Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith [and confident trust in My power] has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Jesus on the road.
—Mark 10:52 (AMP)
The Holy Spirit calls us to step out in faith. He provokes us to let go of what feels comfortable and safe. You may not like your circumstances but sometimes you just get settled in them. Jesus stretches us to reach beyond where we have settled. He asks how badly do you want what I have given you?
When Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, heard that Jesus was the reason for the large crowd, he began crying out loudly for the Lord to have mercy on him. Bartimaeus hoped this was his chance for healing. He hoped that the Lord would heal him, too.
Several in the crowd told Bartimaeus to be quiet, but Bartimaeus cried out even louder. It didn’t matter that the others were upset.
Jesus heard Bartimaeus. He stood still and called him to come to him. Jesus wasn’t cruel in calling Bartimaeus to come to him. He was asking him to reach beyond his blindness and reach for what he desired. Just as He asked the man by the pool of Bethesda, the Lord was really asking Bartimaeus, “do you want to be well?”
When some in the crowd heard Jesus calling him, they said to Bartimaeus, “Take courage. He is calling you.” They encouraged him, unlike the others who had told him to be quiet. And what was Bartimaeus’ response? Bartimaeus jumped up and found his way to Jesus. He overcame obstacles to get to Jesus. Jesus asked him the obvious but he wanted Bartimaeus to say it. Bartimaeus declared he wanted to see. And Jesus told him that his faith had made him well.
This blind beggar stretched his faith to believe Jesus would heal him. He took responsibility for what he needed in his life. It didn’t matter about the crowd's taunts or what they thought of him. When Bartimaeus moved forward toward Jesus, he stepped away from his identity as a blind man. He stepped away from where the circumstances of life had forced him to settle. And he received what Jesus had for him—a new identity as a man who could see.
Often, we identify with an illness we experience—or a problem we have—or a failure we encounter, instead of identifying with Jesus. We see ourselves less than Jesus sees us.
The Holy Spirit asks us to move forward in faith, believing all things are possible in Christ. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks or says. If Bartimaeus had waited for the perfect opportunity, he would have missed his healing. Jesus made it clear to Bartimaeus why he received his sight.
"Your faith [and confident trust in My power]," Jesus said, "has made you well" (Mark 10:52, AMP).
When we push our way through the obstacles to believing the truth of who we are in Christ, we move away from the emotional and physical things we experience toward the spiritual truth of healing freedom in Him. Feelings become less important. We start to see ourselves through the truth of God’s Word. Our perception changes and we identify with Jesus. He becomes our identity.
After Jesus told Bartimaeus that his faith had made him well, Bartimaeus immediately began following Jesus down the road. He went with the person who had changed his life. Yes, Bartimaeus could see with his physical eyes, but he could see so much more. He no longer saw himself as the man who sat by the road's side, begging in his need. Bartimaeus identified with Jesus, who told him that his faith had made him well.
Bartimaeus believed, and just like the woman with the issue of blood, he was told that his faith had healed him. Jesus died for your sins and sickness and broken life over two-thousand years ago. His work on the Cross was perfect for your sins and sickness and brokenness. His Resurrection power is in you. The Holy Spirit provokes you to exercise your faith and believe the truth of what you have received in Jesus.
Do you identify with Jesus? Or do you identify with an illness, a failure, or your past? How is the Holy Spirit provoking you to believe you are a new creation in Christ? That old things have become new? How does He draw you to reach beyond your circumstances and believe Him?
See yourself as Christ sees you—not as others in the crowd see you. Respond when the Spirit provokes you to reach beyond where you have settled. Overcome the obstacles. Speak what you desire to Jesus. Don’t identify with your past or your failures or your illnesses and brokenness. Learn the truth in the Word of who you are in Christ—the new person that the Spirit has made you. Take hold of your new identity, and clothe yourself in it.
Leave the baggage of your old self behind. Have confident faith in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus for your life.
When you identify with Jesus, all things are possible. You will know His truth, and it will set you free. Just like Bartimaeus and the woman with the issue of blood and so many others, reach beyond the obstacles. Fight the good fight of faith. Believe and receive the promises of your new identity in Christ.
© 2022 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2022/09/how-do-you-see-yourself.html
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