Forged by Fireનમૂનો

Sometimes the biggest barriers in our lives aren’t the obvious ones. They’re not the external obstacles we can point to, like finances, relationships, or health, but the hidden things lodged deep within us: fears, doubts, guilt, pride. They quietly shape our choices, our prayers, and our relationship with God in ways we may not even notice.

This is exactly what we see in the story of the rich young man in Mark 10:17-31. As the story goes, the rich man ran to Jesus, eager to learn how to collect the reward he thought he had earned. Outwardly, he seemed like the model believer. He even declared that he’d kept the commandments since his youth.

But Jesus looked deeper. He asked the man to give up his wealth, to spread it amongst the poor. He said that after completing that one task, the man would receive treasure in heaven. The rich man went away sad, unwilling to surrender his position of security and comfort. He didn’t understand why Jesus would ask such a thing of him because he didn’t understand the barrier his wealth posed. Wealth was the one thing the man valued more than surrendering fully to Jesus. Wealth ruled the rich man’s heart.

Maybe you’ve felt the same way about a different barrier. What is one thing you struggle to surrender, and what is keeping you from surrendering it? Maybe it’s something you’ve ignored, something you’ve justified, or something you didn’t even realize was affecting you. Maybe it’s anxiety that masks itself as ambition. Maybe it’s bitterness that hides beneath sarcasm. Maybe it’s a lack of trust that shows up as self-reliance. Whatever it is, ask God to search your heart today. Let Him transform you from the inside out.

God, thank you for always watching, and for knowing who, deep down, I really am. You see the parts of me I try to hide, even from myself. I ask You now to search my heart and bring to light anything that needs Your healing touch. Help me surrender those hidden places to You. Help me rest my heart and find peace in Your glory. Amen.