I love photographs. One of my favorites is of our son and grandson together. They had gone apple picking. Then, as our Son lifts our grandson above his head to pick an apple, our daughter-in-love took this wonderful picture. I really love it. That picture shows the love of a dad for his child so beautifully. And, because of the love that I see there, it always makes me think of the love our Heavenly Father has for us. It doesn’t just remind me of His love though. It also causes me to remember how He lifted me up out of the muck and mire of sin. He lifted me up and helped me to take hold of my eternal reward. I pray that I am lifting others up to Him so that they can receive their reward.

Having experienced that love, we should want it for others. As followers of Jesus Christ, we should be lifting others up. We should be lifting them up to the Father so that they too can take hold of their eternal reward.

The problem is that the enemy has deceived them. He lies and tells them that God doesn’t want a relationship with them. Or he says that they are too bad to be forgiven. They then become spiritually paralyzed by his lies.

How many of us have heard someone say, “Oh if I went to church it would fall down”?  Some of those people really believe that they are too bad to be forgiven by God. It is not that they don’t want to be forgiven. They just don’t believe they can be. They are spiritually paralyzed because of the lies of the enemy.

But God gives them and us (followers of Christ) an example of what to do in circumstances like that.

We see the account of a paralyzed man in Luke 5. His friends brought him to Jesus for healing. “Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.” Luke 5: 18.

The account in Mark 2:3 & 4 gives a little more detail. It tells us that four men brought their friend to Jesus for healing. It also says that many people had crowded into the house for the same purpose. There were so many people that the men could not get their friend inside to see Jesus. So, they took him up to the roof, removed the tiles, and lowered him down through the ceiling.

“Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.” Mark 2:3-4.

And what was Jesus’s response? “And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.” Luke 5:20  This doesn’t say, “And when Jesus saw the man’s faith”, it says when He saw “their” faith.  All 5 of them recognized Jesus as the Messiah.

These men had FAITH! They knew that Jesus could heal their friend and they carried him all the way there. As if that were not enough, they then climb up on the roof and lower him down to Jesus.

Because of their faith Jesus healed that man!

What would happen if we showed that kind of faith? And what would it look like if you and I did whatever it took to get them healed? What if we were lifting them up to our Savior?

We all have spiritually paralyzed people in our lives. They too desire healing.  But they need you and me to lift a corner of their stretcher and carry them to Him. So, will we lift them up to Him? Will we lift them up to our Savior so that He can say to them, “Your sins are forgiven”?  

Let’s lift the corners of those stretchers. We can lift them by praying for them. And we can lift them by speaking to them in love. We can also lift them up to Jesus by ministering to them in their need.

So, are we willing to carry their bed to Jesus? It takes very little effort if we will each grab a corner. Ready? On three… 1… 2… 3. LIFT, church! LIFT!

Father God, thank you for healing. Thank you for physical healing and, most of all, thank you for spiritual healing. Thank you for your sacrifice that brought about the possibility of spiritual healing, Lord Jesus. Holy Spirit, break our hearts for the spiritually paralyzed. Amen.

Have you been spiritually paralyzed by the lies of the enemy? Do you think that the church would fall down if you entered? Do you think that you are too bad for God to forgive? I believed those lies once. But others lifted the corners of my bed. They showed me the love of Christ. And they prayed for me. They ministered to me in my need. And our Savior healed me! He wants to heal you too. All God requires is a heartfelt prayer of repentance. There is a prayer like that outlined on our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/). Please go to that page and pray the prayer that is outlined there (or one similar). God wants to forgive and heal you. He wants to adopt you into His family as His own precious child.

I am praying that you will pray that prayer. I’m lifting your bed! Please pray that prayer and, once you have, reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com. I’d love to be in prayer with and for you.

Luv Ya!