I wrote this 2 years ago and came across it tonight, while facebooking a brother of mine, Happy Birthday! I wanted to share it with you and I pray it blesses you!
For months God was putting John 5 in my spirit, and for the longest time I just kept giving God excuses for not being able to send time with him, maybe these excuses sound familiar to you; “Lord I’m so tired, I’ve worked 13 hours and all I want to do is sleep, Lord I hope you understand”, or may be this one sounds familiar, “Lord I know you don’t speak to me, you speak to those around me, but I can’t possibly hear from you”, or maybe yours is a little different, but it’s still an excuse! Until I got sick of making excuses, like everyone else, I sat down and made my goals for the year, things I wanted to do better, and others that I wanted to embark upon, “A brand new me”. But this brand new me started with this one principle ….Getting closer to God and acting upon that obedience. Obedience my friends is the first true sacrifice, and your proven love for Christ. I know your saying, Sasha, just get to the point. Well I sat on my bed, I put on my worship music, and I said, ok God…let’s try this thing out, I can’t spend a whole hour, but let’s spend 30 mins, and in 30 mins show me what you got God. Friends, God is a rational and practical God. He knows you better that you know yourself, and the first step to real relationship is honesty, God has a sense of humor, and he wants you to be yourself in his presence, he said to come BOLDLY and that is exactly what I did. It wasn’t an audible conversation, it was one spoken from my heart. My friends, God will not always speak to you audibly, and if he does (she smiles) that’s simply a miracle, but he does promise to speak to your heart, through this bff called the Holy Spirit. “there’s voice if you listen”….
So I cracked open my bible with my mustard seed faith…to John 5:1-18
Jesus went to a special feast and stumbled upon the paralytic by the pool, amongst others, but there was something special about this man. He had a spirit of desperation, much like the woman with the issue of blood, that drew Jesus to him. Jesus Simply asked the man ONE question, “do you want to be healed?” The man at the pool, then started to tell Jesus his story, made lots of excuses, and told a story that Jesus already knew and I’m sure he didn’t care to hear it again, Jesus wanted to get straight to the point and needed no explanation. Jesus, I’m sure was thinking “I want to give this man a gift, did he not just hear what I said?” Jesus then told him to get up and walk. Can you imagine friends that this man didn’t even know who Jesus was, remember that Jesus didn’t state his name, position, or anointing. The man with mustard seed faith and desperation was OBEDIENT, he picked up his possessions and WALKED. After 38 years HE WALKED!....So I ask you, what has kept you lamed and bound for so long? Jesus has asked you quite often if you wanted to be healed. What excuses have you given, and will you be BOLD and OBEDIENT and just WALK?....Let’s look further into the story…not too soon after so the Pharisees come along with their hating selves to question the man and his healing. CLEARLY they have pure evidence that something miraculous has just taken place. They said to him “it’s the Sabbath, its unlawful for you to carry your mat on the Sabbath” (I laugh to myself)….ARE they absolutely kidding me, this man has been lame for 38 years and they want to tell him NOT to carry his mat? If you’re anything like me, your saying Chile please, there’s nothing or anything that’s going to stop me from walking in my blessing or annointing or the greatness that God has called me to be. My friends, what has God delivered you from that the enemy with his hating self is trying to take away from you? My friends don’t let him steal your JOY, BLESSING, or ANNOINTING!
Whether it is deliverance from sex, drugs, self esteem, cursing, doubt, or a relationship, whatever it is…don’t let him take it away from you! Later on Jesus finds the man, and said “see you are willing now, Stop sinning so that something worse won’t happen to you” Don’t turn back in your times of weakness to that sin. Allow the miracle and the blessing of the Holy Spirit to be your strength. Get some accountability partners to walk your walk with you. Stay in constant prayer and get into that place where you can climb in your fathers lap and let him love on you! Take it one day at a time and walk in “maintenance”, everyday will be a struggle, but I promise you friends that It’s not going to be easy, but it’s WORTH it!.... Jesus was confident no matter what the Pharisees tried to tell him about himself. He walked BOLDLY in his annointing. Like the man at the pool don’t make excuses. Listen for Jesus as he says to you, “do you want to be made well” respond with a yes, pick up your mat, shake the haters off and walk in your BLESSING!....and then live a life of maintenance, knowing that you are not alone, and don’t turn back, for it will be 7 times worse…God loves you way too much to see you fail.
So my friends allow this year to be a year of no excuses, in this year you win! Let the peace and JOY of the Lord dwell within you richly! Let him love on you! Do what you have never done before and GO BOLDLY to the throne, and allow God to invade your space. Be imperfectly you and be perfected by a PERFECT God. Happy New Year to you, and I’m excited to see all that God is going to do!, so start that business, go back to school, or heck, finish the school that you started, write a book, design clothes, lead praise and worship…whatever your gift or annointing is, PICK UP YOUR MAT my friend and WALK IN IT!.....again HAPPY not new you, but MAINTANED you!
