In the book of John chapter 5 verses one through 9 reads as follows:
5 After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, [a]Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, [b]paralyzed, [c]waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. We have all felt at times like we have been overlooked, and underestimated, and at times completely ignored, But I came to tell you, it’s your turn now, Your Next is Your Now
I came to prophesy to someone, like this man at the pool of Bethesda, you’ve been overlooked, crowded out, passed over, outran, and pushed out. But you’re getting ready to get in. You’ve been like this man, you’ve been looking at it, dreaming about it, talking about it, and singing about it (but you’re getting ready to get it). I can imagine this man staring at the water, watching for the slightest ripple, saying to himself. (don’t miss it this time) for hours and days and weeks, months, and years he watches the water than for a minute he dozes off, or something caught his attention and he misses it. Shouts ring out and as a once lame man cries out I can walk. His heart sinks as he realizes (I missed it again, somebody got ahead of me again).
I’m speaking to someone today who has watched other people get blessed, get healed, get promoted, get their new car. And it looks to you from all-natural evidence that it will never be you. But the Lord said to tell you, it’s coming (Be not weary in well-doing for in due season you shall reap if you faint not). Amen! You have to take the limits off of God, don’t restrict him to past methods or past experiences or past manifestations. He says: Behold I will do a new thing. For years the sick, the afflicted, the feeble would come to this pool and wait for a move of the water, but on this day God chose to move in a new way. Jesus stood in front of this man (Jesus the word, Jesus who is health and healing, and blessing and prosperity). Jesus who is the full manifestation of everything he ever dreamed of is standing right in front of this man. Yet the impotent man’s mind is still on the pool (He could believe for his miracle, his breakthrough, but he couldn’t see beyond past glory.
God is bigger than that! Yes, God's spirit was in the pool, but the pool was not God, but God was at the pool. Did you catch that!! God is bigger than the last method he used! For one blind man, he touched his eyes and said according to your faith be it unto you, for another blind man Jesus spit in the dirt and made mud and rubbed it on his eyes. This man almost missed his miracle because his faith was still attached to the pool, he was expecting his miracle to come in the water, not be living water!!! He almost missed his miracle because it didn’t come in the way he expected it.
When you need a miracle from God you must give God the latitude to use whatever means he desires to get it to you. If you are not careful you can miss the glory, the blessing, the miracle you need simply because it doesn’t come in the package you expected. Remember God can use a dirty bird to bless you, God used a raven to feed his prophet, Elijah. Some of you: If God was to send your blessing by raven express, you’d shoot the raven before the blessing got to you. There are some folk that are so caught up on King James' pronunciation that if a prophecy comes to them and it’s not in King James English, they won’t receive it. Many times, it’s not the devil that keeps us from receiving our miracle, is our narrow-minded religious attitudes that try to tell God how to do his business. Bless me God, and here’s how I
want it, and when I want it. This man almost missed the person with his blessing because he was still attached to the pool. His breakthrough had come, but it didn’t come the way he expected it and he almost missed it. He was so locked into the experiences of the past that he thought the only way he could get his breakthrough and his miracle was, to get in the crowd and push and kick and crawl and cry and fight and work his way into the pool. He could not fathom that it be as simple as just receiving.
Your miracle your blessing and your breakthrough are here and it’s not in the pool, it’s in the person and it’s not in your works it’s in your faith. Yes, faith has works (faith without works is dead). But you can wear yourself out trying to work your way into a blessing, or a miracle. You can wear yourself out trying to make things happen, trying to get people to recognize you, trying to open doors for yourself, trying to get a platform for your gift. Trying to convince God that you deserve a blessing, that you deserve a breakthrough, that you deserve a promotion. Yes, faith has works, but faith takes place not in trying but in trusting. Not in wrestling but in nestling, you need to quit wrestling with God and start nestling with God.
I want to encourage you today if you are on the verge of quitting, or are about to shut down, about to turn off the switch of faith, you may have even questioned if it’s even worth it. Your dream is on life support and you are about to pull the plug, you’ve been in the fight of your life and you just don’t feel like you’ve got any fight left.
To you, I say: Hold on, faith never quits, quitters never win, and winners never quit. The difference between success and failure is just getting up one more time than you fall. Faith never quits, your money may run out, your feelings may run out, your friends may run out. But your faith will carry you through. You never know when the breakthrough is coming; you never know when the manifestation will come. You never know when the door will fly open, or when the power of God will show up on your behalf and turn the whole thing around.
The man at the pool was persistent. Every day he was there waiting and watching. Yes, he could have done somethings that would have gotten him closer to the pool. But when we put our hands in things, we often mess it up. Just like the man each day you wake up, you are a day closer to your miracle, a day closer to your breakthrough. Don’t doubt God, depend on Him. Don’t turn away from God, trust Him. Don’t run from God, run to Him. You are closer than you think and today could be your day to receive your blessing.
Rev. T. P. Lane
“U R Priceless”