OK - a new week. A new memory verse. Come on, you can do it. Romans 6:13 (LB) - “Give yourselves completely to God, every part of you. For you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for His good purposes.”
I love that verse. To me it screams out - Surrender. Cooperate. Obey.
A long while ago, I read a very sad statistic: a quarter of a million Americans are physically paralyzed – spinal cord conditions and others ways. And over 10,000 Americans a year are additionally paralyzed some way (through an accident).
As I read that statistic I got to thinking: I wonder how many Americans are emotionally & spiritually paralyzed? It’s not as devastating as being physically paralyzed but it’s far more common. I know so many Christians who are stuck in a rut. They are spinning their wheels. They can't seem to get any traction spiritually. What do you do if that's you?
The next few days, we’re going to look at a story in the Bible of a man who was radically changed by Jesus Christ. These principles that we see from his life will help you understand how God changes you. This story is so important it’s recorded by three different writers – Matthew, Mark and Luke – so obviously it’s got some lessons to teach us.
The Bible tells us in Luke “One day Jesus was teaching in a home and they had come from every village and even as far away as Jerusalem to be there [This is a standing room only, packed out audience. It’s a little house and everybody is crammed into this house just to hear Jesus teach.] Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic man on a stretcher and they looked for a way to get into the house to set him before Jesus. When they couldn’t find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof [These guys are pretty innovative, pretty resourceful. They went up on the roof...] and they removed some tile and let him down in the middle of everyone right in front of Jesus”
The man we’re going to look at the next few days was literally paralyzed, physically paralyzed. But the three things that Jesus said to this man are the three things He says to you when you come and honestly say, “Jesus Christ, I want You to change me.” They’re the three things that will help you break free from emotional & spiritual paralysis too. And that’s good news.
Maybe you’ve felt a little frustrated about your inability to change things in your life. You’ve said, “I just can’t change it!” We’ve got some good news for you today. If you were to specifically say to Jesus Christ, “I want a change in me, God. I don’t want to be the same. I want to be different,” what would He do? He’ll do the same three things He did to this man. That's what we're going to look at this week.
Will you pray - "Lord change me - Work in me" ?
Here’s the good news. When God asks you to do something that seems humanly impossible He gives you the power to do it. What change in your life seems impossible? Are you in a relationship right now that is dying before your eyes? And you can’t stop it? You feel powerless, hopeless and helpless? Are you consumed with some painful memories that you cannot forgive and you cannot forget? Are you stuck in a habit that you’ve tried many, many times to change and you can’t?
Is there a health issue your battling right now and you need God's power to show up in your life? Humble yourself and ask God for His help and His power.
I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course. ENDURE!
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