In Luke 13, Jesus is teaching in a synagogue. And while he is teaching in this synagogue, he notices a woman suffering from an infirmity that has afflicted her for 18 years. We can imagine that this woman is weak, she is feeble and possibly even in pain.
However, Jesus looks past her physical ailment and identifies the true culprit of this woman’s infirmity…the devil.
Jesus points out that she is not just suffering from infirmity, but rather she is suffering from the Spirit of Infirmity. And it has such an effect on her that she is described as being bent over. The enemy was pressing on her to the point that it had her bent over.
This Spirit of Infirmity is nothing more than OPPRESSION.
Have you ever had the enemy press on you?
Maybe bitterness is pressing on you. And it’s been pressing on you for so long that you can’t remember the last time you had joy.
Maybe you know what it is to be bent over because addiction has been sitting on your back for a long time. And it has bent you over, and it is pressing you down.
Maybe the enemy has brought sickness into your life. It's pressing on you to the point that every time you go to the doctor, you get a little lower.
The enemy will press on you until you are bent over!
However, there’s something about this lady that we should take note of. She may not have been able to overcome the enemy pressing on her, but she realized the difference between the enemy pressing on you and the enemy pressing you out.
She understood that the enemy might have been riding on her back, but she resolved that she wouldn’t give up, wouldn’t give out, and wouldn’t give in. And as feeble, weak, and pressed down, and as bent over that she might have been, every week she made her way to the place where they talked about the Word of God.
Romans 10:17 NKJV says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Because she consistently sought out the Word of God, she kept showing up, believing that this could be the day!
As a result of this woman’s faith, Jesus loosed her and made her straight. All those things that had her bent over for 18 years were straightened out in one moment with Jesus.
Jesus has a way of seeing consistency, persistence, and determination.
It’s the moments when everyone else would have stayed home, and you showed up again.
It’s the moments when anyone else would have come up with every excuse to never come back, and you showed up again.
That is the expression of your faith!
Sometimes all you have to do is put yourself in position, keep the faith, keep showing up, and watch God straighten things out.
This could be the day!
I invite you to view Pastor Eric's message Condition or Tradition? in its entirety HERE:
Do you have a relationship with Jesus? This decision is the first step in receiving peace in your life. If you are ready to give your life to Jesus, we would love to celebrate with you at 3trees.com.
Do you need to rededicate your life to Jesus? If yes, please connect with us at 3trees.com.
Do you feel God prompting you to take your next steps? If yes, BEGIN is waiting for you! You can walk through our ONLINE BEGIN class at 3trees.com/begin.
Would you like to make a difference in our community? Join our captivate team! Visit 3trees.com to find out how you can participate in community outreach opportunities.
Subscribe to EricGilbert.org using this link:https://www.ericgilbert.org/subscribe. You'll be able to receive updates directly to your email inbox as we post blogs every Monday, Thursday, and Friday morning.