Adversities Can’t Stop Me

Don’t Quit…. There Is a Blessing In Your Pressing

Many may know or not know the NBA has returned. With the NBA coming back they had to do things a little bit differently. Just in case you didn’t know, before covid 19 the NBA regular season was almost over.  They were gearing up for the playoffs. But due to Covid they had to postpone the season. Now the NBA has come up with some new rules on how they would continue the season. One of the rules that they came up with was that they would put all the potential teams that had a chance of making the playoffs in a bubble at disney. The NBA said that they would allow 8 seeding games to determine spots in the playoffs and the 8th and 9th team from each conference would have a play-in game to see who would play the number 1 seed in the first round of the playoffs. Many experts and NBA analysts already had chosen who would be in that play-in game.  They had already written off some teams. One of those teams was the Phoenix Suns. But despite all the predictions and the talk, the

Phoenix Suns didn’t respond to what they was being said. They kept doing what they knew to do and boom they went 8-0, but they missed the playoffs by one game.  The Suns could’ve come to the bubble with a defeated mindset but no they came in ready to give their all and not quit. Even though they didn’t make the goal they wanted, they still came and put their best foot forward. I don’t know who needs to hear this today but don’t quit. They may have written you off and tried to say you can’t make it, stay strong, keep your faith and don’t quit. Because With God On Your Side All Things Are going to work for your good.

However, We live in a day and age now where we quitting has become an option. When I was growing up quitting wasn’t an option. If we wanted to so something and signed up for anything we had to be committed. No matter how much we didn’t like it no matter what adversities came up while we were in it after we got in it we couldn’t quit and give up on it.

We see this happening in the natural world as well as the spiritual world with believers. As soon as some adversities arise we Quit on God. We let our adversities cause us to not believe, it causing us not to trust God, Its causing us to throw in the towel on God. I Just need 2 or 3 people that can be honest with me and say that Adversities took over before and I wanted to Quit on God and truth be told its been times when I did Quit on God. I quit cause I wanted to be healed instantly, I quit cause it didn’t work out in the time I wanted it, I quit because I saw everybody around me being blessed but me. I quit cause Life just be Lifeing and it seem like I wasn’t going to make it. But I came to Encourage you today to get back in. You been out long enough but today is your day to get back in. You got to get back in because God has something for you if you keep pressing. There is a blessing in your pressing. Adversity will come but when it comes I have an antidote on how to get through your adversities. The antidote is to Praise and worship him. When Life is Lifeing praise him. The bible says the Lord Inhabit the praises of his people. So all that simples means that Gods presence will be there with you in the midst of your situations. So Praise him when you are up praise him when you are down. Praise him when your money is funny and change is strange. Be like David and Bless the Lord at all Times and let a praises continually be in your mouth. You ought to Worship instead of Worrying, Praise instead of Panicking. Don’t let adverse situations and adversities cause you to quit on God. The song writer puts it like this Don’t give up on God for he Won’t give up on you. Can anybody testify that God will be there that he Won’t give up but he will see you through.

We have an example in the 5th chapter of Mark on someone who didn’t quit. But before we get there let's talk about what has transpired. We see here that in the 5th Chapter of Mark, Jesus and some of his disciples have made it to the other side. They had just come from one side of the Sea of Galilee to the other side.  Jesus had been teaching parables to the multitude. You can check out some of those in the 4th chapter in your leisure time. At the end of the 4th chapter Jesus told the disciples “Let’s Cross Over To The Otherside”. So Jesus and the disciples Get on a boat and head to the other side. While they were on the ship a great storm arose. The winds and waves were beating on the ship. I can just imagine the water that is coming aboard and hearing the boisterous winds. The disciples were sailing along fine and a great storm arose.  There will be storms that arise in our life.  We may be going along life fine, but all of a sudden we find ourselves in the midst of a storm.  Some times we think we can handle the storm.  Some of the disciples were fishermen by trade.  They had experience in a storm, but something about this storm made them realize, they could not handle it on their own.  The Disciples become afraid.  They had tried what they could, but it was no use. While this is going on Jesus is in the bottom of the boat sleep. Some theologians suggest that Jesus was very tired from teaching the multitude. Jesus was in the bottom of the boat getting some good sleep. I believe Jesus was enjoying the sounds of the rain and wind. I say this because many people like to go to sleep to the sounds of rain. But Jesus is Sleep and the disciples go down and wake him up saying master master carest thou not that we perish? Meaning do you not care that this big storm is going on and we're out here about to die. Jesus responds to their call.  He got up and rebuked the wind and Said “PEACE BE STILL” and the bible says immediately the wind ceased and there was a great calm. The Text says Jesus Then Asks a Question “Why are ye so fearful” “Is it That ye have no Faith.” See the disciples were afraid of the storm but there was no reason for them to be afraid. The reasoning behind this is because even with the rain and wind being so boisterous and wild, Jesus had already spoken the Word Let Us Go Over to The other side. So even with the rain and winds coming Jesus had already spoken that they were going to go over to the other side. He didn't say let us go under and die in the middle of the sea. He said let us go over to the other side. The Disciples had already heard the word Let us Go over to the other side. But still after hearing that word they became fearful when the storm arose. Alot of times we have already gotten the word from God he is just waiting on you to Act On it.  But I stop by to tell you faith and fear cannot intertwine. Many of us are trying to mix faith and fear but that cannot happen. Many times why we began to fear is because we take our focus and concentration off what Jesus did for us yesterday and began to panic because we're in a storm right now. And this is what happened to the disciples: they had seen the many miracles and they even heard Jesus when he said let us go over to the other side but as soon as the storm started they became fearful. That might be a word for somebody today that's going through. You may be in a storm right now but if you keep the faith, God will see you through.  Don’t let the storm you are in take your focus off The one who will keep you and provide for you through the storm. God Is a Promise Keeper a Way maker a light in the darkness Just keep your faith in him. If you keep your faith in him I promise he’ll make a way. Keep your faith and trust in him. Solomon in Proverbs 3:5 says it like this. “trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to your own understanding”. I Just Need 5 people and I'll make 6 that can testify and say I was once in a storm in my life and I might be in one right now but I know God Can and He will make a way. Let me hurry along here I got to get to my text. But somebody needs to know today that God Is Able and He Can Work it Out For You.

