesson, I took my horse into the woods. We went through a trail that we hadn’t ridden before. At the end of the trail, we faced a clearing. And we ran into something else very unexpected: a low, iron gate.
The iron gate was low enough for my horse to jump over. But was he in the mood? Not one bit. I rode him back some ways and then returned to see if he had changed his mind. No matter how hard I tried to cajole him, he refused to go over that gate. I was stuck in the woods.
Eventually, someone on the farm would figure out that I was missing, I surmised to myself. And they would, hopefully, come looking for me. But at the impatient age of 14, I finally decided there must be a better way I could get out of this quagmire myself.
Physical barriers. Pesky entities that make life inconvenient, slow us down, and sometimes stop us altogether.
But there are barriers even more challenging to overcome. Spiritual barriers.
Provoking entities that make life distressing, stop us in our spiritual growth, and sometimes destroy us altogether.
When facing a spiritual barrier, what can we do?
In Genesis 39, we see Joseph and the spiritual barrier in front of him, Potiphar’s wife. She is trying to entice him, entrap him, and endanger him into immorality.
First, discern the spiritual barrier. Identity the spiritual obstacle that is before you. This may seem obvious, but sometimes, the enemy confuses by making the spiritual obstacle seem like a good choice. Potiphar’s wife was offering pleasure, but not godly gain.
Joseph identified that what Potiphar’s wife was offering was not of God, or from God.
Knowing who His God was, Joseph wanted to honor His God. In response to the personal assault by Potiphar’s wife’s, Joseph’s answer is a simple, but very humble theological construct: “How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” (Genesis 39:9). Joseph took ownership of his relationship with God. He didn’t hesitate whether his purity was worth protecting. He didn’t haggle with a maybe or why not, no one would know, probability of getting caught. He just simply hung on to his faith.
Secondly, decide to fight or flee from the spiritual barrier. Sometimes, when we encounter a spiritual barrier, the best response is to leave as Joseph did. Sin is like quicksand. If we stand within its reach long enough, our feet will sink in to the point of no return.
“She kept putting pressure on Joseph, day after day, but he refused…and kept out of her way as much as possible.” (Genesis 39:10)
Joseph discerned the spiritual obstacle in the person of Potiphar’s wife. He decided staying away from her wiles and words was the best resolution to keep himself pure.
People can build us up in our walk with God or break us farther away from God. If there is something that is a spiritual barrier to your connection with God, step away and step beyond it. Lean towards God. Learn from Joseph. Discern and decide. Take action and turn away. Reassess the spiritual obstacle to protect your relationship with God.
The day that I was out riding with my horse and came upon that low iron gate? After some soulful consideration and sticky perspiration, I got down from my horse, walked over to the iron gate, and lifted it up. Then, I led the horse past the gate, and closed it behind me. Oh boy, did we go galloping after that.
Lift the latch. Remove the obstacle in front of you. Afterwards, close the gate and move forward. You’ve got a whole clearing of open space to run into. Leave behind the spiritual barrier. Land in freedom to pursue His Son Jesus Christ. Break away from the barrier blocking your way. Wildly. Freely. Boldly. Gallop onward. And run with the Real Truth.