Don't Fall Away or Stumble

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Southeast Christian Church

Oct 12, 2020

Although Jesus is talking to his disciples in his final discourse recorded in John 14-17, much of what he says applies to all of his followers. So, although we can’t read the Bible to find out what is coming through the doors in our own lives, we can read about Jesus’s promise that obstacles will litter our path and threaten to make us stumble.

We stumble when an obstacle is in our path that we weren’t expecting. In the same way, we stumble in our relationships with Jesus when we come to an obstacle that we weren’t expecting. Jesus warns his disciples to be ready so that they aren’t surprised when obstacles come, and he is warning us to be ready as well.

From the moment we become followers of Jesus, we are marked with a target on our backs for the schemes of the enemy. He will do whatever it takes to make us fall away. He also knows that what will make one person fall away is different than what will make another fall away. He is careful to place the right obstacle at the right time in order to make you stumble. Most people fall away from their faith when following Jesus isn’t what they expected it to be, but if we listen to Jesus’s warning and we expect obstacles to come, then we can be ready to meet them when they do.

Reflection/Discussion Question: How can you be ready for obstacles in your path when it comes to following Jesus?

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