Ignore the Discouragements

Text: Mark 10:46-52

Discouragement is the act of losing interest or giving up on something. It mostly comes when a person faces difficulty, probably more than once in life’s pursuit. It is human to feel this way after several successful attempts and no progress. In fact, some people lose confidence in themselves. I understand that there are times in life when things do not work as planned; what keeps a person at these times is FOCUS.

The story of the blind but unrelenting man called Bartimeaus is one of the most beautiful stories I love. He was sitting at the roadside where he was begging for alms when he heard that Jesus was passing with his disciples, and a large crowd was following. He believed that was a special day that he must never miss; the day of his miracle, the day he had always longed for, his lucky day and the last day of his blindness. He shouted in a loud voice for Jesus to come to his aid and heal him from blindness. Surprisingly, people who were supposed to pity him, considering his condition, and lend their helping hands, leading him to Jesus, asked him to be quiet. Why did they react this way to this poor blind man? They probably feel he doesn’t deserve to call Jesus or think he was just a distraction.

Whatever their feelings were didn’t move Batimeaus; all he wanted was to receive his sight. He Ignored the discouragers, shouted louder than when he was rebuked, and trusted that Jesus would come to his rescue and help him. Beautifully, Jesus stopped and called his name. Unexpectedly, those crowds joined in calling him Jesus. What caused this change of attitude? Well, when he got to Jesus, Jesus didn’t pray. He said,” Go, your faith has healed you.” It was his faith, his persistence, his confidence, and his consistency that gave him victory.

Lesson from this story:

Stop listening to the crowd. Let your focus be on God. When you do this, the same crowd will celebrate you.

Don’t let your present situation define your future. Be confident, stand up and move on.

When you are in need, never put your confidence in man; call on God.

Get engaged in things that will boost your faith. Study God’s word, pray and consciously choose your company.

Prayer point- Lord, help our unbelieve, increase our confidence and help us focus on you only in Jesus’ name. (Amen).