Now We See in the 5th chapter where I’ll be coming from today they made it over to the other side. As soon as they make it over to the other side and man comes to them and he is dealing with an unclean spirit, and Jesus Heals him from that. Then they get back on the boat and they traveled to the other side.

When they arrived back to the other side they were met by the multitude.  A man named Jarius came to him asking If he could come lay hands on his daughter who was near the point of death. So Jesus is Headed to Heal This young girl and the great multitude was following him. In that multitude was a Lady who was identified by her condition. That was the lady with the issue of blood. This is where I want to park for a few.  This is where my title came from. It was in these few verses that discussed the lady with the issue of blood.

In This 5th chapter around verse 25-34 we can see the adversities that she faces. She had many reasons to quit and give up on life but she didn’t because she knew there was a Blessing in the Pressing and if she would’ve quit she never would’ve got her blessing.

We see here in the Text it Tells us that A woman suffered a flow of constant bleeding for 12 years not only bleeding but also the text says if i may paraphrase it she was broke. This condition of bleeding for 12 years made her unclean. The first thing that could’ve made this lady quit is her condition. Could you imagine bleeding for 12 years. Many people can’t stand to see the sight of blood. But this lady was seeing it constantly for 12 years straight. Just imagine taking one bandage cloth wrap off that's soaked in blood just to put another one on and to keep repeating the process for 12 years. With bleeding or having a blood problem it could cause you to have low iron, shortness of breath,and fatigue. So on top of her major condition she has these minor ones she has to deal with as well. That would make you want to give up, that would make you want to throw in the towel but no the lady kept pressing.

Now the text also says she went to many doctors so she could be helped. But instead of helping her they hurt her even more. That might be a word for somebody today you think you are getting helped but in reality they are hurting you. You think they are your friend but you wonder why your news is in the streets and you know you only told one person that you thought would be a help to you but no in all actuality they are hurting you. You think you have a praying partner who is trying to help you and pray with you but they are preying on you waiting on your downfall waiting to hear something that you are praying about so they can hurt you.  But on top of hurting her and the condition getting worse she had to pay these doctors who knew that they couldn’t help her but they still took her money anyway. So She could’ve quit because of her condition and secondly she could’ve quit cause she “ain’t have no more money”. As stated before she spent countless dollars on many different doctors just for her condition to get worse. She's been taking every medicine that's been prescribed to her just for her condition to get worse. She has been going to and fro to many doctors' office visits just to get the same results every time.

With going through this condition and She could’ve quit because she had to be facing depression during this time. The reasoning behind this is because this lady is bleeding,and according to the jewish law back in Leviticus 15:25-27 she was ceremonially unclean.  So with that it could cause depression.   because with being unclean during those times you couldn’t touch people or they would be considered unclean as well. Also she had to leave home leaving her children and husband. She couldn’t see or hangout with her friends anymore. This could cause depression and not only that but it caused her to be defiled, destitute, and desperate and that's why she kept going to doctor after doctor trying to find a cure she was desperate. Many of us are desperate today. Desperate For success and desperate for pleasure and desperate for money and desperate for positions and titles in the church but when is the last time you have been desperate for jesus.  Is there anybody here that's desperate for the lord? The psalm writer in Psalms 42, said it like this “ Just as the deer panteth for the water my soul thirst for you GOD. You ought to look at your neighbor and say neighbor I’m Desperate for the Lord. Oh that was the wrong neighbor look at somebody else and say I’m desperate for the lord.

