TAKE YE AWAY THE STONE (2)

TAKE YE AWAY THE STONE (2)

The fourth stone to be taken away before Jesus could bring Lazarus back to life was the stone of complaints and confusion; John 11:37 says, “And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? This set of people if you have them around you will drain your energy, cause confusion and add more problems to the existing one; instead of petting the bereaved, they add more fire; as the bereaved was weeping, they too wept to the extent that Jesus the Saviour used the time He supposed to raise Lazarus up first to weep and groan. The Bible says Jesus groaned in the spirit and was troubled twice - John 11:33, 38. Does weeping solve any problem? No! You cannot live with people who drain your spiritual energy and fire, and fly like an eagle.

Never allow the people around you to cause you not to follow Christ anymore, do not let them take away Christ from you, those who are saying, you cannot become a pastor, or work for God now, they can only sympathize with you for now, they cannot help you; you will see some of them in the nearest future preaching the same Gospel they want you to neglect. As Jesus ignore the crowd, ignore them. Don’t be deceived by their sweet talk. Study the people around you to ascertain their motive and manage them appropriately, if possible stay far away from negative people. There are some people who are toxic to your progress; they may destroy what you are building gradually, if care is not taking. Critically look at the people around you and if you see such in your circle, talk to them and if they refused to change, do not be unequally yoked together with them, flee.

Another thing you need doing is to move with those who can solve your problem, not those that will add to it. Two sets of people were friends to Martha and Mary, the group of Jesus and that of the Jews, which one saved Lazarus out of the two? The One with great capacity, if you want to go into any relationship, first check his/her capacity, especially spiritual. Capacity is not just about money, it is all about his action, conversation, activities, focus, vision, values and aspiration; thereafter you can now be looking at his qualifications, connections and the likes. If Martha and Mary only surrounded themselves with those Jewish people, Lazarus will die permanently and their story would end at breaking Alabaster Box, learning at Jesus’ feet and cooking for Jesus in the kitchen. Do you want to experience a bigger touch of God, check the people around you?

Word Affirmation: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." - John 11:25 (Don't just say it, mean it!)

“People in your association can determine how far you go in life."

MIND THIS