Taking the Responsibility for Your Life and Family

In John 5, we read about a crippled man, he had been waiting by the pool of Bethesda for 38 years to be healed. Once a year an Angel of the Lord would come down and stir the waters and the first one in the pool was healed from all his or her ailments. When Jesus saw him lying there, He knew how long he had been laying there waiting, and Jesus' question to him was this, Vs 6... "Wilt thou be made whole?"

Jesus knew he had laid there the entire 38 years, that he was "wanting" to be healed, but Christ saw no "real effort" on the part of this man. He was asking the man, "do you really WANT to be healed, or are you here for show?" You may think, now that is unfair, he wouldn't just lay around there for 38 years if he didn't really want to be healed. Would he? Think about it.

The next scripture is the answer you need to find... Vs 7 - "The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming another steppeth down before me." He made an excuse for his trouble, he didn't take any responsibility for his troubles, for his STILL being there after 38 years. He didn't say, I have tried and tried to get up there on my own, he said, "NO ONE WILL HELP ME."

You see, God wants to do things for you, He wants to heal you, give you success, prosper you, encourage you, strengthen you, and give you the desires of your heart, but He wants you to go as far as YOU can go on your own. It isn't that God can't do it with just a word or command. It is that, God WANTS YOU to walk WITH HIM. If you look back through the life of Christ, through His miracles, He asked each one to step out and do what they thought would be the impossible, and He did the rest.

Too many times we get caught up in our lives, we say, I wanted to do that, but this person played me and I missed my time. Someone needs to fix the system, someone needs to get up and make a difference in our schools, someone needs to fix the churches problems, or even, someone needs to come get my kids and MAKE THEM MIND. You know who that SOMEONE IS? It is you. Yes, YOU. We all can make a difference. It isn't that you have to take on the world by yourself, He would never expect you to change the entire nations problems on your own. He wants you to step out, in faith, believing that if you are standing in the gap for these things, that God will meet you as far as you can go, then He will do the rest.

People use the excuses of it is my past that made me this way, I was abused, you don't know what this person or that person did to me, and that made me who I am today. My ex went after me for child support, took all I have, now I can do nothing, I never see the kids and/or I just found out they are not mine, but I have to pay anyway. I am the victim here, so I can just sit and feel sorry for myself and let everyone else fix these problems. My kids will have to figure things out on their own, I had to, no one did it for me, why should I do it for them? Your past IS a part of you, it is what happened to you, it is a part of what made you who you are, your character, your fears, your victim mentality, your hatreds, mistrusts, and anger, but IT SHOULD NOT DEFINE YOU. You are who YOU WANT to be.

You can say, "Yes this happened to me, but I am a child of the MOST HIGH, LIVING GOD, and I am not that ugly, tormented little child that my parents, other kids, the bullies, and teachers said I was, I am BEAUTIFUL in the sight of my God. I am Strong, Talented, Caring, and am Loved by my Creator, Father, and Savior. By His love and grace, I want to be a servant of the most High, showing Love, Compassion, Joy, Peace, and Understand to all I come into contact with, to show them the Love of God.

As a child of God, we HAVE to spend our time in the Word of God, the Bible, spend time in prayer, and time fellowshipping with other believers who are strong, who will encourage you, help you, hold you accountable, and lift you up. You need to know that God expects more from you, because you are NOT your own, you ARE HIS, you have been given the greatest gift in the world, YOUR LIFE. He wants you to step out in the life He has for you, but it is up to you to choose. He gave each you free will to decide things for yourself. He will not interfere with your free will.

God wants you to choose Him, He wants you to choose a life of Blessing, Salvation, and a Relationship with Him. He wants you to choose for yourself to step out of your past, look beyond what happened to you, and know it is NOT who you are, it is a situation that HAPPENED. You can be ANYTHING you CHOOSE to be, it is up to you decide to stay where you are, in this life of excuses, victimization, desperation, sadness, depression, loneliness, and/or defeat, but God is giving you a different option, to Live Forever in Him, to live a life of, true joy, peace, harmony, blessings, prosperity, success, and so much more.

You have to decide, to live for God, or live for self. To let God work in your life each day through the Holy Spirit, or to let Satan continue to run your life into the ground, allow him to defeat you every step of the way. God wants you to have victory. He wants you to show your children there is life beyond abuse, anxiety, pain, hurt, and deprivation.

He wants you, WOMEN to be able to show your young ladies how a Christian Woman, Wife, and Mother should live and raise her children. He wants you, MEN, to show your Young men, boys, you know, your sons, that being a man means STAYING around, standing for God, seeking God in all you do and say, that following after God's heart does not making you weak, but gives you the strength to stand up in a world and society that is telling men, the children are NOT your RESPONSIBILITY, and say, THESE ARE MY CHILDREN, God gave them to us, to raise in a Godly fashion, to be strong, to stand up and stay around for the family, for your spouse, for the mother of your children, and for the children that are looking up to you for an example. He wants the family unit to stay together, He wants your children to see, it takes WORK, to build a marriage, a relationship, a friendship, a family, and to raise children. It takes work to be consistent, to be earnest, compassionate, loving and fair. Especially on those days you don't want to or don't feel like it. (We all have those days)

Are you willing to stand for Him? Are you willing to stand for your family, your children, your spouse, and for your life? Are you willing to make the hard choices, to quit making excuses, to quit holding grudges and being angry at the world? Are you willing to let someone else's lie be their lie, let their troubles be their troubles, let the hurt that someone else has caused you to be forgiven, and move on. You may never forget what they did to you, but you have to forgive them, not for their sakes, but for yours. To give you back the power they took from you. To take back your own strength and your own heart and mind. Forgiveness brings that back to you.

I hear people say, "Let go and Let God." It is the hardest thing to do, but when you are tired of fighting, when you are sick of never feeling like you will ever find the light at the end of the tunnel, or that you just can't go on anymore on your own strength and power, know, that beyond all there is, THERE IS a God Who LOVES YOU, more than YOU will EVER KNOW or COMPREHEND. He will never leave you nor forsake you, you just have to call on Him, ask Him to help you through what ever it is you are going through. Let Him be the Lord of Your life, and let HIM LEAD you. He will, I know it, He did for me. Won't you call on Him today?