The Believer's Choice

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:47

Good afternoon and welcome to Healing Stream Waters Daily Dosage. I pray that you're in the best of health, the best of spirits, and God is still doing good for you. I'm going to read today and share with you out of the fifth chapter of Saint John the first nine verses. And it says, After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, a blind, heart, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water. Whosoever then was first after the troubling of the water stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie and knew that he had now had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man said and answered him, Sir, I have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool. But while I am coming, another step down before me. Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up thy bed and walk. And immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and walked. And on the same day was the Sabbath. And the third topic that I want to leave with you today is the believer's choice. Do you know that we have a choice? We have a decision to make as to whether we want to be healed or not, because it's our choice, because when the instructions come, you have to be willing to do what the prescription says. If it says take it your medicine three times a day, if you say take it with water, if you say take it with food, or take it only at night, we have to be willing to follow the instructions. He had been in this state, down at this pool for 38 years. Now here comes Jesus. This is who's asking him. Because Jesus had the power to raise him up. Jesus had the power to make him whole. He has the power to send a word, even if he don't touch you himself. As with the woman with the issue of blood, he didn't touch her, she touched him with her faith. Jarvis's daughter, he sent the word. So it's nothing that he doesn't know about. We have a high priest that is able and who is touched by who can be touched by the feelings of our infirmities, but he still gives us hope because he knows that's not the end of the story. Just like his story did not end, we sing the song about there is no greater love. Jesus went to Calvary to save a wretch like you and me. That's love. They hung him high and stretched him wide. He bowed his head. For you and me, he died. That's love. But this is not how the story ends. Because three days later he rose again. That's love. So Jesus has to pen. He's the author and the finisher of our faith. It's the believer's choice. Do we choose to believe God? Are we believers? Because the Bible says signs and wonders shall follow them that believe. I believe, therefore I behave. So I'm going to do that, which is conducive to my healing. Whatever they tell me to do, I'm going to do it. If they tell me to go to therapy, go to therapy. If they tell me don't drink or don't eat dairy, I'm not going to do that. Put my high blood pressure, leave the salt alone, leave the fried foods alone. I'm going to do just what the doctor ordered. But it's a believer's choice. How bad do you want to be delivered? Desperate things calls for desperate measure. Sometimes we want the gift, but we don't want the giver. We want deliverance, but we don't want the deliverer. It's up to us, it's our choice. Do you want to be made whole? That was the question of the day that he asked that lame man who was in that condition 38 years. But somebody, every time I get ready to come in, somebody sat down before me. Every time I try to do good, somebody um somebody said something wrong to me, or somebody hurt my feelings, or somebody rejected me, or didn't accept what I said. Listen, you're not the only one that has been through and is going through things. But if you have a condition, you got to leave these things alone. The Bible says to lay away every weight and sin that so easily beset us and let us run the ways that Christ has set before us. We can't run this race weighted down. It don't have to be a sin, but it can be a weight. Do you want to be made whole? Only thing you gotta do, take up that bed that you've been laying in, whether it's sickness, whether it's unforgiveness, whether it's envy, whether it's strife, whether it's comparison, whatever it may be, take up your bed, get out of there. Take up your bed, take the sheets off, the cover. Matter of fact, change them, change your mattress, get out of that bed of do nothing, get out of that bed of sorrow. That bed, they tell you, don't lie in the bed too long because that bed will zap your strength, it will take your strength from you. We know that the joy of the Lord is our strength, but if we keep focusing on that thing that's in the bed with us, it's going to take our strength. It's the believer's choice. You have a choice in this matter. He gave us a choice, choose life so that your seed will live. I set before you blessings and curse. I set before you life and death. You choose the believer's choice. Choice, choose life, not only for you, but for your circle, for your attachment. You don't light a candle and set it under a bushel, but you put it on a lampstand that it may give light to the darkness that's around you. If you believe God, it only takes one. One man got is in the sin, one man got us out of sin. One can believe for his whole household. You make the choice, you make the decision, you present to body a living sacrifice, you do it, you do it, you do it. This is healing stream waters with your daily doses. It's your choice. He gave it all, he set it all out before you. You make the best choice for you and yours. God loves you, I love you, and there's nothing you can do about it.