Take it by Force
I often wondered about these violent people who take the kingdom by force. I’m sure one of them was the woman in Mark 5:25-30, who suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. This woman has always intrigued me, more than the other people Jesus healed. She didn’t wait for her friends to carry her to Jesus on a cot. She didn’t lay by the pool waiting for an angel to stir up the water. Jesus didn’t find her laying in bed or hiding in a barn. No. She actively pursued her Healer, the great Physician. She believed the word she had heard about Jesus, and her belief compelled her to take action. She said to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
This woman had spent everything she had on doctors and her condition only grew worse. The people who take the kingdom by force, probably gave everything to the world, at one time and got nothing in return. Now they are convinced that Jesus is the only answer. They are the ones who do not give up in the midst of battle. Instead they stand, and fight the good fight of faith.
This woman forced her way through the crowd, touched the garment of Jesus and was immediately healed. The people who take the kingdom by force are the ones who desperately fight through the crowds, and push their way past the spectators. Like this woman, they intentionally and purposefully make a connection with Jesus, and tap into the endless supply of His power and strength. Are you a spectator or actively engaged in taking territory for the Kingdom of God?
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