MEMORISE:
Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Micah 7:7
READ: Mark 2:1-12
1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 Why doth this man thus speak blas-phemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
MESSAGE
Brethren, it's one thing to look up to God and be in a hurry, it's another thing to look up to Him and patiently wait for response to your request at His appointed time. One clear lesson from today's memory verse is that looking up to God requires waiting patiently on Him. Speaking on this, the Holy Spirit says in Isaiah 28:16:
"Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."
In today's Bible text, we read about four faithful friends who took a paralytic man to Jesus for healing, but because of the huge crowd around the house where Jesus was, they could not reach Him. Inspired by faith, they looked up to see how they could get their friend to the presence of the Healer, but alas, there was a barrier: the roof. Spurred on by faith, they resolved to break this barrier in order to gain access to Jesus Christ, and when Jesus saw their faith and determination, He had no choice but to give them what they wanted. Let's take a looks at some of the many lessons embedded in this great story of faith. First and foremost, looking up is the first step to solving the the issues of life. Why? The Almighty God sits over and above all, and with Him there is no impossibility. Secondly, sin is a barrier that can block you from accessing the presence of the One with the ability to solve your problem (Isaiah 59:1-2). Just as the friends of the paralytic man had to remove the barrier of the roof before they could access Jesus, the barrier of sin in his life had to be removed also. That is why before any other thing, Jesus first said to him in Mark 2:5b:
"Son, thy sins be forgiven thee."
Thirdly, we learn that immediately the paralytic man's sins were forgiven, he received his healing. For a user of this devotional battling with one health challenge or the other, if you will remove the spiritual barrier of sin through genuine repentance and turn to Jesus Christ for healing, even before you finish reading today's study, you will sing a song of victory over that health challenge in Jesus' Name. There is this story of a man who was battling with a medical problem that had defied all treatments. In his search for a cure, the Lord revealed that his ailment was caused by his unforgiving stance against his son-in-law who had abused his only daughter. The day he repented and forgave his son-in-law was the day he was healed. Beloved, I encourage you to look up to Jesus today. Do not allow your present predicament bow your head down in despair. As you look up to Jesus, He will show Himself as the ever present Help, and you will sing a new song of victory in Jesus' Name.
ACTION POINT:
Forgive those who have hurt you in the past, and you will receive healing for your spirit, soul and body.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Samuel 23-24, Ezekiel 44:1-14
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 6: HAVE YOU BEEN TO JESUS FOR THE CLEANSING POW’R
1 Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Chorus:
Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
2 Are you walking daily by the Saviour’s side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
3 When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white!
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for His presence bright,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?
4 Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
O be washed in the blood of the Lamb.
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