You want a deeper relationship with God, but there may be roadblocks holding you back... people, places or circumstances preventing the Light of Christ from entering your life.

• Attraction to sin is a roadblock. Sin is any thought, word or act that offends God and that is willingly and knowingly done. In certain moods of the soul, you want God; then, within 24 hours you want sin even more.

  Sin is attractive, since it is falsely seen as a good. To dismiss this attraction, ask the Holy Spirit to show you how sin makes you a slave; how it fills you with regrets; how it destroys the best in you; how it indirectly hurts those you love; but especially how it offends God and separates you from Him.
  
  Temptations and how to handle them
  
  

• Fear of missing what the world has to offer is a roadblock. You may be unwilling to give up worldly pleasures, but they often leave a bitter taste and many regrets.

• Lack of the self-discipline needed to keep you in God’s presence. Many people no longer go to church, say their prayers, or feel close to God. Their Christian experience is only a memory. It takes self-discipline to regularly pray, attend church, and avoid situations that lead to sin.
  
  

  Win with self-discipline
  
  

• It may be hard to confess your sins. And to ask for forgiveness can be even more difficult.
  
  The forgiveness of sins
  
  
• Fear of what other people would say. You may be afraid your friends will think that you are too religious. You may even fear losing some of your close friends. This is a serious roadblock when family and friends turn against you because of your belief in Jesus.

• Failure to follow Jesus because of intellectual difficulty is a roadblock. You may have real difficulty believing in a personal God. You may want to pick and choose commandments. Don’t use intellectual difficulty as an excuse to keep control of part of your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the wisdom and strength to work through your difficulties.

• Guilt and shame for things that you have done or for what has happened in your life. There will be no real peace and joy in your life until you trust in your Father’s forgiveness. If shame results from what others have done, then God knows it is not your fault. Whatever has happened, Jesus still loves you tremendously.

• Forgetfulness of Christ’s suffering and death on the cross to redeem us from sin is a roadblock. To understand the true nature of sin and the depth of Christ’s love for you, study the cross. Stop giving a luke-warm response to your Crucified Lord.