Are you paralyzed by your problem now?
There’s hope. You can get of your paralysis. You can pick up your mat and walk.
Here’s how…
1. Remove Ambivalence
Every week at our Feast, I ask people to lift up their list of dreams written in their Novena to God’s Love. (We give this Novena to all first timers for free.)
Why do I encourage people to pray for their dreams daily?
Here’s why: Because Abundance is attracted to Clarity.
Not Ambivalence.
You need to be very clear with what you want. Let the question of Jesus reverberate in your heart. He asks you, “Do you really want to get well? Do you really want to get out of your suffering? What do you really, really, REALLY want?”
Abundance Will Give Her Heart To
Abundance is like a beautiful woman, waiting for the right suitor to win her heart.
Mister Ambivalence shows up at her doorstep, but looks terrible. He’s wearing an old pair of shorts and an ugly shirt. And he smells. He hasn’t taken a bath for a week. It’s clear he hasn’t come to court her.
When Lady Abundance opens the door, he looks at her and says, “Miss, you look interesting. I think I like you. But I really don’t know. You see, I’m in a complicated relationship with another girl right now. Her name is Poverty and she’s a real pain in the neck. But I’m not ready to give her up just yet.”
What will Lady Abundance do? She’ll tell him, “Bye!” and shut the door. She’ll drive him away.
And then Mr. Clarity arrives. He looks dashing in a tie. He smells fresh. And he has a red rose in his hand. He says to her, “People told me you were lovely, but gosh, you take my breath away. This might be too fast, but I have to tell you what’s in my heart. No, I don’t expect you to answer me today, or tomorrow, or next week, or next month. It doesn’t matter. I will wait. But I need to tell you that I will pursue you with all my heart until the ends of the earth. And I have to ask this question in Tagalog… Bangin ka ba?” (Are you a pit?)
Miss Abundance asks, “Why?”
“Nahuhulog ako sa iyo.” (I’m falling for you.)
What do you think will Miss Abundance do? You can bet she’ll be more attracted to Mr. Clarity than Mr. Ambivalence.
Do you want to get out of your suffering? Do you want to get out of your paralysis?
Remove ambivalence. Be unstoppable.
And you’ll get out of your suffering.
Here’s the second step…
2. Restore Authority
The paralyzed man thought that healing came from the pool. The superstition was that the first person to jump into the water when it starts moving would be healed.
So far, for 38 years, he’s not been healed. Why? First of all, no one offers to carry him to the pool. Second, he’s never the first guy to dive in when the water bubbles up.
But Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” In other words, Jesus said, “Forget the pool. Forget about waiting for someone to carry you to the pool. You don’t need the pool. Stop waiting. The power isn’t in the pool. The power is in you.”
Let me say that again: The power is in you!
So many people look for power elsewhere. They believe that the solution to their problems depends on someone else.
They wait for the government to help them. They wait for Mommy and Daddy to solve their problems. They wait for a friend to rescue them. They wait for their boss to promote them.
But unless you understand that the location of the power is within you–you won’t get out of your suffering.
Jesus said, I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. (Mark 11:23)
You can change the topography of your situation. God has given you the Authority to command the mountain of your problems to move!
When you believe that the power is within you, you become unstoppable.
And finally, the third step to get out of suffering…
3. Repeat Action
Psalms 23 says, Even though I walk through the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me. (Psalms 23:4)
Face it. There are many valleys in our lives. Many places of suffering.
But I love this Psalm because it says that we don’t stay in the valley. We don’t sit in the valley. We don’t stand in the valley. We don’t sulk in the valley…
We walk through the valley.
I love the illustration of walking because walking is a repeated action. Walking is putting one foot in front of the other foot. If you want to get out of suffering, you have to keep on doing the right thing again and again until you walk out of the valley.
Jesus told the paralyzed man, “Walk.”
For 38 years, this guy has never walked. He was rusty. I can imagine how clumsy it must have been at the start.
His toothpick legs were wobbly. Shaky. Unbalanced. People probably held him up so that he wouldn’t fall. But he took that first wobbly step. And he took another step. And another… Until he walked out of his suffering.
To walk out of your suffering, you have to keep on doing the right thing again and again.
Are you jobless right now? Do the right thing again and again until you walk out of the valley. Keep developing yourself. Keep training yourself. Keep applying. 10 companies, 20 if necessary. Don’t stop. Soon, you’ll walk out of the valley.
Are you buried in debt? Do the right thing again and again until you walk out of the valley. Don’t borrow again. Keep paying your debts. Keep living simply. Don’t stop. Soon, you’ll walk out of the valley.
Be Unstoppable
Let me repeat my big question to you: Are you unstoppable?
The reason why you don’t have what you say you want is because you don’t want it bad enough.
You say you want a strong relationship with your kids. But do you want it bad enough, you’ll do anything to make it happen? Like spending more time with them? Like giving up golf, TV, computers, games–so you could hang out more with your kids? Do you want it bad enough that you’re willing to humble yourself before your kids to ask forgiveness from them?
You say you want to become wealthy. But do you want it bad enough? Will you live simply so you can invest every month? Will you be willing to sell and be rejected? Will you get training? Will you read the right books, attend the right seminars, and seek out the right mentors?
You say you want to be healthy. But do you want it bad enough? Will you do anything to achieve it? For example, will you eat the best nutritious food? Will you walk everyday?
Remove ambivalence.
Be clear with what you want.
Be unstoppable.
And walk out of the valley.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
