Breaking and Entering

"One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

Luke 5:17-20

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Greetings my lovely sister, I hope this month has been good to you. I pray that you have reached goals, overcome obstacles and destroyed strongholds this month. As we immerse ourselves in our daily activities such as work, school, home and social life it can sometimes become overwhelming. We begin to feel alone, purposing isolating ourselves from friends and loved ones out of fear that the crosses we carry are too much for anyone else to bear. When these emotions begin to cloud our judgment and impact our decision making its not quite understood where God is or if He is even in the midst. But sister I want to encourage you, our Father is right where He promised to always be.

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As Christians having godly friendships and connections with other people of faith is important. I'd like to think it's perhaps vital to the growth and sustainability of the relationship we have with God. These connections become our eyes when we can not see what God has for us. They are our conscious of encouragement when the enemy tells us it's too late or it can't be done. Without these friendships the idea of turning around when the journey gets difficult becomes more appealing. It is because of those people- the intercessors, the prayer warriors, the prophets that we are able to bring our burdens before God, receiving His grace and favor in exchange.

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While studying scripture this month, I came across Luke 5:17-20. In just three verses, Luke describes for us a transformational occurrence. As I read I begin to think, "If I was present at this time, from what perspective would I be witnessing this miracle?" Would I be one of many in the crowd of believers and non-believers? Would I be one of the friends to the lame man, carrying him on the mat before Jesus? Or maybe I am the man on the mat- sick, distressed and losing hope that I'd ever be healed. The more I studied, I realized that I have been all three at some point in time. Sister our stories are unique to us, not to our God. You are not the only one in the room with a problem that needs fixing. Perhaps, you're slightly skeptical of the capabilities of God so surround yourself with those assured of who He is in hopes of collecting evidence to disprove your theory. Regardless of who you are in the story, the message lies in breaking the barriers and entering the presence of God.

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The men in Luke 5 set out on a mission to bring their suffering friend before Christ. They journeyed their way carrying the paralyzed man on a mat. Upon arrival, they were met with barriers as the crowd before Jesus was large and they weren't able to bring the man to the front. The Bible tells us that when the men couldn't find a way through the crowd, they went above the crowd. These are type of people we pray God puts in our life. Those who see the possible even in the moments of impossibilities. Friends that are so anchored to the promises of Jesus that they are determined to place you at His feet. Atop the roof the men lowered the helpless man in between the tiles and onto the floor in front of Jesus. It was there in the middle of the crowd that Jesus saw their faith and forgave the sick man. So I ask you sister, what do you have on your mat that needs to be laid before Jesus? Do you have a circle of believers ready to help you break through and enter before the Lord in spite of the size of crowd? Sometimes like the man in the story, we become paralyzed. Emotionally and spiritually unable to bring ourselves before the one that can help us. But when we have friends ready to carry us before Him, all hope is never lost. What's more important that having friends like that? Being a friend like that! Be the friend willing to lay down the mat of someone else before Christ. It's not enough to be an on looker. It's not enough to merely listen to the teachings of Christ and witness the miracles of others. We must be proactive in our faith. We must be ready to go above the crowd and reach God by any means necessary. For ourselves and those connected to us. This is the season of breaking and entering.

With Love