Put Your Blinders On
By Min. Andre Powell
Focus has been a topic for our Pastor’s messages recently, and it made me think about my life and what distracts me from my purpose. As a young man growing up in the 21st century, it is easy to see why the saints before us had so much power. Back then, there weren’t cell phones with thousands of apps, handheld TV’s (let alone television), gaming systems and computers; the absence of these distractions afforded them more time with the Lord and increased their strength. While dealing with being focused a thought was given to me to “Put your Blinders on” Blinders are an eye covering put on racing horses’ heads so they can only see what is in front of them. There are two short stories I want to focus on in this:
The first is in Luke 8:42-48 and deals with the woman with an issue of blood for twelve years and the physicians who could not do anything for her. She spent all she had trying to find a cure for this. She heard that Jesus was coming into town. She had the faith that she could be healed and she pressed through the crowd to get to Jesus. She believed that if she just got to his garment she could be made whole. The woman touches the hem of Christ’s garment and immediately she is healed.
The second story is in Matthew 8:5-13 and deals with the Centurion and his sick servant. The Centurion, a commander of 100 or so men in the Roman army, had a servant that was at his home sick of palsy. He went to see Jesus and ask him to speak and heal his servant. He had faith that Jesus could do it from where they were standing.
Both of these stories show a great deal of faith. The woman with the issue of blood could have easily been distracted with the sheer number of people that surrounded Jesus and given up, but she pressed on. After twelve years with this issue, she could have given up because her body was weak, but she was pressed anyway. Her faith kept her going in spite of the circumstances. The centurion could have also lost focus by his position alone, he was a high ranking officer and many people knew him. He went to see Jesus anyway. He could have been discouraged from the beginning because his servant was close to death, yet he had faith that the Lord could heal his servant.
I know you are probably thinking, what does “Put your Blinders on” have to do with these stories about faith? Faith is our blinder. Faith will help keep us on the right track with the Lord. Psalm 30:5 says, “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” We have faith that no matter what is on our plate, what could go wrong, or the curveballs that life may throw, our morning is going to come to us. Our faith has to grow, our blinder must be enhanced. The Lord will never put more on you than you can bear, but that does not mean that you can handle what is ahead with how you are now. That is almost as bad as a computer virus 10.0 against a computer protected for virus 7.5. The virus will take that computer over. We have to grow in faith. Faith changes things that we do. Without faith we would be lost to the world around us.
In Luke 17:6-…“The Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” Our faith can be that strong through fasting and praying, reading our word, diligently seeking the Lord, and pressing for the mark of the High calling. Heaven is my goal…you are welcome to join me. Put on your Blinders and Focus!