This article is inspired by people who want all the happiness, health, and wholeness in their lives, but yet they aren't willing to make that one life changing decision in order to get it. I'm trying to understand what it is they are waiting for. People tend to make all kinds of excuses for their decisions and to me, an excuse is something that will only hold you back. We hear so many different opinions, we listen to other peoples' advice based on their personal experinces and we hear negative feed back which keeps us sitting on the side lines and never allow us to get in the game. Jesus said He came to give us life to the fullest. He never intended for us to sit down and wait for someone else to do the job for us. If we want to get something done, we have to make up our own mind to do it, and then our heavenly Father can take us by the hand and provide us with all the things we only wish we had. I am writing this from personal experience. While I was in the world, I sought happiness but couldn't find it in terms of fulfillment. I was still empty. This high expectation of fleeting happiness turned into negativity and that turned into defeat. I expected happiness to come from the outside, through other people, places and things. But, this only set me up for bigger let downs. True happiness, health and wholeness must come from within, through a personal relationship with Christ. Anything else is superficial and it just won't last. But Christ is forever, His promises are real and His Truth will never fail us. Once we make up our own mind to receive Him, our waiting period is over. The Bible is full of examples that show us how people are defeated through wrong thinking and motives. People were the same back then as they are today. That's why God's Word will never go out of style. God will not leave us hanging, He always gives the answer so we may overcome defeat when the devil comes to keep us in the dark. The example I want to use is found in John chapter 5. It describes the place where all the sick people gathered. When we expose ourselves to people that don't edify us, we will never strive to survive either. We must choose our friends carefully. If we expose ourselves to negative, sick people, we will be negative and sick also. But if we fix ourselves on positive people, our own outlook will be raised up to another level. So all these sick people were gathered together in one place, trying to out do the other people in seeing who could get into the pool first in order to be healed. In other words, they waited on someone else or something else to make them better. In this case it was the angel of the Lord. In between the appointed time that the angel of the Lord would stir up the water in the pool, they would not prepare themselves for their own healing. There are those today who are in need of healing, but are waiting for someone or something to give it to them without preparing first. Everyone needs to be ready. "There was a certain man there who had suffered with a deep-seated and lingering disorder for thirty eight years." Jn. 5:5 (Amplified) I know people who have been suffering a long time with the disorder of remaining unsaved. Without Christ, we will have deep-seated and lingering illnesses in our lives as well. But they prefer to sit on the side lines and wait for a miracle. They want to be convinced by an outside source. Healing begins from within. It's something that only you can decide for yourself. When Christ saw this man in his helpless condition He stopped and said, "DO YOU WANT TO BECOME WELL?" (vs.6) In other words, Christ confronted this man with an honest question. He will ask you the same thing too. "Do you want to get well?" It's not a difficult question. But, here's what the man answered. Could he have been making excuses? Remember, excuses will only hold you back. "The invalid answered, Sir, I have nobody when the water is moving to put me into the pool; but while I am trying to come (into it) myself, somebody else steps down ahead of me." Jn. 5:7 (Amplified) Had this man prepared himself before hand to be ready to simply roll into the pool, he would've been healed a long time ago. Do you know anyone who keeps waiting in the background and won't step forward to help themselves? No matter how much they hear about the saving grace of God and what they need to do to receive it, they will still wait because of false opinions or advise from other sick people. Christ has compassion but He showed this man "tough love." Sometimes we need a forceful shove in the right direction. We need to realize that there is no better time than now. "Jesus said to him, GET UP! PICK UP YOUR BED AND WALK!" Jn. 5:8 (Amplified) Once the man was given an order, not an option, he was made to realize that this was something he had to do for himself. Without Christ to be the One to have the faith and confidence, this man would never have been healed. When we choose other Christian believers to associate with, they will challenge us to come closer to Christ as well. When we have people who believe in us, we too will realize our potential. We don't have to remain on the sidelines anymore. We just have to get up and walk! So what are you waiting for? Don't just sit there. He knows how we hate to wait for things. When we listen to Him, things will begin to change immediately. He won't make us wait. The invalid found this out and realized he had wasted 38 years of his life...just waiting. "Instantly the man became well and recovered his strength and picked up his bed and walked. But that happened on a Sabbath." Jn. 5:9 (Amplified) Jesus will instantly heal you too, He will give you strength to keep walking in truth. You will learn to listen to His voice and will no longer listen to negative people. But this man's healing led to a problem. Unfortuneatly, once we become healed, Satan will move right in and want to cause us problems. The Pharisees heard about this and immediately wanted to have Jesus killed. There are those who will not be happy about your walk with Christ. But this should not deter you one minute longer from coming to Christ. As I said in the beginning of this article, Jesus is true to His promises. "Just as the Father raises up the dead and gives them life [makes them live on], even so the Son also gives life to whomever He wills and is pleased to give it." Jn. 5:21 (Amplified) It's God's desire that all come to Christ in order to be well. One of the divine attributes of God is His Spirit of giving. He is so pleased when someone who has been sitting by the pool decides to pick up his bed and walk, His angels in heaven rejoice over them. If this person is you, what are waiting for? Get up and walk! When you receive Christ, God's work in you has just begun. |
