Practical Help for Getting Unstuck: What to Do When You Cannot Move Forward

God’s agenda is clear throughout Scripture: He wants every believer to bear much fruit. Not a little. Not a modest amount. Much. “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8). He is jealous for His glory, and He will not leave us stuck in unfruitfulness. But we must cooperate with His process.

Over decades of ministry, Dann Spader has identified practical help for each of the three barriers that keep believers from moving forward in the disciple-making journey. These are not formulas. They are spiritual disciplines practiced in the power of the Holy Spirit.

When the Barrier Is Sin

The first barrier keeps people from moving from Chair 1 (the lost) to Chair 2 (the believer). It is the barrier of unconfessed sin. The Father “lifts up” every fallen branch - the Greek word airo means to raise, not to destroy. He does not discard. He restores. But restoration requires cooperation.

The first practical step is to confess immediately. Do not let sin accumulate. The moment the Holy Spirit brings conviction, deal with it. First John 1:9 is one of the most practical promises in the Bible: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Notice the word “if.” Forgiveness is available, but it requires the action of confession.

Spader notes that Christians in Romania call each other “Repenters” as a term of identity and affection. The Christian life is not about achieving sinless perfection. It is about developing the habit of quick, honest repentance. A repenter is not someone who never falls. A repenter is someone who gets back up quickly every time.

When the Barrier Is Pruning

The second barrier keeps people from moving from Chair 2 (the believer) to Chair 3 (the worker). It is the barrier of pruning - God removing good things to make room for better things.

The first practical step is to expect it. John 15:2 says the Father prunes “every branch” that bears fruit. Not some branches. Every branch. If you are bearing fruit, pruning is not a possibility. It is a certainty. Expecting it does not make it painless, but it prevents surprise.

The second step is to guard against bitterness. Hebrews 12:15 warns, “See to it that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Bitterness is the number one destroyer of disciples. When God removes something good from your life - a ministry, a relationship, a position, a plan - the natural response is resentment. The supernatural response is trust. Bitterness grows silently underground like a root. By the time it surfaces, it has already damaged the soil for everyone around you.

The third step is to remember what is being removed. God removes good things to make room for better things. The horticulturist at the Biltmore vineyard explained that a branch with ten to twelve buds must be cut back to two or three. The buds removed were not diseased. They were good. But the gardener knew that fewer buds meant richer fruit. When God prunes your life, He is not punishing you. He is concentrating your potential.

The fourth step is to not shrink back. Hebrews 10:35 says, “Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.” Lean into the tough season with faith. Do not pull away from God when He is drawing close.

When the Barrier Is Satisfaction

The third and subtlest barrier keeps people from moving from Chair 3 (the worker) to Chair 4 (the disciple-maker). It is the barrier of satisfaction - being content with “more fruit” when God wants “much fruit.”

The first practical step is to abide. The Greek word meno appears eight times in John 15. It means to make your home, to dwell permanently. Not visiting God on Sundays. Living with Him. Psalm 91:1: “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Abiding is not passivity. It is the deepest kind of activism - staying so connected to Christ that His life flows through you naturally.

The second step is to strenuously contend in His energy. Colossians 1:29 shows the balance: “I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” Effort and dependence. Striving and resting. The branch works, but the power comes from the vine.

The third step is to never settle for “more fruit.” A church-planter in a remote Javanese village may lead a faithful little group of believers. Bible studies are happening. People are growing. But if none of them are reproducing - if none of them are making disciples who make disciples - the church-planter has settled for “more fruit” when God wants “much fruit.” Satisfaction with good ministry is the enemy of multiplied ministry.

The fourth step is to inspect your fruit. Character (Galatians 5:22-23), conduct (Philippians 1:11), and converts (Romans 1:13). Are you seeing all three? If not, something is blocking the flow between the vine and the branch.

Do Not Settle

A fruit tree that produces a little fruit each year can be satisfying. The owner might think, “At least it is producing.” But the gardener knows the tree could produce so much more with proper care and pruning. The same is true for every disciple-making ministry. Do not settle for faithful but unfruitful. Keep pressing. Keep abiding. Keep cooperating with the Gardener who is working to bring you to much fruit.