BLINDLY BLINDED
Mark 8:22-26

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” (John 8:12) Indeed and in truth, Jesus is the light of the world that no darkness will ever be able to comprehend. Jesus is also identified as the Word of God that came to us. John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” A blind man in Bethsaida encountered Jesus, the Light and the Word of God. Jesus came to where the blind man was to be found, but the blind man needed sight to see the Light that came to his presence. The blind man had the Light of God, but there was no sight for him to see. How long have you been carrying the Word of God that will enable you to see? In attempt to give the blind man another sight, Jesus took him out of the town away from every kind of distraction. Jesus spit on his eyes yet he could not see. How often have you been out of distraction unto separation and yet nothing happened? The blind man was blindly blinded. How blind you are is what will determine what it takes for you to gain the sight that will enable you to see the light. Jesus spit on the blind man of Bethsaida’s eyes yet there was no clarity of sight. Eyes without clear sight are like half knowledge in the Word of God. The presence of Jesus, the Light of God, around the blind man was not enough for him to gain and begin to see clearly. Instead of seeing clearly, he could only see men walking like trees. He was blindly blinded. Are you experiencing the same situation like the blind man? Jesus knew that the blind man of Bethsaida needed to see clearly, so He could not release him on his own. As a result, there was an extension of Jesus’ hand for the blind man of Bethsaida. “Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made Him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.” (Mark 8:25) The blind man of Bethsaida eventually gained the sight that enabled him to see the light. There should be no pretending of having sight where there is no sight to see the light. Attending to prayer for an extension of God’s hand in our life in every area of physical or spiritual blindness is what is best. Jesus moved the blind man of Bethsaida out of town to his healing ground before he could gain sight for light.

Prayer for today: Ask God to move you to your healing ground of deliverance where you will encounter healing and gain sight that can see in His light.

SAY IT IS WELL
2 Kings 4:8-37

Whatever you give yourself to the most, will have the most of you. Whatever you hear the most will make the most of you. Also, whatever you say the most will bring forth the most to you. Without any doubt, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21) A gracious, barren Shunammite woman and her husband were of old age. The Shunammite woman’s graciousness to Elisha prompted a blessing of the fruit of the womb from him. Elisha prayed for the woman and she conceived and had a son. The child grew and one day he had a headache while he was with his father and the father sent him to his mother. 2 Kings 4:20, “When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.” The child died and it was not recorded of the mother any crying or groaning, but she decided to seek the source at which God blessed her with the child. The Shunammite woman decided to go and look for Elisha and her husband said,”’ Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.’ And she said, ’It is well.’” (2 Kings 4:23). Knowing fully well that the child was dead, she still did not give a negative response. When she approached Elisha, he sent his servant by saying, “’Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’ And she answered, ‘It is well.’”(2Kings 4:26) The Shunammite woman repeatedly confessed positive. She had the right word at the rough time; she refused to allow her situation to take over her. Jesus responded to the same kind of situation in the same manner of the Shunammite woman. Jairus’ daughter was sick to death and Jesus was approached for healing and responded in Luke 8:50, “But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.’” Jesus’ response was a teaching on staying positive when all is down. Jesus then spoke to the child and the child rose from dead just like the Shunammite woman’s son regained life at the visitation of Elisha. As you go from day to day, permit no fear but rather persist on faith. Take a stand in the Word of God. Speak out as you want it to be not only as the situation presents itself. Take note: the woman never said it shall be well neither did Jesus say it. What the woman and Jesus said was “It is well”. It is well, is different from it shall be well. Both statements have different meanings. Make your choice. Confess positive most and positive will make the most of you.

Prayer for today: Help me Lord and let no negative word proceed out of my mouth.

WORD OF BREAKTHROUGH
Luke 5:1-11

With some professional fishermen at the right place and right time, it was over. To them there was no way out when there was nothing to account for. It was certain that time had gone and when it was time to clean instruments and let go because of no result and emptiness, Jesus showed up. He will show up in your own situations of no hope. He showed up despite the multitudes that were pressing Him at the Lake of Gennesaret. Multitude is an agent of delay; multitude will slow down miracles if you flow too long with them. Multitude is a crowd that will not allow you to see Jesus when He is passing by. Despite the multitude’s pressing, Jesus was able to find a place in Simon’s vessel to sit. The multitudes at the Lake of Gennesaret were not able to stop Him from showing up concerning the empty situation that Peter and his fellow professional fishermen were facing after toiling all night in vain. Have you been toiling all year or have you been toiling for so many years? Wait and watch out for Him! Jesus will soon show up concerning all of your concerns. It is written, “When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.’” (Luke 5: 4-5)At the time the fishermen were to be launching away from the deep, Jesus asked them to launch into the deep. It was the wrong time for launching into deep because the time of launching deep was past and it produced no result. However, with Jesus there is no wrong timing and all of His timing is set to meet the plan and purpose of God. Has He been asking you to move when it is time to stay or has He been telling you to stay when it is time to move? If you will listen by the grace of God, your story will change for good. Despite Simon’s fishing skill, he had no reason not to obey Jesus. Peter and his fellow professional fishermen responded to the word that called for a catch. Just a catch…Jesus did not speak into many catches but just a word for a catch. Just a word to catch filled up all the emptiness. Just a word caused a breakthrough that was enough for others to partake. Just a word from Him is enough to terminate every struggle. It was a word of astonishment.

