Sometimes, we just get tired of doing the right thing.  We tell ourselves that we can’t help it.  We just get sick and tired of whatever, and we fail…

Have you, like me, ever been on the right path, doing the right thing, expecting a good result, when suddenly you hit a wall?   The wall is that thing that you just can’t seem to break through. Discouragement floods in because you’ve been doing all this good, but now you’ve hit a wall that is preventing you from moving forward.   Maybe your wall is resistance or lack of support from others to the very thing you believe God has called you to do. Maybe your wall is your flesh kicking in, making it incredibly hard for you to keep going in the will of God.   Maybe your wall is some life circumstance that has halted your plans.   We all face our walls, because God places walls in our lives to test and mature us.

Every test has a challenge.  

The enemy gets excited when we hit a wall because a wall is an opportunity for him to discourage us and try to confuse us.  

In the book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul is writing to the church in Galatia, which suffered a similar fate, hitting a wall.

Paul wrote to them, “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?” – Galatians 5:7

They’d been running a good race, but they hit a wall. Their doctrine hit a wall. Paul asked them, “Who cut in on you?”

Note that Paul asked “WHO cut in on you?”, and not “WHAT cut in on you?”   Paul knew that even with a bad circumstance, if you listen to God, and not the enemy, you can handle that bad circumstance with grace to continue on in the will of God.   Paul knew this grace first hand.

Thus I love what Paul writes to them and what God’s word says to us in Galatians 6:9-10.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

When we encounter a wall, we should ask God what to do re: it. For instance, we can either try to bust through it or we can ask God to remove it. Remember that the seemingly impenetrable or insurmountable wall is not much of an obstacle to God. If there’s a wall there, it’s only there because He’s allowed it to be there.   He can remove it immediately in the appointed time. Trust this. Also, remember that the wall is never permanent.   As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “It’s but a momentary light affliction.”

Here are 3 points I’d like to share with you from Galatians 6:9-10 that encourage us to KEEP DOING GOOD as we encounter our wall(s).

1. BE POSITIVELY INFLUENCED BY GOD.   The Greek word for “grow weary” is “ekkakeo”. It literally means “to be negatively influenced with the outcome of experiencing inner weariness.” When we hit that wall, we must remember to let God’s Word speak to us, so we can be positively influenced. I practice this by staying in my Bible every day, and by staying in step with the Spirit as much as I can. The enemy will try to discourage us when we hit that wall. If we’re doing good works, he will try to tell us to give up.   We must stay in the will of God and ask God for the grace to KEEP DOING GOOD.   We must trust God’s Word that if we keep doing good, we will reap in your appointed time, if we do not lose heart. In the ancient world, the Greek word “ekkluo” translated “lose heart” was used to describe the kind of fear and weariness a woman experiences during labor before delivery. Did you catch that? It’s not just weariness that we must be on guard against. We must also be on guard against fear.  Sometimes we fear the harvest. Perhaps we fear greatness and the blessing of God. Maybe it’s the unknown to us, and we fear the unknown. Whatever the case, when we hit the wall, our faith is tested. In that moment, the enemy wants to rob us of our faith and of the fulfillment of our destiny. He tries to tell us that our good works are wasted.   It is then that we must ask God for the grace to KEEP DOING GOOD, so we can receive our harvest.

2. PURSUE GOD’S GOOD WORKS. I’ve been guilty in the past of patting myself on the back and thinking to myself, “I may not have done this good that God wanted me to do, but at least I didn’t do that bad that God didn’t want me to do.” God never lets me get too far with those low standards. He’s calling us to abide in Him and do all the good He’s called us to do.   The Greek word for sin, hamartia, means “to miss the mark.” The mark is set by God, not us. God has high standards and good works prepared for us. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul writes “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Whether we are walking in good works or not, God has them laid up for us at every moment. When we hit the wall, and the enemy tries to discourage or confuse us, we must ask God for the grace to remain in Him and to walk in His good works. When we don’t know what good to do, we must be still, and quiet our soul, so we can hear from God.   Resting in God is quite the opposite of sitting idle. When we rest in God, and wait on Him, we are in fact doing good. We are exercising faith and trust, and waiting on Him to lead us. We must pursue God’s good works, and KEEP DOING GOOD.

3. PRACTICE GOD’S GOOD WORKS. Lastly, there are two types of good that Paul writes about in Galatians 6:9-10.   The first type of good is found in the phrase “Do not grow weary of doing good”.   The Greek word here for “good” is “kalon.” This word means: Attractively good; good that inspires (motivates) others to embrace what is lovely (beautiful).   It’s a good that is outwardly visible and motivates others.   It is good that others experience directly.   For instance, praying with someone or writing someone a note of encouragement. God is saying not to give up in these types of good works. The other type of good that Paul refers to is found in the phrase “So, then as you have opportunity, do good to everyone…” The Greek word for “good” here is “agathos.” It means: Intrinsically good, good in nature, good whether it be seen to be so or not. This is the good that you practice when no one is looking.   Whether our good is visible to others or not, God says to KEEP DOING GOOD.

This all sounds so easy in theory, doesn’t it?   I think we all can attest that we’ve failed a gazillion times in consistently doing good. Thank God for His mercy. So, if the standard is so high and reasonably unattainable, why bother?   After all, who likes to be a failure?   My pride would rather I FEEL good about myself.

I believe God is asking us the following: “Would you rather feel good about your low standards, reject Me, and miss your inheritance?  Or, would you rather suffer with Christ, be washed in His blood, and claim your inheritance?”

May we Live the Life (God has called us to live) and KEEP DOING GOOD.