WHAT YOU BELIEVE…
“…healed because of your faith”
Two men – like you, like me,
Both in need – we are all in need of one thing or the other; and we all venture into diverse means in order to meet our needs.
For these two men, they chose to beg.
One was sick and poor; he had sores all over his body. He couldn’t afford to feed, so he begged in front of a very Rich man’s gate. His name was Lazarus. Lazarus begged in order to be able to feed. In spite of his pathetic situation, he had his faith; he had a relationship with God. But, did he know the many opportunities and possibilities that abounded towards him, and the great things God could do for him? One may begin to wonder. Or, is that how he was meant to be? I for one do not believe this. What I believe, is that God is more than able to do exceedingly more abundantly, far above all I can ever think of or imagine, and that God wishes above all that I be in health and prosper even as my soul prospers. Nevertheless, after a while, Lazarus died. And because he did not lose his faith, Angels came and carried his soul, the devil could not lay claim on his soul. The devil thought he could finish off a son of Abraham, a child of God. But he didn’t know that his soul was secured in the blood of Jesus.
The other man was blind, he couldn’t see. So he begged on the streets of Jericho. And, typical of people, he was renamed Blind Bartimaeus. This man did not want to remain a beggar all his life, he desired for more. So he kept his ears open; and in keeping his ears open, he heard stories about Jesus, about how Jesus could heal the sick and raise the dead and do so many awesome things. So when he heard that Jesus was passing through his community, he did not keep calm, he shouted “Jesus, son of David, have mercy upon me”. And he didn’t stop shouting until he was heard. Even though the people around shouted him down and told him to be quiet, that Jesus was not interested in someone like him, that he was just shouting for nothing and that Jesus would not hear him, he shouted even more loudly. And Jesus heard him, and called for him. Those same people turned around and were now happy for him, “…They called out to the blind man and said, “Don’t be afraid! Come on! He is calling for you”. And when Jesus asked him what he wanted, he replied, “I want to see”. Jesus told him, “You may go. Your eyes are healed because of your faith.” And his sight was restored immediately, and he followed Jesus. This blind man had faith, and because of his faith, he got his sight and became a follower of Jesus.
It does not matter who you are, where you are, or whatever you may be going through right now. Whether you are rich, poor, healthy or ill; it does not even matter what you know or don’t know. What matter most above all else in life, is your FAITH: What do you believe? Who do you believe in? Do you have Jesus? Because after it is all said and done, you will report back to your Maker – God.
Your faith and what you believed in, will determine the course of your life here on earth. It determines your mind set, and the quality of the kind of achievements you will attain in this life. The kinds of breakthroughs you will have in life and your response to successes and failures.
What you did with Jesus will determine how you will spend eternity.
Lazarus had his faith, but he didn’t maximize the potentials that abounded in his faith. Hence he remained a beggar and died a sick beggar. His eyes were on what a rich man could give him. Yet he was maltreated, and ignored. How I wish he changed the trajectory of his thinking? On the other hand, Blind Bartimaeus used his own faith to change the course of his destiny. He did not die a beggar. He used his knowledge to receive his healing, and to break the chains of begging upon his life, to become a follower of Jesus.
What are you doing with your FAITH? What is your FAITH doing for you?
