Tag: Condition

Conditional Blessings

2 Chronicles 7:14

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” If the people who claim they are the children of God, would stop acting all high and mighty, sit their butts down somewhere, turn their bragging, boasting, and complaining into actual prayer to God, diligently strive to live holy, disconnect from all things contrary to holiness, then will God turn His attention to their situations, and forgive their sins, and release the blessings He had stored for them from the beginning (Ell’s translation).

Just A Touch

Luke 8:42-48

Have you ever struggled, dealing with a physical or mental condition for about a week or two? I can only imagine, whatever it was you dealt with brought only misery and headaches, while you prayed fervently for God to relieve you of your condition, and bring healing to your body, and peace to your mind. The moment your issue was fully removed, I’m apt to believe you felt a sense of joy, the likes of which you haven’t felt in a long time.  Now, take a moment to revisit that temporary condition, and imagine suffering with it for 12 years! Yeah, 12 looooooong years. This was the case with the woman in our text.

For 12 years, the Bible mentions this woman had an issue of blood, that could not be resolved by conventional means. After spending all her money on medical treatments with multiple physicians, the woman’s condition only grew worse! I can’t even begin to fathom how this woman felt, while going through a seemingly endless season of suffering. After placing all her trust in those who were trained to study and understand the human body, the woman’s faith in physicians had no doubt run out.

One day, the woman who had a suffered a physical ailment for over 4,000 days, heard about Jesus. The Scriptures aren’t descriptive on what she heard, or who she heard it from, but whatever she was told, was enough to move her to seek this Jesus.

Jesus had just returned from casting a legion of devils from a man on the other side of the sea, and was greeted by a great crowd of people, who were awaiting His return. As the crowd continued to swell around Jesus, the woman with the issue of blood arrived, then pressed her way through to get to Jesus. She said, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” That’s what you call faith in action. The woman had no other options to turn to, because everyone and everything she tried failed. But, the instant she touched the border of Jesus’ garment, the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

Twelve dreadful years of excruciating pain and suffering, was gone in an instant! Not only was the woman astonished, but the Son of God literally felt virtue leave His body, after the woman’s touch. It was the woman’s faith that made her whole, and Jesus was pleased to see another body and soul healed by the power of God.

While we may not have a similar condition as the woman in our lesson, we too struggle with other things that seem to weigh us down. The power of God is still relevant today, as it was during the time when Jesus walked the earth, but the key to overcoming our struggles is, placing all our faith, trust, and confidence in the power of God, knowing that He alone can deliver us, and free us from all that we may experience in our earthly bodies.

Bartimaeus healed by faith

Mark 10:46-52

If Jesus was here today, walking, teaching, healing, and proclaiming the goodness of God, how would this new generation receive Him? I strongly believe Christ would be rejected the same today, if not worse, than He was during the days of old. Technology has caused men to become lazy, and distracted from staying focused on the things of God, and people have turned away from following after righteousness, to clinging more to things of the world.

Jesus was all God, wrapped in human flesh, so everything He did was only to draw men unto Himself, in hopes of changing their hearts. Some followed and believed the message of Christ, others were healed by His power, while a large number opposed His message, because of selfish and wicked reasons. Despite being rejected by some, even those from His hometown, Jesus had no issue tending to the needs of those who came to Him, but He had moments where His attention was directed solely on certain individuals who exhibited unprecedented faith. For example, the woman who had a blood issue for twelve years, pressed her way through pain, shame, embarrassment, and crowds of people, just to touch the clothes Jesus wore, because her faith led her to believe, the healing power of Jesus could flow even through His garments. The centurion had enough faith to believe that Jesus could pray from a distance, and his servant would be healed. These are just a few examples of Bible characters who had enough faith to make Jesus marvel.

Our text introduces blind Bartimaeus, who heard Jesus was passing by, as he sat on the side of the road begging. It’s not hard to imagine how those who are destitute, and left to suffer, dream of miracles night and day, because most people pass by them often, seeing them holding “help me” signs, and asking for spare change. I often wish I could simply touch each one of them, and rid them of their sickness, disease, and poverty, but I do what I can to help some of them get through the day. Jesus heard the blind man cry loud to Him, then wondered who it was. After being shushed by those in the crowd (I HATE being shushed; I’m a grown man), Bartimaeus cried even louder lol. I love that guy. Never allow anyone to keep you from getting to Jesus, even of it annoys them. Trying to keep the man quiet while he reached out for a blessing proved that the people didn’t mind him being left in his condition. Once Jesus connects with your faith, there’s nothing anyone can do to sever that connection. Jesus called for the blind man, asked for his request, granted that request, then acknowledged that his faith was responsible for his healing.

I often express that faith is what moves God to act on our behalf, so it’s important to grasp this concept, and implement it in our daily lives, so that we can begin to enjoy the full benefits of being a child of the God of all creation.

Walk in love,

Ell