What To Do When You're Stuck

What to do when you’re stuck. Have you ever been in a situation that you’ve been stuck?

Ncv Jn 5:4–9.

5 A man was lying there who had been sick for thirty-eight years.

6 When Jesus saw the man and knew that he had been sick for such a long time, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be well?”

7 The sick man answered, “Sir, there is no one to help me get into the pool when the water starts moving. While I am coming to the water, someone else always gets in before me.”

Then from the God’s Word Bible 8 Jesus told the man, “Get up, pick up your cot, and walk.”

9 The man immediately became well, picked up his cot, and walked. That happened on a day of worship.

GOD’S WORD Translation (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 1995), Jn 5:8–9.

To begin with brothers and sisters, Christian Friends, Well Wishers and Saints of God there are a plethora of powerful positive and potent facts concerning the impotent man in the text.

The setting, scene, and atmosphere takes place in Jerusalem. Jesus goes to Jerusalem to attend the Passover Feast of the Jews. It was the place where a mighty miracle occurred. And Brothers and sisters Jesus is the miracle man. In the holy city of Jerusalem at the sheep gate pool or the Pool of Bethesda. strange things happened.

The Pool of Bethesda was located right outside of the Northeastern corner of the city walls of Jerusalem, It was attached to Hadrain’s Temple. The Romans had set up this bathing pool where they embraced their idol god Asclepion. Asclepion was popular because of its attributes of medicine and healing. And believe it or not “all of the sick and messed up folk hang out by this healing pool”. If you had physical problems that’s where you hung out.

Look at John 5:3  NCV Many sick people were lying on the porches beside the pool. Some were blind, some were crippled, and some were paralyzed[, and they waited for the water to move. Many sick and messed up folk were there. Many unfulfilled dreams and expectations were there, Many short-comings were there. Many failures and let downs were there.

And the moment you went there to the pool of Bethesda you realize, that whatever my little problems are, they aren’t anything comparing to this stuff.

Here’s a cliche’ story that has deep meaning “There was A man who once complained about not having any shoes for his feet until he saw another man with no feet at all”.

And at the Pool of Bethesda people hoped for a brighter day, they hoped for a chance to better themselves, they hoped for the opportunity to compete in society like everyone else, and they longed for an equal level playing field to be able to have a decent lifestyle.

But! why at the pool of Bethesda ? Because the word Bethesda in the Aramaic language means House of Mercy, Place of mercy and sometimes called the place of two outpourings, because it was a place where you could be cured of whatever is wrong with you. The Pool of Bethesda was a place of Mystery, Magic and Miracles all wrapped up in one.Bethesda was the place of the Supernatural Miraculous present of a Mighty Healing Power. And listen good I do believe there are place on this earth that have natural healing powers and In this case it had to be the Presence of The Holy Ghost. Because you’ll don’t think that God is going to allow Asclepion an agent of the devil to outdo Him do you? Because there is power in the name of Jesus and

When you’re stuck like chuck, you don’t want to hear some made up legend, myth, or allegory, no no no. When you’re stuck.. you want to hear a viable solution that has veracity that will lead you to victory.

Tell your neighbor: Victory today is mine

I want to hear an actual factual biblical word from God that applies to my situation.

Look at the text the sick and messed up people had hope for a brighter day. And that’s my story. I’m one of those folk. From the NCV Bible in verses 3&4 says Many sick people were lying on the porches beside the pool. Some were blind, some were crippled, and some were paralyzed[, and they waited for the water to move. 4 Sometimes an angel of the Lord came down to the pool and stirred up the water. After the angel did this, the first person to go into the pool was healed from any sickness he had].

Shiloh, I pray for you everyday, and my prayer is that God will move on your behalf, because you never really know exactly what people are going through.

Because some in life people get stuck. Some people stuck right now. Stuck Stuck Stuck. Stuck in a a bad situation, stuck in a marriage that love don’t live here anymore, Stuck in a dead end job wishing you could retire but you ain’t got the years yet, Stuck in an old car but you got bad credit and can’t do no better right now, Stuck in an old house that the more you fix it the more it breaks, Stuck in a community that have more blighted house than homes that people live in. Stuck in a state, stuck a nation and stuck a world that looks like its trying to self destruct at any moment. Stuck! Stuck! Yeah Stuck! like chuck.

And the bible says from the KJV in verse 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.

The Holy Bible: says the man have been stuck for 38 long years. Stuck waiting for the troubling of the water, stuck waiting for friends and family to be fair. Stuck hoping for a savior to come and rescue him.

And sometimes we’ve been doing badly so long until some of us are content with being stuck. Saying stuff like “Well that’s all she rolls for me, that’s it you know”....Nah Nah nah that’s not it because I have hope for a brighter day.

