Jesus visited the pool of Bethesda, to see a crippled man who had been disabled for thirty eight years. Jesus’s question to the man could make a person wonder, whether or not he was being redundant. Onlookers would suggest that it was obvious that the man wanted to be healed. Why then would he have been sitting by the pool, waiting for it to be stirred so that he could step in? The idea was that at certain times, an angel would step in and stir the pool and the first person who stepped in after the stirring, would be made whole from their infirmity. “The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me”” (John 5:7).

Notice that Jesus didn’t ask the man, why he had not been made whole after thirty eight years. He didn’t ask him why he had not made it into the pool before then. The man was ready with an excuse for why he was still crippled. The man hoped that Jesus could enter into his experience and understand why it was difficult for him to be healed. Maybe the man hoped that Jesus would hang around and wait with him for the pool to be stirred, to help him get to into the water. The reality is that the likelihood of that was slim, because there were many people competing to get into the water.

There was good news for the man. The healing which Jesus would offer was not one that he needed to compete for. All the man needed to do, was to agree with Jesus and he would be made well. “Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk”” (John 5:8). At this statement from Jesus, the man was instantly healed, took up his bed and walked away from that pool.

As long as the man remained fixated on the pool, he would remain bound. His healing was not dependent on the pool being stirred, but on his belief in Jesus Christ. Jesus asked the question in the beginning, because there are people who unfortunately, do not want to be made well. A small minority of people, are addicted to the attention and sympathy that they gain from being unwell. Some people have been unwell for so long, that they stop believing that it is possible to be healed. Thirty eight years was a long time, but the man’s desire to be healed drew the attention of Jesus Christ. This desire led to his healing and freedom from his infirmity.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John‬ ‭8:36‬).

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Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus about walking in love. His exhortation went on to encourage us to live pure and holy and to walk in obedience. Paul then spoke about living in the light of Jesus Christ. “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Most of us need a dark room in order to sleep and the presence of light in a room can rouse us out of a deep sleep. Paul drew the parallel between darkness and spiritual slumber to light and being awake and alive.

We no longer live in the darkness, but are children of the light. As we walk in the light, our spiritual eyes are open to the realities of the world that we live in. Although we are not of the world, we live in the world and are surrounded by spiritual entities. We are able to discern between good and evil and to distinguish light from darkness. “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer” (2 Corinthians 5:16). Everyone that we come in contact with, are operating under and are being controlled by certain spirits.

We are either submitted to the law of God and are being led by the Holy Spirit, or we are being led by the spirit of the world. “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). For this reason we have to remain alert and we cannot simply take everyone at face value. The only way to test and discern motive and intentions is to ask the Holy Spirit. Discernment is a spiritual gift and we have to exercise this in order to become proficient. Are you able to discern when someone is a destiny helper or someone who is an agent of darkness? This statement may sound harsh as we want to see the best in everyone.

While optimism is a good character trait, naivety and short sightedness can be costly mistakes. We have to exercise sound judgement and pray constantly about the people in our sphere of influence. Do you know why some people want to be close to you, or desire to be in your inner circle? You have to also assess whether or not some relationships are helping to draw you closer or farther away from God. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). “so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

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Jesus taught in Matthew 6 about laying up treasures for ourselves in heaven, where thieves cannot break in and steal. Jesus also taught us to give to the needy and trust that the Lord will reward our giving. Jesus spoke about anxiety and worry about provision. ““Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing” (Matthew 6:25)? He made reference to the birds who are provided for and the lilies that are always clothed.

What Jesus was saying is that, God created the universe and everything in it. Within the universe are systems that have been created to cater to mankind. Trees and plants provide food, water bodies provide sources for us to be replenished and the animals also provide meat. Greed, selfishness, materialism and capitalism have created systems of poverty. These systems amass wealth and resources that are controlled by a few wealthy people. First world countries benefit from the mass supply resources, while the world’s poor survive on less than a dollar a day. I am not straying from the point of the scripture.

What I am doing is helping us to understand, how the world system has created poverty and inequality. Despite these systems of inequality, our God is a God of justice. His word says, “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread (Psalm 37:25). David went on to say that the righteous are always able to lend generously and their children become a blessing. The blessings of the Lord makes us rich and adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22). God did not create any of his children to live in abject poverty and to experience sorrow from lack.

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). When God said every need, He meant every single need that we will ever need. All we have to do is ask Him and trust and believe. We serve a good father who longs to meet our needs. Seek first kingdom and all things will be added to you. “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life” (Matthew 6:27)?

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James spoke against the sin of partiality and the need to have regard for the poor. He wanted us to remember that we are set free from the law of sin and death. With this freedom, we are encouraged to show mercy and do not be quick to pass judgement. Even God himself is merciful and gracious towards us. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Even when we were sinful and unworthy, God’s grace covered and protected us.

