DON'T FOLLOW THE CROWD! BREAK OUT FOR YOUR DESTINY!

 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.                               Luke 8:43-48 (KJV)

One this particular day, I believe there were many people following Jesus  who needed some healing and a special touch from Jesus, but they couldn't reach Him. They were limited by the size of the crowd. I am sure some of them may have given up hope and returned home or they may just be following hoping that at least some miracle will come their way. The woman with the issue of blood was following like the other people until she made up her mind to change her destiny after having spent all he fortune on physicians without any cure. 

If you follow the crowd, you will stop wherever the crowd stops. You cannot go further than the crowd. But if you walk alone, you are likely to find yourself in places no one has ever been.

The woman with the issue of blood made a simple decision not just to follow the crowd but to breakout of the crowd to reach master Jesus.  To be successful in life, you cannot do just what the crowd is doing. If you keep doing the same thing that everyone else is doing and falling, how can you be successful. You need to be innovative to chart your own path. This woman  came to the realization that she had to do something different to get her healing. 

How many times have you been praying the same prayer, the same way, at the same place, and time without results. It's about time you make a change. If you have been praying for five minutes a day, it is about time to double or triple it to get results. If you pray in a rush because you are had pressed with time, it's about time to re-evaluate to find a more suitable time to have real communication with God. A time when you can talk to Him and also wait for Him to talk to you. 

Whilst the crowd was following Jesus, the woman did not just want to follow for following sake, she said, " If I can just touch the helm of His garment, I will be made whole." It was this simple decision that resulted in a life-changing experience. I challenge you to break out of the crowd and get closer to Jesus through effective prayers and bible study. Be determined to live a life of holiness and righteousness not not to do what everyone else is doing. When everyone around you is falling into all kinds of diverse temptations and sins, be the one to stay faithful to God. The woman acted singly without anyone's help. She went all out by herself. She did not care what the crowd would say. She did it in secrecy but she was discovered by Jesus. As you go all out in your closest in prayer, your prayer will be answered and you will come out to declare the goodness of the Lord.

"And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately."

What do you desire today that you want the Lord to do for you and His Church? If we make our minds that we are going to touch just the helm of His garment, we would receive restoration. And when the restoration come, we will declare Him publicly as Lord.

In Luke 19:1-10(ESV), we read about a man called Zacchaeus:

He entered Jericho and was passing through.  And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.  And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”  And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Here again, we see, how the multitude of people can hinder our progress or breakthrough. Had Zacchaeus limited himself based on his height, he would not have been saved. His strong desire to see Jesus cause him to be innovative. He made his mind to break out of the crowd by climbing the sycamore tree. Though he was short, yet he had the clearest view of Jesus. For you to see Jesus clearly, love him more dearly, follow him more nearly, you must move to a higher altitude. You cannot experience Him in totality if you are with the crowd. The crowd would always do just the average. When you are in a school where everyone is getting a grade of C in a particular subject, you feel good when you also get C because this is the norm. There is no desire to excel or go beyond this average. Sometimes, you are even teased and given names when you get a grade above C. You cannot excel if you remain at this school. You have to move out to a better school to perform. Zacchaeus had to outdo the crowd to get to see Jesus. 

Trump won the American presidential election because he broke ranks with the establishment including his own Republican Party. He did not do what everyone would do or expect him to do. He decided to do it his own way, he went alone. Even though he did and said some nasty things, it worked for him. To get closer to God, you have to break ranks with the status quo to chart a new path of your own. You have to take some bold decisions in life sometimes to go alone. Your success and blessings will come only when you break away.

Abraham had to move out from his family into an unknown land to before he received the promise and blessings. He had to move away from the things that would have hindered his progress from getting to know God. He had to move away from the crowd and to chart a path for a change in his destiny. Everyone has a unique path to follow to fulfill your destiny. It will not conform to that of the crowd. Being with the crowd is a comfort zone. For you to break out of the crowd requires boldness. Abraham was bold to leave his household. He overcame his fears and ventured out. I pray that today you will venture out into an unknown territory for the Lord. I pray that you will put away or the fears and failures of the past and chart a new path for your life. I pray that you will set yourself apart for the Lord to use you in a new direction where no one has has been. 

There is a blessing awaiting those who hear and obey the voice of the Lord to set themselves apart. This can be found in Deuteronomy 28:1-2:

 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lordyour God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.  And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.  Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.  Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.  Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.  The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. The Lord will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways.  And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.  And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.  And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them,  and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

MAY YOU LEAVE THE CROWD AND FOLLOW GOD'S DIRECTION IN ORDER TO HAVE A CHANGE IN YOUR DESTINY! BE BLESSED TODAY!