FROM DESPERATION TO DELIVERANCE

Every one of us has had a "desperate" moment in our lives where we've anxiously needed a breakthrough as the crisis' in our lives were causing us to literally break down! We have constantly asked questions and searched for answers only to discover that our questions of desperation offered few to no answers.

Well, I want to suggest to us today that the key to going from Desperation to Deliverance is not asking the right questions, but having the right answer in desperate times. Let me show us what I mean...

Over in Mark Chapter 10 there was a man who was blind and he was a beggar, two strikes against him during  the times that he lived. Well, "Blind Bart" which we'll call him in this Blog (short for Bartimaeus), one day was part of a massive crowd that showed up while Jesus and His disciples were in a town called Jericho. Let's pick the story up in Mark 10 beginning at vs. 46...


Mark 10:46-60 New Living Translation (NLT) "Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road.

1. HE COULDN'T SEE BUT HE HEARD - VERSE ⁴⁷ "When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  His desperation pushed him to a point of "making his request known to God" (Philippians 4:6) He went from begging for what people could give him to now begging for what ONLY Jesus could give Him.

2. In order to go from Desperation to Deliverance, You have to look past the opinion of people! DESPERATION ONLY MAKES YOU SEEK JESUS HARDER - VERSE ⁴⁸ “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

3. YOUR DELIVERANCE IS IN YOUR ANSWER - VERSE 51“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My rabbi the blind man said, “I want to see!”. Although this man was in a desperate when it came down to it, it was all about his faith. And Jesus didn't ask this man the question because He didn't know what the man needed, but He asked Him the question to assess and evaluate His level of faith. So He gave Jesus the right answer! "Bart's" answer was "FAITH-DRIVEN" and that was the key in fact...

4. YOUR DELIVERANCE IS DEPENDING ON YOUR ANSWER (YOUR FAITH) - VERSE 52 "And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road." Jesus said, "your faith has healed you" in other words Jesus tells the man, your words have moved me (where were indicative of His faith). Jesus looked at this man's heart which was filled with faith which dictated his "answer" and determined his deliverance. 


So today make up your mind that you're going to give God the right answer. Have Faith in God! (Mark 11:22)

STAY STRONG!
-- Pastor V.