"When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity" - Luke 13:12 (NIV).
The renowned charismatic Televangelist preacher, TD Jakes, has sung a captivating song, "Woman Though art loosed", based on an incident where one day a tortured woman who had been paralysed with an infirmity came up to Jesus and he healed her. This woman's physical infirmity was quite obvious to everyone. For she "had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all" (Luke 13:11).
Her story is important for us to reflect on because any of us may suffer from physically limiting conditions, perhaps clear to every one but also those not as obvious. And just as we see there was a spirit binding her, any person even in the present age could be bound by a spirit of some wicked and devastating form.
There are spirits of anger that control certain people often causing them to act in the most senseless manner, destroying relations. Some people are bound by spirits that crave for alcohol, locking them into crippling poverty, as they exhaust all their earnings in booze. There are spirits of sexual addictions that end up ruining lives and families. Spirits of infirmity are not just those that press us in wheelchairs. They do exist all over and we need to be discerning of them.
In this crippled woman's case there are two things that must catch our attention. First, this woman was bound for a good solid 18 years! This shows just how nakedly evil and brutal Satan can be once he gets hold of a target. When we are warned to "stay away from all evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22), it is for our good to keep far from the evil one, seeking to "steal, kill and destroy" ( John 10:10).
Secondly, we notice this woman came to a conscious realisation that there was a spirit crippling her, and the answer to her tribulation was to take the matter to Jesus. Sometimes we can suffer needlessly with cancers binding us, and we imagine there is no escape, yet there is a way out by bringing whatever is pressing us down to Jesus. To come to that point one must concede there is a problem first. And then go to the Lord Jesus who is waiting to say, "Stand up, though art loosed!"
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, just as the crippled woman came to Jesus who touched her with his healing hand, today I come and surrender my life to you and anything that might be pressing me down, for your complete deliverance, this I pray in Jesus's name.
Related upcoming events
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11/05/2024 - 12/05/2024 All day“Now God has caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel” (Dan 1:9)
It can be said with certainty everyone in life would like to be favored- especially from God. Favor brings opportunity and comes with blessings. The Bible has many people who were indeed favored and the blessings on their life is clearly evident.
We have Joseph who had favor upon him whether working for Potiphar (Gen 39:5); down in jail (Gen 39:21); and finally being elevated as prime minister of great Egypt. When Abraham was 99 the Lord appeared to him and blessed him, “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly” (Gen 17:1- 8). Mary was selected among all women as the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:28-33).
Perhaps here one may ask, but how does one receive favor from God?If we may look at the above and other examples of those who were greatly favored by God, like Noah from the Great flood (Genesis 6:8), or Moses to lead the people of Israel (Exodus 33: 12-17), it was not because there was anything remarkably good in these people. Neither was perfect yet God showed favor upon them. The reason is, “For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” (Romans 9:15).
A clear characteristic of those who receive favor is humility. Isaiah 66:2 says, “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and those who tremble at my word.” As the preacher Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “God shows favor to those who seek his favor by loving Him, respecting Him, honoring Him, and by taking delight in His word.”
We can receive favor by asking God. Psalm 119 says, “I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise” (Psalm 119:58). And God is calling us to have our hearts in tune with Him, for, “the Lord bestows favor and honor, no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless” (Psalm 84:11).Today, pray and walk in that assurance of being favored of the Lord Almighty.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I come to you in humility to ask of your favor to bless me in all that I do, this I pray in Jesus’ name.
