"I Once was Blind, But Now I See!"

ENCOURAGEMENTS: May 3, 2023

In John 9, Jesus gave sight to a man who had been blind since birth. This man was a notorious beggar that people had seen for years living without vision. After the people saw that he miraculously now had sight, they began asking a million questions about who this "Jesus guy" was. Where did He come from? Where did He go? How was He able to do this on the Sabbath? This previously blind man didn't really know anything about Jesus and couldn't answer any of their questions. They ended their interrogation by claiming to the man that Jesus was a sinner. Finally, the man answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

Let this encourage you that as a Christian, there will come times you don't have the answers to questions that might come your way about the Bible, Jesus, Christianity, etc. Instead of dwelling on things you don't know, be like this man here who knew the basic foundation of faith: I was living life one way, Jesus came into the picture, and now I'm living a better life this way.

As a Christ follower, you have a testimony. You have a story. People need to hear your story -- your story of salvation and what Jesus is doing right now in your life. If you’re not encouraging others about Jesus, what’s stopping you? Is it out of fear of what others will think? Maybe you don’t want to get in trouble with your workplace?

Matthew 10:32 says, “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.”

A note of warning: when you proclaim the name of Jesus, you are under a microscope, especially to unbelievers, so you have to be ready to put on the full armor of God and lead a Christ-reflective life. It’s a big responsibility, but also a source of accountability. I hope you realize that no matter who you are, YOU have a voice. YOU have a platform. This isn’t based on how many Instagram followers you have. This isn’t based on how many friends you have. You have influence over the person ringing up your groceries. You have influence over the person who sits next to you at the office. You have influence over the person refilling your water at a restaurant.

Something I think that stops people from sharing Jesus with others is thinking they need to wait for perfection in their faith walk. If you’re striving for perfection, first off, that ain’t gonna happen. But God will use you wherever you are in your walk. All He wants your heart. He wants you to say, “Use me.” I used to be so nervous to talk about my faith with people, because I was worried I wasn't equipped or worthy enough to do it.

Thankfully, there was someone in the Bible who felt the same way: MOSES! THE Moses! When he was first called by God, he was filled with fears and anxieties of inadequacy:

In Exodus 4:10, he says: “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent – either in the past or recently or since You have been speaking to your servant – because I am slow and hesitant in speech.” And what did God say? In the next verse, he says, “Who made the human mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing, or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? Now go! I will help you speak, and I will teach you what to say.”

Today, say, “Use me, Lord!" and I promise you, He will go to work!!

Thanks for reading, and as always, if you have questions or want to further the conversation, click the contact link on this blog and shoot me a message. Have a great day!