If you missed the first article in this series, check it out here!
“For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.” John 5:4 (KJV)
If you pay close attention, verse 4 only makes an appearance in a few translations, and even then, is often placed in brackets. The reason for this is because there is a much doubt that verse 4 was included in the original manuscript. The likely reason that this would be included is to give context into why there were so many people crowded around this pool. (Read John 5:1-9 for the full story). However, the angel stirring the pool was likely the folklore of the day, a superstition that people believed, but didn’t hold to be true.
Picture this-
Hundreds of people with various conditions – lame, sick, blind, etc., laying on mats, surrounding the pool of Bethesda, waiting. As verse 4 states, they were waiting for the day when an angel would come and stir the waters. Folklore had it that when the water was stirred, the first person to make it to the water would be healed of their condition.
The man in our story found himself among the multitudes on their mat. Waiting. Year after year. Following the crowd. Waiting for his breakthrough, only to find himself stuck once again.
You may be asking yourself, “What does this story have to do with breakthrough?”
The man in our story spent a majority of his life seeking breakthrough.
He was tired of being stuck on his mat- he wanted to be free. He wanted to experience breakthrough. BUT, his barrier to breakthrough was that he was following the wrong process to see it come to pass. Day after day, year after year, this man was buying the lies the world was telling him, believing that his freedom was lying in a worldly process. And day after day, he found himself bound, stuck, and unable to experience breakthrough.
I wonder how many of us are finding ourselves bound, stuck, and unable to experience breakthrough, not because a lack of desire, but because we are choosing to follow the wrong process. I wonder how many of us are choosing to follow the process that the world says will bring freedom, but in reality, we are only finding ourselves stuck.
The world’s process may work for a time, but it will never bring about true and lasting change.
The world tells us…
- If you only found a man, you would be happy.
- If you only got more likes on IG, you will feel satisfied.
- Just escape the pain for a little bit.
- Hurt them back so they know how it feels.
- You can’t be successful by doing things the right way.
All too often we make the mistake of following the process such as these, only to find ourselves lacking true and lasting breakthrough.
It wasn’t until the man in the story turned to the one true source that he experienced what he had spent years looking for. He spent years in front of the pool, but after minutes with Jesus, the true source of our breakthrough, he finally found freedom.
Jesus is THE way. He is THE truth. He is the ONLY source of true and lasting forgiveness. He is the only cup that can satisfy. His word is truth. His sacrifice is sufficient. He alone is enough. He alone is the answer.
But, here’s the thing.
God’s way often looks the exact opposite of how we want to do things. If we were to rewrite the list above, it would look something like this.
- Your worth is found in Christ. Fullness of joy is found in his presence. [Psalm 16:11]
- You are fearfully and wonderfully made. God loves you, and you never have to earn that approval. It is freely yours. [Psalm 134:19]
- Jesus says to come to him all who carry heavy burdens, and he will give us rest. [Matthew 11:28]
- Turn the other cheek. Pray for those who persecute you. [Matthew 5:44]
- Integrity leads to the blessing of the Lord. [Proverbs 20:7]
- He doesn’t promise that it will be easy, but he does promise that his way is right, true, and the only true path to freedom. [John 14:16]
Reflection: In what areas of your life are you turning to worldly wisdom to find freedom and breakthrough?
Application: What does God’s Word say about your current circumstance? How can you follow His way, and not the way of the world?
