SCRIPTURE READING: JOHN 5: 1-14

FOCUS: “Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” (John 5: 8)

MEMORY VERSE: “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” (Ephesians 5: 14)

In our Focal Scripture, Jesus instructed the man at the pool of Bethesda to rise. That man had been in a posture on account of his condition. He had been lying down in Bethesda. In verse 3 of our Scripture Reading, mention was made of how multitudes ‘lay’ at Bethesda. Jesus showed up, and instructed the man to rise from the prevailing posture in Bethesda. Jesus commanded the man to rise from where his affliction kept him.

Friend, in this season, rise from your Bethesda. Rise from where affliction kept you. Rise from whatever posture that your challenges have given you. Rise from every negative posture that your struggles have given you. Rise from every posture that you have taken on as a result of what you have been through. Rise from every posture that makes you look like what you have been through. Rise from every posture that confines you.

Jesus came with the offer of a new season for that man at Bethesda, but He required that the man should leave the posture given him by his predicament. You will not arrive at your new season by remaining fixated on your old season. You will not enter your new season by wearing the garment of your old season. You will not transit into the new by remaining stuck with the wrong behaviors of your old season.

I pray for you: receive grace to rise from wherever you are down. Receive grace to rise from your past errors. Receive grace to rise from the places where life’s experiences put you down. Receive grace to rise from wherever you are already down. Receive grace to rise where you kept yourself down. It is also important that you intentionally counsel yourself not to remain down, no matter what or who put you down.

Welcome to that season where you must arise all by yourself. Welcome to that season where the posture of your old season is not allowed.

FURTHER READING: EPHESIANS 5

DECLARATION:

• I arise from the posture of the old; I will not stay down, in Jesus’ name!