John 5:6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?
Jesus saw a man lying at the pool of Bethesda who had an infirmity for 38 years of his life. The infirmity paralyzed his mind and body but not his soul. The invalid was waiting for someone to come to his aid but no one did. Many passed him to get into the pool. Jesus saw the man struggling but he did not offer him a hand; he said “wilt thou be made whole.” Jesus told him to get up and walk and immediately he was healed. Ironically the man did not jump in the pool; he thought the pool was the source of healing but it was Jesus that restored him to wholeness. The man picked up his mat, rejoiced and followed after him. The key point here is that the man did not get up until his mind and body came into full agreement until he said ‘yes’ to Jesus. He gave the Son of God his problem and in turn, God responded with healing. Jesus addressed this man in the area of belief. The belief here is the responsibility to take action for oneself. The man at the pool did not take responsibility for himself until he fully recognized that action was needed to be taken which was to be made whole. The pool was never going to make him whole. If the pool was going to make him whole, he would have been healed at an early age.
There are many issues today that paralyze us. For more than three years, the financial stronghold has captivated many similar to a physical sickness. The lack of finances has caused Americans to go into debt, foreclosure, and bankruptcy. Debt, foreclosures, and bankruptcies can only be linked back to one issue in which the man at the pool did not exhibit – responsibility.
Responsibility lies within us. We have been given a mandate (responsibility) by our Creator to become fruitful, to multiply, and to have dominion on this earth. Our financial resolve for 2012 is contingent if we are to take full responsibility of our finances. Once we acknowledge our responsibility not Washington, our finances would become truly whole. There are four steps to become financial whole. These steps will set you on the right track regardless of your financial or educational level. It is your stewardship, your budgeting, your giving, and your investing. If we follow these steps in 2012, God will make our finances whole. In the next couple of weeks, I will discuss each one of these items in detail and show you how to move forward with your finances. Once you do, financial wholeness will reach you and your wallet in ways that you cannot imagine.
Cedric Dukes is an ordained deacon, author, speaker, and columnist. His book, Hostile Takeover – Manifesting God’s Plan and Purpose for Your Finances, has changed the way people think about finances and has been featured nationally. You may contact him at www.cedricdukes.com.