Look at what Jesus tells the impotent man from the KJV 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? Historically speaking the dynamics and demographics have changed and there are more Jewish people going to the pagan god Asclepion’s pool of Bethesda and Jesus knew it. And listen the dynamic can change and what once was a striving way can change and in 2022 we need to be able to adapt to those changes and in this case the change is from relying on Asclepion’s healing the Jews were now relying on the moving of the waters by the Holy Ghost.

So Jesus says In other words “Do you want your situation to change?” This is real talk now. Because you either want to get unstuck or remain stuck and stagnant for the rest of your life because you’re never going to beat anybody into that water. And what’s sad today is that covid-19 and it’s variances delta, omicron, and now Ba-2 has conveniently provided too many of us with a built in excuse mechanisms. Mechanisms that allows us to throw in the towel before the game is over!

“No More Excuses For Being Stuck”Listen to the impotent man in verse 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Excuses 2x I know all the right stuff to say. In essence the impotent man says I understand the dynamics of church protocols and church polity and church policies and procedures. And I’m very churchy and I know if I say this you’ll leave me alone because nobody can really say that I’m not trying to get better, because I’ve been here 38 long years messed up tore up from the floor up.”and I come everyday.

And this is what really blew my mind “Since nobody knows the times or the seasons when the Holy Ghost will come and stir the waters, obviously somebody brought him there everyday!!!” The impotent man is paralyzed, and didn’t bring himself there through the streets of Jerusalem to get to the pool of Bethesda. Some people brought him there.

The impotent man says in essence Mr. Jesus I don’t have nobody to put me in when the angel troubles the water. Then Jesus says something for the second time that was very harsh and insulting. Yeah Yeah yeah

1.The first insult was do you want to be made whole? Well I’ve been here 38 years what you think!

2. The second insult is found in verse 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. In other words stop that yada yada yada and take action! Get Up! and Pick it up! and walk on out of here!

Tell your neighbor: Get Up and Pick it Up.

Get up from where you are! and then pick up all the left over residues of your flawed fumbling failing lifestyle.

Then put it in a trash can and Haul it away. Get up! Pick it Up! and then Haul it away! Listen to me real good “If something isn’t working in my house or around my yard, I haul it away from there.” If it’s dead bury it if it’s broke, either fix it or trash it and get something new. What to do when you’re stuck? Get unstuck Get Up and Pick it Up.

I learned something years and years ago “ You are, where you are, because that is exactly where you want to be.” That statement changes my life. No more blaming other people, no more saying the playing field isn’t level. no more saying I can’t do this because I’m an African American, No more excuses brother No more excuses sister. Because you are where you are because that’s exactly where you want to be. All of us get stuck sometimes whether we want to admit it or not but here’s the key, “we all have to take positive actions to get unstuck from our negative situations” . We all have bad days from time to time but it’s important to work towards possible solutions that sometimes involves impossible situations. Because the bible says “Nothing is impossible with God” And taking positive action, puts us in a position to potentially become well.

And throughout the bible men and women have had faith in God in impossible situations. And we too must have faith because Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. and then James said Faith without works is dead. And the bible says without Faith it is impossible to please God.

Look at verse 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. What to do when you’re stuck?

Church, Follow Jesus’ commands no matter how insane, how idiotic or how crazy it sounds, follow Jesus’ commands. Here’s why If what you’ve been doing for 38 long years have not worked then why is it hard to make some meaningful changes that will help you. The impotent man got up, picked up his bed and walked out of a bad situation.

The bible says the impotent man is walking with his portable bed and the Jewish Leaders stop him and say it’s not lawful for you to be carrying your bed on the Sabbath Day. The Sabbath for the Jews of Jesus day was like Sunday in our day and time. And that’s where rules and regulations go too far.

The man got healed but they wanted to know who told you you could be healed, who told you to carry that bed through the streets of Jerusalem on the Sabbath, and what was the name of the person who healed you, and told you to do all this illegal stuff.

The man simply said I don’t know who He was because it was so many people in that place, and I’m just glad I’ve got my healing.

And the man is appreciative of God’s Healing and we see evidence of this in verse 14 The bible says in the NCV 14 Later, Jesus found the man at the Temple and said to him, “See, you are well now. Stop sinning so that something worse does not happen to you.” This profound and prophetic verse is what keep my sins at bay. In all of the bible this verse makes me act right!!!! “Jesus said Stop sinning so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.”

God allow some of us to escape death by the grace of God. Jesus Christ the Very Son of God is saying in essence I gave you another chance you better straighten up and fly right.

Church, God has given you the warning. And here’s the point “why should we be like the impotent man and go through 38 long years of hell then and go back to foolishness and folly and end up a fatality”. The bible says it would be like a dog returning to its own vomit.

When you’re stuck like chuck what do you do? Get up Pick it Up and Haul it away.

Get up I’m getting up out of this foolishness

Pick it up this is the problem that had me broke down

Haul it away I’m getting rid of this trash from around my door steps, so you can go forward with the rest of your life.