What's the number one thing holding Christians back from their calling?
"We are paralyzed by skewed thinking," Rodriguez says. "The number one thing that paralyzes us is an erroneous application of scripture that becomes an ill interpretation of God's will for our lives."
He points to the story of the paralytic man in the New Testament. The man sat by the pool waiting for someone else to help him into the healing waters. But year after year, he never made it in.
"When we depend on others more than we depend on God, perpetual paralysis will define us," Rodriguez explains.
Too many believers spend their lives waiting for the right circumstances, the right connections, or the right moment. They convince themselves that God's timing hasn't arrived yet. But Rodriguez argues that this mindset is often a spiritual trap, not a scriptural truth.
How do you know if you're stuck in spiritual paralysis?
Look at your excuses.
The paralytic man had a long list of reasons why he couldn't get into the pool. He blamed his circumstances. He blamed other people. He never questioned whether he was looking in the wrong direction.
"Complacency today is captivity tomorrow," Rodriguez warns.
If you find yourself constantly explaining why you can't move forward, you may be trapped in the same pattern. Spiritual paralysis doesn't always look like despair. Sometimes it looks like patience. Sometimes it looks like wisdom. But underneath, it's fear dressed up in religious language.
Rodriguez describes this as depending on people more than on God. You wait for permission. You wait for validation. You wait for someone to hand you what God has already offered.
What's the difference between biblical patience and spiritual paralysis?
Biblical patience involves active trust. You're moving, praying, obeying, and watching for God's direction. Spiritual paralysis involves passive waiting. You're standing still and calling it faith.
"The battle is not political, it is spiritual—between light and darkness, between truth and relativism," Rodriguez says.
This battle plays out in the mind first. The enemy doesn't need to stop you with external opposition if he can convince you to stop yourself with internal doubt.
Rodriguez also challenges the idea that Christianity should avoid hard truths in the name of tolerance. "My argument all along has been that Christianity has received a very inappropriate, skewed definition," he explains. "I'm looking at the Christianity of Christ, one that addresses Luke 4 and Matthew 25, the fishes and the bread of compassion, of love, of tolerance, of mercy."
True Christianity, he argues, holds both compassion and conviction. It doesn't paralyze itself by choosing only one side of the cross.
What does it take to break free from spiritual paralysis?
An encounter with Jesus.
In the story Rodriguez references, the paralytic man's breakthrough didn't come from better circumstances. It came when Jesus walked up and asked him a direct question: "Do you want to be healed?"
That question exposes everything. Because if you really want to be healed, you'll stop blaming the pool, the people, and the timing. You'll respond to the person standing in front of you offering freedom.
"Jesus is not coming for a church that complains or compromises, but for a church that is firm," Rodriguez says.
Firmness requires ending the cycle of excuses. It requires taking the next step even when you don't see the full staircase.
Rodriguez has advised three U.S. Presidents and leads the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, which represents tens of thousands of churches worldwide. His influence didn't come from waiting for a perfect moment. It came from responding to God's call in imperfect circumstances.
How do you stay firm without becoming rigid?
"We do not lean to the left or to the right, we remain firm in the Word of God," Rodriguez says.
Firmness is not the same as stubbornness. Firmness is anchored in truth. It allows you to navigate cultural pressures without losing your foundation.
Rodriguez's message challenges both political extremes. He refuses to let the church be defined by partisan identity. Instead, he calls believers back to a biblical center that holds justice and righteousness together.
This kind of firmness doesn't make you popular. It makes you purposeful.
What's the first step out of paralysis?
Stop waiting for someone else to move you into position.
Rodriguez's message in his book "You Are Next" is simple: your turn has come. You don't need to wait for permission, for perfect conditions, or for someone to notice you.
"Above all, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is committed to one mission: to glorify and magnify the name of Jesus in every sphere of society—giving God all the glory for his influence and impact."
That mission doesn't start when life gets easier. It starts when you decide to get up.
The paralytic man had been waiting for 38 years. Then Jesus showed up, and everything changed in a moment. Not because the pool finally worked, but because the man stopped depending on the pool.
Your miracle isn't on the other side of better circumstances. It's on the other side of obedience.
If you do nothing else
Here are seven actions you can take today to break free from spiritual paralysis:
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Ask yourself the question Jesus asked the paralytic: "Do you want to be healed?" Answer honestly.
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Write down one excuse you've been repeating and confess it as fear, not wisdom.
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Identify one step of obedience you've been avoiding and take it this week.
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Stop waiting for someone else to validate your calling. Move forward with what God has already told you.
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Read Luke 4 and Matthew 25. Ask God to show you where compassion and truth intersect in your life.
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Evaluate whether you're depending more on people or on God. Adjust accordingly.
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Pray for firmness. Ask God to anchor you in His Word so you can navigate cultural pressure without compromise.
Share this Q&A with someone who has been stuck in the same place for too long. They need to hear that their turn has come.
About Samuel Rodriguez
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is Lead Pastor of New Season Church in Sacramento, California, and president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the world's largest Hispanic Christian organization representing tens of thousands of churches worldwide. He has advised three U.S. Presidents and made history as the first Latino to participate in multiple presidential inauguration ceremonies. In 2017, he read from Matthew 5 during President Trump's inauguration at the U.S. Capitol, concluding in the name of Jesus. Rodriguez is a bestselling author and executive producer of films including Breakthrough and Flamin' Hot. He has received the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award, the Rosa Parks Courage Award, and the Jerusalem Award from Friends of Zion Museum.
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