Healing Is Yours! Will You Choose It or Choose Comfort?

Meditation Verse: John 5:5-9 NKJV

“Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 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?’ The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.”


For this month, our topic is “Holy Spirit. Healed Soul, and Clean Soles”, an on-time topic, as God cares about our soul's well-being holistically (spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.).

As I was reflecting on my week so far and praying, I was led to John 5 concerning the lame man. As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think, wow, he had this condition for 38 years, and finally Jesus noticed him and knew his condition.

In verse 6, Jesus asked the man, “Do you want to be made well?” The man responded not with an immediate yes, but with a response focused on his circumstance and not having help. I’m sure he wanted to be healed, but the circumstances made it seem impossible, and he didn’t know it was Jesus talking to him until afterward. What had me intrigued is how Jesus didn’t go back and forth with him. Jesus commanded him to get up and walk! Healing was his portion that day. It didn’t matter what was being said, whether excuses, lack of faith, hopelessness, or simply being hurt and tired. It was already his to begin with.

Sometimes when you’re stuck in bondage, holding on to hurt, or tired of fighting, you can settle for being comfortable in that hurt place. Taking those steps to change requires intentionality, consistency, discipline, and PATIENCE. Healing is not an overnight process; it is a long journey, as Pastor AK said in this month’s devotional.

God was reminding me that just because you may have swept it under the rug, trained your mind to forget about the trauma, or simply continued living life, doesn’t mean you’re truly healed from it.

As we know God to be all-knowing, He sees right through our smiles and “living life.”

1 Peter 5:7 NKJV says “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”


God cares about everything that’s on our minds, spoken or unspoken. He doesn’t want you to just forget about it, but to lay it at His feet and move out of the comfortable place of distractions online, bed-rotting, and doom scrolling.

Think about it. Bed-rotting is literally lying in bed for extended periods of time, and doom scrolling is endlessly scrolling on social media to escape the daily pressures of life. (Not saying you can’t watch TV or be active on social media.) But when it becomes an idol and source of comfort, then it becomes a problem, stepping between your relationship with God.

Exodus 20:3 NKJV says: “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Moreover, when you think about it, sin can be a contamination to the body. When you fall short, you feel disgusted, shameful, guilty, and want to hide from God. But God doesn’t condemn us; we often condemn ourselves. He has given us the chance every day to repent and turn from our sins. Also, in Proverbs 14:30 NLT it says: “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.”

Peace in the Hebrew translation is shalom, and it is defined as wholeness, completeness, soundness, and well-being.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines peace as a state of quiet, tranquility, and harmony.

Therefore, as I mentioned before, sin is like a contamination to the body that can lead us to being unhealthy in our soul (mind, will, and emotions). It can affect how we think and what we feed on, which can delay us in our healing process.

Having a sound mind leads to a healthy heart, but holding on to unforgiveness, lust, jealousy, envy, and anger is unhealthy.

It’s not easy, and I can attest that I’m still going through the process. I was once in a season where I was comfortable in depression and even claimed it. The world may tell you to drink away the pain, feed your emotions with partying, or retaliate, but the Lord says in His Word that vengeance belongs to Him (Romans 12:19).

The Lord is our defender and healer, but we must be willing to put in the work and partner with God to receive our healing. We also need godly community because we are not alone (James 5:16).

Lastly, your pain is not your identity. Jesus changed the lame man’s story. He went from being known by his condition to being known as a whole man.

Repeat after me:

“I choose to walk in healing and wholeness because Jesus is a restorer”

“I am God’s vessel and temple; my pain and past doesn’t define who I am.”