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Spiritual Paralysis
‘Four men arrived carrying a paralysed man on a mat.’
Mark 2:3
One day when Jesus was preaching at a house in Capernaum, ‘four men arrived carrying a paralysed man on a mat.’ This man wanted to move but he couldn't. And spiritual paralysis works that way too. Inside, you know you have what it takes to succeed, but your spirit isn't responding.
What’s going on? Unremitting stress creates pressure that eventually turns to frustration, and constant frustration produces weariness. You feel bland. Nothing excites you. One day feels like the next, until you start believing that nothing will ever go right for you. It doesn't matter whether you live in a mansion or a mud hut; unless you’re free in your spirit, it’s like living in a prison.
There are different kinds of spiritual paralysis. There’s the kind that leaves you with out-of-control emotions. You can’t hold on to what you need, like a job or a relationship. You know something’s wrong but you can’t seem to make it right. Another type of spiritual paralysis stems from mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion.
When people are continually drawing from you, eventually you run dry. It’s impossible to be an encouragement to others without refilling your own well at the Source. Refuse to spend another day in a paralysed, out-of-control, exhausted state. Like the man in today’s story, you’ll find your answer in Jesus. He gives joy, freedom and purpose to life; He ‘refreshes the weary and satisfies the faint’ (Isaiah 40:31). But you have a part to play as well: to ‘…build [yourself] up in your most holy faith, and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep [yourself] in God’s love’ (Jude 20-21 NIV).
written by Bob Gass
‘Four men arrived carrying a paralysed man on a mat.’
Mark 2:3
One day when Jesus was preaching at a house in Capernaum, ‘four men arrived carrying a paralysed man on a mat.’ This man wanted to move but he couldn't. And spiritual paralysis works that way too. Inside, you know you have what it takes to succeed, but your spirit isn't responding.
What’s going on? Unremitting stress creates pressure that eventually turns to frustration, and constant frustration produces weariness. You feel bland. Nothing excites you. One day feels like the next, until you start believing that nothing will ever go right for you. It doesn't matter whether you live in a mansion or a mud hut; unless you’re free in your spirit, it’s like living in a prison.
There are different kinds of spiritual paralysis. There’s the kind that leaves you with out-of-control emotions. You can’t hold on to what you need, like a job or a relationship. You know something’s wrong but you can’t seem to make it right. Another type of spiritual paralysis stems from mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion.
When people are continually drawing from you, eventually you run dry. It’s impossible to be an encouragement to others without refilling your own well at the Source. Refuse to spend another day in a paralysed, out-of-control, exhausted state. Like the man in today’s story, you’ll find your answer in Jesus. He gives joy, freedom and purpose to life; He ‘refreshes the weary and satisfies the faint’ (Isaiah 40:31). But you have a part to play as well: to ‘…build [yourself] up in your most holy faith, and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep [yourself] in God’s love’ (Jude 20-21 NIV).
written by Bob Gass