God does not want any of His children to perish, but His desire is that we repent and experience everlasting life. For this reason, God extends grace and mercy to us daily. He wants us to come into His presence and experience His love and faithfulness. When we are close to God, He can shield and protect us from the attacks of the enemy. It is when we drift away from God, when the devil is able to cause harm to us. Since God is a faithful and loving God, we also need to extend love and kindness to others.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Forgiveness is one form of mercy, as we extend grace to others. It is hard when people mess up many times and cause us hurt over and over again. Sometimes it is good to step back and pray for that person. God knows the relationships that are worthwhile maintaining and He is able to help us. There are times when we have the power to choose, between showing mercy or judgement. Judgement can be in the form of writing off a person and deciding to have nothing more to do with them.

Some people are sincere about being sorry for mistakes made and show that they are willing to make amends. If there is evidence of this, then it is worthwhile giving people second chances. It is true that we cannot see what is in the heart of another person. This is where the Holy Spirit can help us to discern intent and motives. We can trust God even when we don’t trust others and once people show a willingness to change, this can gradually restore trust. “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14).

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The devil is always standing before God to constantly accuse his children. In the book or Zechariah, he records a vision of Joshua standing before God. Here comes satan to accuse Joshua because his garments were stained. Satan is swiftly rebuked by God for his accusations. The angels were commanded to remove the filthy garments from Joshua. “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments” (Zechariah 3:4). This illustrates how God removes our sins and iniquities, so that the devil has no legal grounds on which to accuse us.

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God” (Revelation 12:10). There was a casting down of satan from heaven to the earth, because he usurped God’s authority. There will also be another final casting down into hell for the devil and his angels. On the day of our Lord, the devil will no longer have the opportunity to accuse us before God.

Even before the final judgement, we have been given weapons to shield ourselves from the devil’s accusations. “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). The devil’s accusing voice also comes in the form of darts and arrows. We have to be sober and vigilant as he goes around, like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). We have the power and authority to resist him and to stand firm in our faith.

Satan wants an opportunity to persecute us and to bring accusations against us. This sometimes comes in the form of guilt, shame, feelings of inadequacy and inferiority. We wear the helmet of salvation to protect our minds from his arrows. We ensure that each day we remain fully armoured, to fend off the enemy’s attacks. God calls us His righteousness and the blood of Jesus Christ speaks on our behalf. His blood speaks life so we are no longer slaves to sin and fear. We rebuke the devil when he whispers lies about us and condemn every tongue, risen against us in judgement.

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death” (Revelation 12:11).

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There are many references in scripture to the importance of unity within the body of Christ. Jesus once mentioned that, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mark 3:24). As christians we represent the kingdom of God and are his ambassadors on earth. I believe that one of the weapons that the Devil uses against the church and among families is division and disunity. James said, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (James 3:16).

James also said that a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Peacemakers are considered blessed and we are cautioned as much as possible to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18). There are some instances when the only way to make peace is to go our separate ways. There are other times when we have to extend grace and try to make amends where possible. There are some things that we can accomplish on our own. However, there are many things that we can accomplish within a team or with the support of others.

There are situations in which we have to swallow our pride and apologise when we have acted inappropriately. Sometimes we may not even be the guilty party within a conflict. It is ok for us to be the bigger person and take the higher road in order to make peace. Solomon said, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

Not all relationships are worth reconciling and at times reconciliation does not mean restoration. It is possible to forgive someone, pray for them and love them from a distance. We have to pray to ask God to show us those persons and relationships that are worth restoring. Some people are sent into our lives as destiny helpers and we cannot allow small conflicts to separate people with good intentions.

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The bible tells us that the devil stands daily to accuse the children of God. He finds a reason to constantly accuse us, of sin and wrong doing because he wants to paint us as unholy. Imagine that while God declared us righteous, the devil looks for reasons to call us sinners. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33). We are crucified with Christ, so we no longer live in the flesh, but Christ lives in us. Therefore because we are new creatures, then our sin nature is no longer active.

We have been redeemed by Jesus and so no weapons of the devil will prosper against us. We use our God given authority to silence every voice, that stands in judgement to accuse God’s children. “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Colossians 2:14). In doing this, Jesus made a public spectacle of satan and his cohorts by triumphing over them. Satan thought that Jesus’s crucifixion was his victory, but Jesus’s resurrection showed the devil that he lost the battle.

We enjoy the benefits of the freedom of salvation and the protection through the blood of Jesus Christ. God is our vindication against the enemy and every wrong done to us will be vindicated. God is our recompense and restitution. Our God of justice is invested in us reclaiming anything lost or stolen from us. In Him we can learn to take back anything that the enemy has stolen. “People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry, but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house” (Proverbs 6:30-31).

We declare this our season for God’s vindication and recompense. We are waiting for God to avenge us and to restore what was lost or stolen. We approach the throne room of God to make petitions for the wrong done to us. Our God is a good father and Jesus stands at His right hand to make intercession for us. God will not keep silent and His hand is not too short that He cannot save. God never sleeps or slumbers and His eyes are always open, beholding the good and the evil. “The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:14).

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