A few days ago I was reading John chapter 5 as part of my daily reading for a Discipleship Group that I am a part of. As I was reading, some of the red lettered words of Jesus just seem to jump off the page at me and they have continued to repeatedly come alive in my thoughts ever since that day. Each time I read and consider Jesus’ Words that He spoke so long ago, I am given a fuller picture of just how I can learn from and view His instructions for my life today. Then during some PRAYER time today I sensed Holy Spirit pushing me to blog about these thoughts; this is usually a prompting that means that someone else can benefit as well from this revelation. The verses are; as I mentioned, from John chapter 5 where John tells us about a man that had been lame for 38 years and was waiting by a healing pool for a chance to be healed but others had kept going before him.

^6″ When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” ⁷ “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” ⁸ Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” ⁹ Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, ¹⁰ so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!” ¹¹ But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” ¹² “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. ¹³ The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. ¹⁴ But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” ¹⁵ Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.”

“Would you like to get well?” This question may seem odd but not if you truly consider it. We have been walking around for years or decades carrying the same baggage, pain, ‘chip on our shoulder;’ you name it, and wonder why we aren’t getting any better physically, emotionally or spiritually. Do we REALLY want to get well or do we want someone else to magically take away those things from our lives that helped us be the way we are today; or do we just want to hold on to those things so we have an excuse for why we are the way we are?

“Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” This verse has stimulated the most thought for me. To me, there are three distinctive parts to the statement by Jesus. Stand up. This takes thought, a direct and motivated action of the will. We can’t sit by and expect anyone else to do what God has created each of us to do. We have to purposefully choose to take action. Pick up your mat. Whatever is our baggage, pain, chip; whatever it is, we have to take control of it instead of it controlling us. We don’t need to have Jesus supernaturally take all our hurts, pains and baggage from us; God allowed us to walk through those things so that we can help others who are walking that journey right now and can use some support and encouragement. We can choose to pick up the ‘stuff’ and use it to bring glory to God and help to those who desperately need it or we can let it continue to be the thing that stops us from the life that Jesus died on the Cross to make us free from. Walk. Choosing to ‘stand up’ and taking hold of the ‘stuff’ from our lives will result in nothing if we don’t MOVE FORWARD with it. I am still seeking God for what this looks like for me; however, I know that because I am willing to stand up and grab those things that have; for years brought me to paralysis, and hand them all over to my Saviour, He will guide me how to use it all for His glory and my good.

” Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” Contemplating this verse during a Prayer time, led me to Isaiah 40:31 ” But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Trusting in and relying on God will give us the strength and all that we need to get well and stay well. I know that sometimes our complete healing does not happen and totally understand that sometimes it seems that no matter how hard we PRAY God is not ‘coming through as we think He will’; however, I do know that God is faithful and sometimes healing looks differently than we imagine so that God’s glory is revealed. Our charge is to just be obedient and trust that the God of the universe; that created all things, can handle what we have going on in our lives. If we choose to trust God and love on Him, He will strengthen us so that we can soar as the eagles; if we choose to go back to or continue in our sin even after we know the Truth of Jesus, we will suffer greater pains and not life our lives with the strength and assurance that is possible through the power of Holy Spirit in our lives.

I love how God’s Word can come so alive when we focus on Him. I PRAY that you are motivated today by the love and redemptive power of our Lord Jesus and feel the showers of Blessings that I am PRAYING over you.