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Move Forward by Faith

Theresa RoweBy Theresa Rowe8 Minutes

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back (Philippians 3:13-14).

Staying stuck in the past is like walking backwards, blind-folded into the future. Don’t get me wrong, taking a glance back, focusing on what God has done in your life and giving Him the credit, praise, and glory is always good. We should remember how God reached down into the pit of despair and pulled us out to set us on His solid ground.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along (Psalm 40:2).

Henceforth, it is up to each of us to walk by faith toward our future destiny by going to God with our fragmented hearts, past hurts, abuses, diseases, pains, and disappointments. God will lead and direct our steps as we move toward Him. When we draw close to God, He draws close to us.

Do you remember the lady on a mission moving through the crowds to desperately find Jesus? The lady with the issue of blood. We don’t know if this woman had an issue of bleeding due to miscarriages, hormonal imbalance, or trauma. We do know that she had a chronic illness due to her continued bleeding. According to Jewish law, she was considered unclean since her bleeding had been ongoing for twelve years with no signs of stopping. She was not allowed in public and was cut off from everyone and everything she held dear.

Can you imagine this happening today? We may have had a brief taste of being cut off from seeing our loved ones during Covid and made to stay at home, but nothing compares to what happened to her. She endured being cut off from society along with all the physical, mental, and emotional pain caused by the illness. Can you imagine being ostracized because of a physical illness?

While we do not know the cause of the bleeding, we do know she had been to physician after physician exhausting both her health, energy, and finances in the process. She was at the end of her rope, dangling from the cliff of life. She heard the stories about Jesus, the miracles of the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, and the lame walking. The religious customs and traditions required her to isolate and stay away from the people as she was unclean. By earthly standards, her life was hopeless.

She could have given up. She could have been angry at God; especially given she had been rejected by the religious community. Instead, of moving away from God, she moved forward in faith and sought out the Son of God, the Messiah!

This brave woman knowing she was breaking Jewish law, began moving quickly by faith through the crowds, and naysayers, to touch the only One who could heal and make her clean. She encountered the Waymaker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, El Roi (the God who Sees), El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty), Jehovah Rapha (The Lord Who Heals You), Jesus Christ, who turned toward her and acknowledged her faith in Him.

Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment (Matthew 9:20-22).

In that moment her past came crumbling down, laying a faithful foundation for the Father to build a bright future on His solid ground!

Spiritually speaking, our sinful habits can isolate us from God, and from others who care about us. No one likes to talk about this, but people need to realize that our sin separates us from God and from moving forward into our divine destiny set in place by our Savior. If you are not sure what sin is, look it up in the Holy Bible. You may be surprised to find some of the things that are acceptable in today’s world are not pleasing to God. It is up to us to confess our sins, repent (turn away from our sins), and receive forgiveness from God in order to keep moving forward.

God is a God of order, and He will not tolerate people living any way they want, there will be a day of reckoning. People and naysayers of the truth can say what they want, but God is God and He is the Ultimate Judge and Ruler of the Universe. We all have sinned and messed up, but also have been given the same opportunity to accept Jesus Christ in our lives.

“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24).

As we update our spiritual resume, keep praising God during the good, bad, and difficult days that lie ahead. Praise is confounding to the enemy of our soul. Praise can be a fuel for our faith, propelling us forward, with eyes straight ahead on the prize that waits for us in Heaven!

More Articles on Inspiration.org by Theresa Rowe

Spring Forward by Faith

Casting Your Net

Power Walking with God

Can You Hear Me Now?