Prayer for today: Ask the Lord God to allow His word sound in your direction for breakthrough and for making you to fall down at His knees and become His follower all the days of your life.

ACCEPT HIS GIFT
Luke 14:16-22

Jesus came to a synagogue in Nazareth where He was brought up, “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.’” (Luke 4:17-19)Jesus identified Himself by pointing out the gifts that He had brought to every man and none could relate with all that He was reading, as recorded by the prophet Isaiah long before the birth of Jesus. Today many know His name and many celebrate His birth, but greater numbers are yet to accept His gift. Jesus came to give Himself as a present; a gift for all who will accept Him. Jesus declared, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)How can you not hear His knock of gift? Jesus, the Anointed One, is here to heal every broken heart but the brokenhearted are not opening their doors and He will not force Himself to enter someone’s heart that is broken and needs to be fixed. The Spirit of the Lord that He, Jesus, was carrying is a gentle Spirit; not a forceful or competitive spirit. The captives remain captive because they have yet to capitalize in on the privilege of grace that came for their freedom. The blind remain blind because they refuse to look up to Jesus. Many are attempting to see through other gods instead of theOne and Only God. Also, many are putting man in the place of Jesus and by that virtue, the vision is not clear enough for them to move in the right direction. Jesus is the Lord and Savior and that demands looking up to God through Jesus. The birth of Jesus made salvation available and that cannot be manipulated nor monopolized by any man because it is not from man, but rather is from God to every man. Jesus came for the poor so that He can make them rich in the things of the Lord. Knowing about Jesus is half knowledge and to know Jesus is not enough when your behavior does not comprehend with Him. Jesus wants us to be like Him and to be like Him is to behave like Him. Do you believe in Him? If you believe in Jesus, then behave like Jesus. Behaving like Jesus is being known in Him. Behaving like Jesus is not of determination, but it is by the grace of God.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be known in Him today.

THE WORD IS BORN
Luke 1:39-45, John 1:1-8

Have you given the Word a dwelling place in your inn? While Mary was carrying the Word, she went and visited Elizabeth who was carrying John the Baptist at the time of Mary’s visit. The Bible records during that visit as she “…entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”(Luke 1:40-41)When Elizabeth heard the word of greetings from the one who was carrying the Word of God, the babe in her leaped and the effect the Holy Spirit had made Elizabeth speak out with a loud voice. After she spoke she testified, “For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” (Luke 1:44) Jesus, the Word of God, was on His way to the face of earth in human form when He began to operate as a source of joy. He came with joy and joy was His mission. Once in royal David’s City, in lonely cattle shed, joy came to this world by the grace of the Almighty Gracious God with a plan and purpose to deliver all who had been held captive. He came to give hope to the hopeless and to make life everlasting a possibility for all who will turn to the Word and accept living in the way of the Word. Jesus brought joy to the world for those who would make the choice to accept Him as their Lord and Savior. The joy that was brought by Jesus was not meant to be a seasonal joy, but all year round and everlasting joy. The lack of knowledge about the Word is a trap for a seasonal joy. John, a disciple of Jesus, was privileged to hear, see and touch Jesus. By virtue of John’s relationship with Jesus, in his documentation like other disciples, he stated, “And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.” (1 John 1:4) Jesus also confirmed it in John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” Accepting Jesus and living for His glory is to be living all year with a joyful heart. A joyful life is a demonstration of faith that believing in Jesus cannot fail in every area of life. Jesus is our joy and joy is the only access unto God. Without joy, assessing the presence of God is not possible. The Psalmist confirmed it, “In Your presence is fullness of joy…” (Psalm 16:11) Let the joy of the Lord be yours all year round and undeniable strength from God will reign and rule your life.

Prayer for today: Ask that the Word will have more power and meaning in your life.