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 prods and pokes 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 the place where we have settled.
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 the Lord would heal him, too. Several in the crowd warned Bartimaeus to be quiet, but Bartimaeus cried out even louder. It didn’t matter what the others thought.
Jesus heard Bartimaeus. He called him to come to Him. Jesus wasn’t being cruel to Bartimaeus. He was asking him to reach beyond his blindness 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, where some had previously 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 as 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 side of the road begging in his need. Bartimaeus identified with Jesus, who had told him that his faith had made him well.
Jesus died for our sins, sicknesses, and brokenness over two thousand years ago. His work on the cross was the full and final payment for the debt we owed God. His blood was the perfect payment for every part of us—spirit, soul, and body. Jesus calls us to rise up and believe Him. The Holy Spirit provokes us to exercise our faith and believe in the truth of what we have received in Jesus. We have received His resurrection power that works abundantly in us beyond what we ask or think.
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? How is He drawing you to reach beyond your circumstances and believe Him?
See yourself as Jesus sees you—not as others in the crowd see you. Respond when the Holy Spirit provokes you to reach beyond where you have settled. Overcome the obstacles. Tell Jesus your need. He is just waiting for you to speak it. Don’t identify with your past, your failures, or your illnesses and brokenness. Learn the truth in the Word of who you are in Christ—the new creation the Holy Spirit has made you in your born-again spirit. Take hold of this new identity. Renew your mind with it. Take the seed of His incorruptible Word and sow it in the soil of your heart. You are forgiven, healed, and whole in Jesus, but just as a seed in the natural world needs time to grow and bear fruit, so does the seed of the Word in your heart. Nurture and protect His Word until it bears fruit in you.
When you identify with Jesus, all things are possible. Like Bartimaeus and the woman with the issue of blood, reach beyond the obstacles. Fight the good fight of faith. Have confident trust in Jesus. See yourself as He sees you, and believe in your heart all things are possible.
© 2024 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2024/02/identity-with-jesus.html
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