We’re always being told the stories of how anything is possible with God, and that Jesus heals and sets the captives free.
When we hear people who proclaim they’ve experienced broken chains and have been set free from their sin, we catch ourselves nodding our heads and saying, “Praise God!”, but when we take a hot second to think about our sin, we adopt a cool-that-you-just-experienced-breakthrough for you, but I think I’m good right now mentality.
Could Jesus really heal us of our sin? Of our addiction? Of our mindless habits? Of the hidden parts of our thought life? Of our comforts that bring temporary relief to our lives? Of our darkness?
Jesus asks a paralyzed man in Scripture the question, “Do you want to be healed?”
While most would shake their heads of confusion and bluster, “Well, of course!! Why wouldn’t he want to be healed?!! COME ON,” take a second to place yourself in the story…
All that you know and have been accustomed to would suddenly and drastically change.
Your uncomfortable sin has become a comfortable habit—your sin has molded some patterns in your life. What you used to critique in others, you find yourself justifying when it comes to yourself. If you are healed, everything would change. The way you live your life, the way you connect with people, what you would do with your time, the way you think about things, the way you view yourself—it all would change in a matter of seconds—leaving you with a whole lot of ambiguity and questions around what life would look like.
Now find yourself here with the sin you keep reverting back to.
I don’t know about you, but when I’m sinning, I tend to justify the heck out of it. I make excuses on excuses, even though deep down I know I’m sinning.
^^^ small tangent—this is why I LOVE intentional community. We’re able to call each other out on our justifications and excuses and give feedback to the root of it all. Fellowship is such a gift for refinement and growth.
If Jesus were to come up to me right now and ask me “Do you want to be healed?” My first tendency would be to say “Healed of what? I’m fine!! There are so many more broken people with worse sin! Why should I be the one that is in need of healing? You should probably heal someone else…”
And then I imagine Jesus would be like, “The pride in your heart isn’t helping your case—do you want to be healed of it ALL?”
After overanalyzing the matter at hand, I would instinctively and legalistically find myself saying, “Ahh okay Jesus, YES. You’re totally right. I want to be healed.”
And then Jesus would say the oh so infamous, “Then pick up your mat and walk”
At that point, I would start to say, “Well Jesus… you see… I’ve made such a home here on this mat. It’s all I’ve known. See how I’m so comfortable? It’s a part of who I am—it’s just how I’m wired. See how I’ve dusted it off and have made it look nice and presentable to the outside world? I know I’m broken… but no one else has to know! What if I got up and picked up my mat tomorrow… what if I walked next week? Can we work something out?”
Immediately, I imagine Jesus would say, “I’m giving you full access to be 100% healed today. You have an opportunity to walk in freedom—you would never have to look back at your old life and old way of living. Do you want to be set free? Do you want to be transformed? Pick up your mat and walk”
Yes—Jesus knows what’s up, per usual. It’s a heavy conviction to be comfortable in sin—knowing Jesus could heal you at any moment, but not wanting to ask to be healed.
It’s time we looked at our hearts and our motives, if this is the case. Why are we so comfortable? Why do we keep justifying? What is our sin blinding us of? What is that sin temporarily patching a hole over?
The way I like to think about this is getting an outside perspective on this—if a close friend was in this same situation, what would we tell them? They would be HEALED and they could walk in FREEDOM immediately! We love our friend enough to tell them the truth of the goodness that awaits for them
…
so then why wouldn’t we tell ourselves the same?
^^ insert face-palm conviction of calling myself out on this
Okay—so what does it mean to “walk in freedom” and be “freed from sin in captivity”? Why would/should I want that? This is what I’m hearing you, readers, say
Well– God’s ways are always better. Life with Him is pretty sweet!
“What God has saved you FOR is so much greater than what God has saved you FROM” -She Reads Truth, “Lot’s Wife” by Hayley Morgan
When I choose to pick up my mat and walk, I walk in FREEDOM that makes me feel whole– I am becoming more of the person God has created me to be when I am whole– when I intentionally pick up my mat, die to my fleshly preferences, and follow where He’s leading me.
NEWS FLASH: We don’t have to live in shame, doubt, resentment, or guilt! We can trust that God will take care of us.
When we empty ourselves out, He fills more of Himself up in us. He must increase, I must decrease.
God fills us with:
-incomparable joy
-lasting strength
-abounding patience
-abiding self-control
-surprising peace
-overwhelming kindness
-truthful goodness
-firm faithfulness
-graceful gentleness
-trusting love
^^ that’s a pretty awesome list, ammmi right?!
This is what it’s like to walk with Him in freedom! His Spirit provides an unending amount of these things that the flesh can’t provide. Oh, how He blesses us greatly!
My flesh and earthly ways can die—“It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me” (Galatians 3:20)
Jesus was THE BOMB. His countercultural ways of honor, love, and respect impacted people deeply. Why wouldn’t I want to be more like Him? It’s what I’m trying to do each day– be transformed to the person of Jesus, to the likeness of Christ.
God didn’t create me to be a person that was trapped in sin, who lived life out of fear, who clung to seasons of rejection, who was quick to remember loneliness– God created me to be a light in the darkness, a listening ear that makes people feel seen, heard, and known, a joyful presence, an empowering leader, a deep thinker, a crafty writer, and a person who speaks in truth and love. I am a daughter of the King, I have the Spirit within me, and I walk in the authority of God.
I am worthy of freedom.
^^ can you say this out loud? DO IT!
YOU, my friend, are worthy of freedom!
He knows my name and my every thought! It’s incredible to be deeply known by an all-knowing and all-loving Father!
I don’t have to settle for life with hidden darkness.
This is the will of God– it’s whatever we’ll find in Heaven. Our job is to show the earth how good God’s will is. The things of this world are deceitful and temporary. His ways are life-bringing and eternal.
Because at the end of the day, we have a choice. We can pick up our mat and be healed today, or we can dust off our mats and decide to stay around for a while. The choice is ours.
Will you pick up your mat and walk right now?
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P.S. I’m 80% funded for the World Race! I’ve raised $13,380 (thanks, God!!) and I need to raise a total of $16,561! I have to raise $3,181 to be fully funded! Will you donate $20 today?
If so, click the link at the top that says DONATE! or click this secure link here: https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=worldrace&desc=Kelsey%20Nerland&appeal_id=NERLANDKELSEY
