Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.
Memory Verse: Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me, John 15:4.
How do you feel today? Have you constantly tried and are tired or trying? Have you done everything to get to that place the whole world usually refers to as the promised land, Cannan, flowing with milk and honey yet you don’t seem to have made much improvement with your life since arrival?
Most times many people don’t have enough understanding to know that what’s good may not be good for them, so they simply follow the crowd making assumptions that their identity to a place or country is enough to give them the fulfilment in life. The life of Joseph ended in Egypt, and we know this because the bible tells us that Joseph became The Prime Minister of Egypt and Pharaoh put him in-charge of the entire land. Everything that needed doing then in Egypt must obtain Joseph’s approval, he was like a king’s seal. He lived in Egypt for the best part of his life, spending a 110years on earth and was privileged to see his children’s children until the third generation, Genesis 50:22-26.
This was the same Egypt where the Israelites were stuck, enslaved, tortured and suffered until they were delivered by Moses. Bearing in mind that Moses was born after the death of Joseph, this means that so many Israelites wasted away at Egypt until God was done grooming Moses for their deliverance but until then, majority of those who lived in Egypt were slaves without any real fulfilment in life.
Human beings are mostly moved by the crowd. We hear the sound of noise and automatically move in the direction where others are headed without really taking time to understand the reason for the noise. Most will say if you can’t beat them then you join them, and this is why we get stuck. We follow majority to make decisions that should only be made by ourselves with the help of the holy spirit.
The man at the pool of Bethesda was there because most sick people were there waiting for the water to move. He assumed his healing will happen just like everyone else at the pool of Bethesda, but God had a different plan for his life.
While the bible did not say how long he had been going there, what we know is that he had that infirmity for thirty years and though he was positioned at a supposed healing point, he was just stuck there. He could not be the first to get there as he told Jesus someone else always got in before him. This mean he saw many people healed but his life was not moving in any direction. That changed when Jesus spoke into his life, he didn’t need the pool, his healing was not in the pool, his healing was from a “word”.
If your life’s decisions are always made generically then there may be nothing extraordinarily that could be achieved. God is very intentional about His children; He makes unique decisions and only those who know their God will be able to do exploit. Knowing God is understanding that without Him, even if you think you are rightly positioned, things may not be achieved until you are positioned by God and for God.
Joseph was in Egypt and that was his land of fulfilment but for the rest of the people of Israel, Egypt was associated with pain.
Decide to move in God’s direction today and only then will you begin to bear genuine and substantial fruits.
PRAYERS:
- Father I grateful for you are the vine and I am a branch in you
- Thank you for being my way maker and for the grace you have given me
- Forgive my iniquities Lord, take my heart and let it be, consecrated unto you.
- I receive the anointing to bear fruits, and in substantial quantities
- I receive good understanding of your word and the grace to rightfully apply them
- Thank you for going ahead, Father, I am grateful for all!
- AMEN!