So we See Here That She Had many many reasons to quit but she didn’t, because My bible tells me SHE HEARD THAT A MAN NAMED JESUS WAS PASSING BY. I'm sure she had to hear about his many miracles. She had to hear about how he healed the man with the unclean spirit, she had to hear about how he made the lame walk and made the blind to see. After hearing about the Greatness of this man she probably said this is my last hope. She had one pressing in her spirit after hearing this. With that pressing in her spirit she was sure she was going to get to him. She had made up in her mind that she had to get to this man named Jesus. But with the great crowd and many people following him she knew it would be hard. That's why she goes on to say if I can just touch the hem of the garment she'll be made whole. This lady had faith in something about faith. When you have faith you know that something is going to be done and it will come to pass. Many of us in the church have been acting on hope instead of faith. Hope simply means that you believe but you still have uncertainty.  But when you have faith you have a certainty that God Is going to do it for you. You may not know how but you have certainty that God Will do it. The Lady with the issue of blood had faith and she released that faith. The Text says she touched the hem of his garment and instantly the bleeding and hemorrhaging stopped. She Had so much faith and trust that all she needed to do was touch the hem. Is there anybody in here that can testify that one time they were not feeling too good but they pressed their way to the house of the Lord and once you started clapping and singing and praising God it was like the sickness or the heaviness that was on you began to lift off. That is because you stop thinking about your condition and begin to praise and thank the one who can heal your condition. I believe for a moment the lady with issue of blood even though she was bleeding she began to just think about all the miracles Jesus performed for others and she took her mind off that she was bleeding and Began to think about as she stretching her arm out to touch the garment if he Did it for them I know he can do it for me. So take your mind off your condition and begin to thank and praise God For What he is Going to Do.

So the bible declares that instantly she was made whole. But directly after the touch the text tells us Jesus knew someone had touched him and  Asked a Question he Said Who Touched me? Now remember there is a crowd of people soo the disciples are looking around crazy and they ask Jesus. All these people here that's following you and asking who is touching you?  Everybody is touching you. Jesus then responds to them and says No this was a different type of Touch This was a desperate touch of faith and he wasn’t going to ignore it. Jesus knew the difference between a regular touch and a desperate faith touch. You see many people they bump into Jesus and come to church and bump into him week after week but when is the last time you pushed through and made a desperate touch for Him. I gotta get out of here but the story goes on. And Jesus Asked who touched him even Though he already knew who it was. But the lady came forth and confessed everything to him.when she came forth she fell down and worshipped Him and began to tell God the whole truth.

When we come to Jesus we need to tell him the whole truth even though he already knows we still need to tell him. Tell him how you're hurting, tell him about your suffering and pain. Tell him about it. The hymn writer says it like this: what a friend we have in Jesus all our sins and grieves to beat what a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer.Tell the Lord about it. The lady with the issue of blood began to tell the Lord about it and as she began to tell him about it she worshipped him. When God comes through for you privately you ought to praise and worship him publicly.  So Jesus Needed the Lady to come forth not so he could brag about how much power he had and what not he needed her to come forth because he needed people to see, so That his father in Heaven might be glorified. Not only that she was called out because Jesus wanted to set the record straight that it was by her faith she was made whole. He wanted to set the record straight that She was clean and she wasn't making it up and he wanted to set the record straight for Jarius that if I can do it for her I can do it for your daughter as well.

Jesus Tells the Lady Go in Peace You Have been healed of your affliction. I Just Stop by to tell you today don’t Quit

Because the blessing that is coming is about to be peace not only are you going to have healing but you are going to have peace. The Peace that surpasses all understanding. Peace in your Home and Peace On your Job Peace in the schoolHouse look at your neighbor and say Peace. Don’t Quit!

Is it okay if I call the roll of those who didn’t quit.

Come Here Jacob He wrestled with the angel and said I'm not going to let go til you bless me.

Come here Abraham He could’ve Quit but he didn’t he kept the faith and became the father of many nations..

Come here moses he could’ve quit but no he kept the faith and told pharoah to let God's people Go

Come here David, David could’ve quit but he didn’t he said create within me a clean heart oh God. David Said I once was young but now i'm old and I’ve never seen the Righteous forsaken

Come here paul, He was beaten shipwrecked left outside the city for Dead, he was in jail but he still wrote from jail and told the people to let us not get weary in doing well but in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Paul Also Told Us That all things work together for Good of them that love the Lord...

Come Here Jesus I’m Glad Jesus Didn’t Quit But He Came Down through 42 Generations…………