In Luke chapter 13: 10-13, we read about a woman who had been bent over by a spirit for 18 years. As I was reading, I was trying to imagine this woman’s circumstance…having only the ground and the dirt as her view. How horrible her walk through life must have been. Then I realized that this has been me so many times in my life. I have allowed satan to have free reign over my mind causing me to drop my head in shame or from a sense of unworthiness. Believing the lies of satan and coming into agreement with him, will only give us a hopeless view of ourselves and our lives. Why do we believe his lies? Why do we choose to give him so much power over us?
Straighten Up
Verse 12 of this chapter says that Jesus called to her. I love this! Can you see it? This woman, who had likely been avoided by everyone, was now loving being called by her Creator. Then in verse 13 it says, He put His hands on her and she immediately straightened up! Yes, she immediately got a new view after just one touch from Jesus! Her eyes saw the blue sky and her face felt the warm sunlight! The trees and flowers replaced the weeds and dirt! Just one touch from Jesus set her free from the bondage that satan had her in for so long! Sisters, He is calling out to us as well. He wants to set us free too! Free from sin…free from the worry of what others think of us…free from the guilt we carry from our pasts sins…free from our insecurities! We no longer need to walk around with our heads down!! Look up…we are His forgiven daughters! We can be free from the ground view! We can be free from the dirt! We need to straighten up and stand tall knowing who we are in Jesus Christ!
There is another great lesson that I pray we can learn from this story. So often we turn our backs on those who resemble this woman. We tend to gossip, avoid or render harsh judgment rather than becoming the hands and feet of Jesus. I pray that when people cross our paths who are “bent over”, we will call out to them showing the same compassion as Jesus, touching their lives with the hope and freedom that only comes from Him!
Luke 13: 10-13. On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
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