I think we all know the story of Cinderella. She was a beautiful woman with great potential, but she was bound by an environment that constantly put her down and tried to reduce her to nothing! But one day she met her Prince.
One day the Prince knocked on her door. We know about the Ball, the Prince and her Slipper. The Prince never forgot her; she was unique. He did not give up his search until he found her.
There are a lot of women today living like Cinderella, bound to situations, living in insecurities and addictions that are robbing them of their peace and joy. Maybe you have met the Prince of Peace, but you have fallen into emotional bondage or other traps of the enemy.
There is HOPE! Jesus, the Prince of Peace, knows where you are and how long you have been there. His desire for you is that you walk in the freedom of His presence and provision.
Jesus met a woman in a synagogue who had been bound for 18 years. She had been in church, but she was still bound. Religion had taught her to manage her pain, but it had not gotten to the root of her problem. To get to the root of your problem, you must connect with Jesus. You can attend church and all its functions, but never touch Jesus.
A woman of God will not settle; she will press in until she touches Jesus. A key issue in our life, as a child of God, is how we view and respond to Jesus. Is He merely a routine in your life, and you show up in church to make a good impression, or is He your best friend?
Remember that hymn, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer”?
After 18 years of attending church, this woman met Jesus! Suddenly, she was standing tall and walking straight.
As we read her testimony in Luke 13:10-16, NKJV, we notice one thing. She had to go to Jesus. “But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him…” (v. 12). She had to go to Him. Her faith took her to Jesus; and even when she could not stand up to see Him, she followed His voice! In her pain and agony, she did not give in to the circumstances of her life. Jesus spoke, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity“ (v. 12). She was instantly made whole.
We must know His voice because Jesus said, “…the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (John 10:4). To know His voice comes from a relationship with Him.
Jesus also said, “This woman, being a daughter of Abraham…” (v. 16). God had made a covenant with Abraham that He would bless him and his descendants. This is a promise that still stands today. She had a right to be blessed! You, too, have a right to be blessed. You are a daughter of Abraham so . . . stand tall and walk straight!
Joyce Tilney is the founder of Women of God Ministries, teaching women today from women of yesterday. She has authored several books including Why Diets Don’t Work–Food Is not the Problem. After surrendering her weight issues to the Lord He gave her a battle plan that worked from the inside out taking 80 pounds from her body! Visit www.wogministries and www.whydiets.com to join the walk of glorifying God with your body!
