Overcoming Hindrances to Spiritual Growth: 11 Obstacles
I sit beneath a salmon sunset and tell God I want to go deeper with him. A certain pattern of behavior comes to mind, but I dismiss it quickly. I want to grow in my faith, but I’m not willing to let go of the habits holding me back. Most of us face times when we need help overcoming hindrances to spiritual growth.
Maybe you can relate. You know how it feels to ask God what he wants you to surrender into his hands, only to butt up against a bad habit you don’t really want to release just yet.
I sit with my desires as the coral-streaked sky fades to inky black night. Ultimately, when it’s time to return home and live out the faith I claim I desire, I feel stagnant and stuck.
Overcoming Hindrances to Spiritual Growth
Some of us ignore God’s quiet whispers for years and stay on our comfortable plateaus. Our lives feel under control. Meanwhile, we’re keeping ourselves from growing in faith.
We hold onto our bad habits, self-soothing mechanisms, and escapist behaviors. We want deeper faith, but we want it on our terms.
All the while, the idols in our hands are stopping us from experiencing the fulfillment we crave. We’re overlooking an important truth: The deeper you go with Jesus, the less you can carry with you.
The deeper you go with Jesus, the less you can carry with you. #DeepFaith #FollowingJesus #Surrender Share on XI eventually turned away from the habits I held onto in that hayfield, but there’s always more to release. Today, we’ll explore the idea of overcoming hindrances to spiritual growth by letting go of 11 stumbling blocks.
Let’s dive in.
Overcoming Hindrances to Spiritual Growth: 11 Obstacles
Obstacle #1: Self-preservation
Self-preservation leads us to protect ourselves from harm. We make sure we don’t get burned by others. We watch our backs and compete with others. Self-preservation leads us to defend ourselves at all costs.
I cling to self-preservation when I need to be right and when I put up facades to avoid looking foolish.
Self-preservation stops us from being vulnerable with others and even with God.
Meanwhile, Christ calls us to live broken and to offer the world our true selves. Self-preservation blocks the pathway to intimacy with Christ.
Obstacle #2: Unhealthy or excessive self-soothing behaviors.
At the end of a long day, it’s tempting to turn to what will satisfy for a moment but leave a soul ultimately empty.
Whether it’s turning to comfort eating, one extra glass of wine, excessive entertainment, unhealthy social media consumption, or some other unwholesome vice, most of us are tempted to escape into something other than the arms of the Lord.
These behaviors hinder us from going deeper with Jesus.
When we turn away from him in our moments of need, we miss the opportunity to encounter him as our all-sufficient source of comfort. (Join me right here for tips on how to turn to God for comfort instead of turning to food.)
Obstacle #3: Self-sufficiency
Our culture teaches us to become strong, assertive, and self-sufficient.
We learn to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and hide our weaknesses.
Unfortunately, this self-sufficiency often hinders us from encountering the God whose power is made perfect in our weakness. It stops us from living lives of dependence upon our Father. It blocks us from encountering him experientially as we learn to lean into him to do what we cannot do alone.
Do you really want to learn how to grow in faith?
Ask God to help you embrace weakness so that his power might be made perfect in your life.
Obstacle #4: The desire for control
When I share my issues with releasing control to God, the wise older women in my life often smile. They tell me the sooner I realize I don’t have control, the sooner I’ll find the freedom to walk in authentic communion with Christ.
The more we try to control our loved ones, the interruptions in our lives, and the thousands of minute details of our lives, the less receptive we are for the hand of God to reach down and orchestrate the details.
Obstacle #5: Self-focus
The ways we present ourselves matter.
We are the representation of Christ.
However, when the desire to honor Christ in the details of our lives becomes focused on outward appearances more than the heart, self-image often becomes an idol.
We cannot go deeper with Jesus while glancing over our shoulders to see who is watching and what they are thinking.
Obstacle #6: Unforgiveness
Scripture makes it clear that when we refuse to forgive others, God will not forgive us.
These words draw a hard line. If we want to walk in a healthy relationship with God, we must extend forgiveness to others.
Obstacle #7: Bitterness and resentment
When left unchecked, unforgiveness turns to resentment and bitterness. A bitter root will poison our hearts, hardening our hearts as we turn away from God.
Bitterness always hinders spiritual growth.
Obstacle #8: Offense toward God
We take offense toward God when we blame him for life’s troubles.
Jesus declared that those who are not offended by him are blessed.
Are you offended with God or angry with him because you’ve been blaming him for a setback or loss? Talk to him about this today. Ask him to help you release the spirit of offense.
Obstacle #9: Unconfessed sin
When we harbor sin in our hearts and lives, God does not hear our prayers.
Make it a habit to regularly confess your sins to God. Ask him to change your heart and lead you to repentance.
Obstacle #10: Resistance to God’s Word
The Bible is God’s primary vessel for renewing our minds. We cannot grow in faith apart from Scripture.
If you resist God’s Word, regardless of the reason, you will hinder your spiritual growth.
God will help you grow in him as you read, study, meditate on, and memorize his Word.
Obstacle #11: Isolation from other believers
We grow and heal together, not in isolation.
If you don’t have Christian friends who encourage you and challenge you, your spiritual growth will be hindered.
Ask God to lead you to some friends who love him, and he will answer this prayer.
Read here to learn about overcoming hindrances to spiritual growth and discover 11 common stumbling blocks. Share on X~~~
This discussion on overcoming hindrances to spiritual growth blessed you, I invite you to explore our devotionals and free library of eBooks below. Apply these insights to your life and begin growing with God!
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Connect With God
God is a good Father, and he wants us to experience his healing, deliverance, and replenishment. Most of us have learned that we cannot heal, deliver, or refresh ourselves; we need God to do this work within us. I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here! 
