Mensa Otabil - Dealing With Resistance
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Everything we want to achieve in life requires effort, and effort always faces resistance. So when you make an effort to move forward, there will be something trying to push you to either stay where you are or go backward. That is why when we pursue anything in life, we have to be ready to push through resistance and go beyond it.
Mark 10:48 says, «Then many warned him to be quiet, but he cried out all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me! '» This is the story of a blind man called Bartimaeus, who was a blind man near Jerusalem on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. He had a spot there where he begged. One day, he heard that Jesus was passing by. By the rumors he had heard, he knew that Jesus could perform miracles; some blind people had already seen, some crippled people had walked, and other miracles had happened.
So, when Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was coming by, he decided that if He was coming to this spot, he wasn’t going to be silent and wouldn’t sit quietly for Jesus to walk by. Even before Jesus got to where Bartimaeus was, he started crying out, «Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!» He cried it over and over. While Jesus passed him by, he kept shouting, «Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!» People told him to be quiet, and that’s what the passage said: «Many warned him to be quiet,» but he cried out all the more, «Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!» Jesus heard him, turned back, and said, «Bring the man to me.» Bartimaeus eventually received the miracle he was praying for.
This is what we call active faith. Active faith is not just believing that God would do it but also working and taking steps to receive what God says you will receive. Bartimaeus was not passive about his faith; he believed Jesus could heal him, and he believed Jesus was the Son of God, so he called on Him. But watch what happened: people were trying to push him back, trying to resist him, telling him to keep quiet and that Jesus was not interested in him. But active faith does not take «no» for an answer because many people believe that God will work a miracle for them, but only a few are willing to pursue and work toward that miracle.
When I say work towards that miracle, it means you’re going to pray, believe God, and hold high your faith. Now, for Bartimaeus, there were many times he cried without any response, and sometimes it happens to us when we pray and don’t receive a response. We pray, and nothing happens. «Oh, Jesus, help me,» and nothing occurs. «Jesus, help me,» and again nothing happens. Then we give up and say, «Well, I don’t think this thing works anyway.» But Bartimaeus didn’t say that; he kept saying, «Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!» Jesus was walking by and didn’t respond, but he kept crying until it seemed like Jesus was far off. He called for Him.
If you believe God is a prayer-answering God, and if you believe He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, then seek the Lord diligently, trust Him, and pray without ceasing. Trust Him that even if you don’t get a response today, tomorrow you’ll receive an answer. If you don’t hear back tomorrow, you may get a response the next day. You must be like Bartimaeus; you will cry until you receive your miracle. This applies to everything we want to achieve in life. Sometimes it’s not just about praying to God; it’s about pursuing a dream, pursuing hope. Sometimes you try something and fail; you try again, but it doesn’t work. You attempt to piece your life together, and things unravel.
Over time, many people give up and say, «You know what? I don’t think this will work.» That’s not what faith does. We believe until the end; we persist unto the end. So don’t sit quietly, don’t abandon your hope, don’t abandon your dreams, and don’t shut down because everybody says to shut down or shut up. Stand firm in the Lord; trust Him, because this year the Lord will bless you, give you something positive, turn your life around, and the miracle will come to you. You will be the person God says you will be. So don’t keep quiet; keep trusting God, keep talking to the Lord-you’re breakthrough is coming.
Let us pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, help me not to give up on myself. I refuse to sit and let life pass me by. In Jesus' name, amen, amen, and amen.»