Winning souls for Christ [3]

yinka ogunlami

April 29, 2016 9:01 AM

“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.”

Praying black woman

Memory Verse: Luke 5: 19 – “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.”

The Word for Today devotional by United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) says

When you pick up the weight of another person, it can be a heavy burden to bear. Notice:

1) It took four people to bring this man to Jesus. Sometimes you have to call in reinforcements.

When you have prayed for someone and nothing seems to be happening, here is a great Scripture: ‘If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them’ (Matthew 18:19-20 NIV 1984 Edition).

2) It was their faith, not the sick man’s faith that Jesus responded to. ‘When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven”’ (Luke 5:20NIV 2011 Edition). The poor guy had been in this condition for so long that his faith was probably as dead as his limbs. But that’s no problem for God; He’ll respond to your faith by touching your loved one.

3) They refused to give up on him. You need tenacious faith that refuses to quit. Just because you talked to someone about the Lord before and they did not respond, does not mean they will not respond now.

Maybe they were not ready back then, and now their circumstances have changed. Maybe you went about it the wrong way, and now you have a better approach.

The point is, when you do your part, God will do His. ‘So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing well. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit’ (Galatians 6:9 MSG).

yinka ogunlami