Obstacles don’t announce themselves politely or arrive one at a time. They pile up when you’re already exhausted, show up right when momentum was building, and often feel specifically designed to break you. The job rejection arrives the same week your car dies. The health diagnosis comes when finances are already tight. The relationship implodes right when you thought things were finally stable. You start wondering if you’re cursed or just cosmically unlucky.
Fighting through one challenge is manageable. But when obstacles keep coming, when you clear one hurdle only to face three more, the exhaustion becomes spiritual. You’re not just tired physically. You’re tired of hoping things will get easier, tired of being strong, tired of the gap between the breakthrough you’re praying for and the breakdown you’re experiencing. The Bible verses about faith and perseverance start feeling like empty promises rather than actual help.
Yet Scripture is full of people who faced impossible situations and somehow made it through. Not because they were stronger or had more faith, but because God met them in the middle of their mess. These verses won’t remove your obstacles, but they offer something you need more: perspective that outlasts your circumstances and strength that shows up when yours is gone.
Bible Verses About Overcoming Obstacles
1. Philippians 4:13 – I Can Do All Things Through Christ
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
New King James Version (NKJV)
2. Romans 8:37 – More Than Conquerors
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
New International Version (NIV)
3. Isaiah 41:10 – Do Not Fear, for I Am with You
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
New International Version (NIV)
4. 1 Corinthians 10:13 – God Will Provide a Way Out
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
New International Version (NIV)
5. James 1:2-4 – Consider It Pure Joy
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
New International Version (NIV)
6. Romans 8:28 – All Things Work Together for Good
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
English Standard Version (ESV)
7. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 – Hard Pressed but Not Crushed
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
New International Version (NIV)
8. Psalm 18:29 – I Can Leap Over a Wall
For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall.
New King James Version (NKJV)
9. Matthew 19:26 – With God All Things Are Possible
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
10. Joshua 1:9 – Be Strong and Courageous
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
New International Version (NIV)
11. Psalm 46:1-2 – God Is Our Refuge
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.
New International Version (NIV)
12. Hebrews 12:1-2 – Run with Perseverance
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.
New International Version (NIV)
13. Deuteronomy 31:6 – The Lord Goes with You
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
New International Version (NIV)
14. 2 Corinthians 12:9 – My Grace Is Sufficient
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
New International Version (NIV)
15. Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
English Standard Version (ESV)
16. Psalm 121:1-2 – My Help Comes from the Lord
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
New International Version (NIV)
17. Isaiah 43:2 – When You Pass Through the Waters
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
New International Version (NIV)
18. Romans 5:3-5 – Suffering Produces Perseverance
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
New International Version (NIV)
19. Psalm 27:1 – The Lord Is My Light
The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
New International Version (NIV)
20. 1 Peter 5:10 – After You Have Suffered
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
New International Version (NIV)
21. Nehemiah 4:14 – Fight for Your Families
After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
New International Version (NIV)
22. Psalm 34:19 – The Righteous Face Many Troubles
The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
New International Version (NIV)
23. 2 Timothy 1:7 – God Has Not Given Us a Spirit of Fear
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
New International Version (NIV)
24. Matthew 17:20 – Faith Like a Mustard Seed
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
New International Version (NIV)
25. Psalm 37:23-24 – Though He May Stumble
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
New International Version (NIV)
26. 2 Chronicles 20:15 – The Battle Is Not Yours
He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
New International Version (NIV)
27. John 16:33 – I Have Overcome the World
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
New International Version (NIV)
28. Psalm 23:4 – I Will Fear No Evil
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
New International Version (NIV)
29. Galatians 6:9 – Don’t Grow Weary
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
New International Version (NIV)
30. Isaiah 40:31 – Those Who Hope in the Lord
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
New International Version (NIV)
31. Psalm 55:22 – Cast Your Cares on the Lord
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
New International Version (NIV)
32. 1 John 4:4 – Greater Is He Who Is in You
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
New International Version (NIV)
33. Philippians 1:6 – He Will Carry It to Completion
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
New International Version (NIV)
34. Jeremiah 29:11 – Plans to Give You Hope
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
New International Version (NIV)
35. Romans 12:21 – Overcome Evil with Good
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
New International Version (NIV)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Overcoming Obstacles
Every major biblical figure faced obstacles that would have been legitimate reasons to quit. Moses had a speech impediment and led a nation of complainers through the desert for forty years. David spent years running from a jealous king before becoming one himself. Paul got shipwrecked, beaten, imprisoned, and betrayed by people he trusted. None of them had easy paths, and Scripture doesn’t pretend their faith made the difficulties disappear.
The difference wasn’t that they avoided obstacles but that they kept moving through them. They didn’t wait until circumstances improved to trust God. They trusted God while circumstances were still terrible. That’s the pattern Scripture reveals again and again: faith that perseveres not because the situation has resolved but because God is present in the situation. The Red Sea parts, but only after you start walking toward it.
Obstacles also expose what you’re really trusting. When life is smooth, it’s easy to believe you have faith. When everything falls apart, you discover whether your security is in God or in your circumstances. The testing isn’t punishment but refinement. What feels like it’s breaking you is actually revealing what you’re made of and rebuilding you stronger on the other side.
Say This Prayer
God, I’m facing obstacles that feel bigger than my ability to overcome them. I’ve tried to stay positive, tried to have faith, tried to keep pushing forward, but honestly, I’m exhausted. The challenges keep coming, and I’m running out of strength to fight them. I need You to do what I can’t.
Help me to see these obstacles through Your perspective instead of being overwhelmed by my limited view. When everything in me wants to quit, give me the endurance to take one more step. Remind me that Your strength is made perfect in my weakness, that I don’t have to be strong enough on my own because You’re strong enough for both of us.
I don’t understand why this is so hard or why the breakthrough hasn’t come yet. Teach me to trust You in the middle of uncertainty rather than waiting until everything makes sense. Use these obstacles to build something in me that couldn’t develop any other way. Help me to remember that You’ve never failed anyone who put their trust in You.
Fight for me when I can’t fight for myself. Make a way where there seems to be no way.
In Jesus’ victorious name, Amen.
Evang. Anabelle Thompson is the founder of Believers Refuge, a Scripture-based resource that helps Christians to find biblical guidance for life’s challenges.
With over 15 years of ministry experience and a decade of dedicated Bible study, she creates content that connects believers with relevant Scripture for their daily struggles.
Her work has reached over 76,000 monthly readers (which is projected to reach 100,000 readers by the end of 2025) seeking practical faith applications, biblical encouragement, and spiritual guidance rooted in God’s Word.
She writes from personal experience, having walked through seasons of waiting, breakthrough, and spiritual growth that inform her teaching.
Evang. Thompson brings 12 years of active ministry and evangelism experience, along with over 10 years of systematic Bible study and theological research.
As a former small group leader and Sunday school teacher, she has published over 200 biblical resources and devotional studies.
She specializes in applying Scripture to everyday life challenges and regularly studies the original Hebrew and Greek texts for a deeper biblical understanding.