And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any – Luke 8:43.

We need determination naturally and spiritually, without it we will not be successful in either one. This woman had dealt with her issue for twelve years, but she was determined to be healed by the One she knew could heal her.

During that dispensation, if someone had a blood issue they were not allowed to be in public. This woman had spent all of her money on physicians to heal her and they couldn’t. Can you imagine going through an issue for twelve years? It may be an issue of challenges in your health, finances, marriage, or ministry for twelve years or longer. Are you determined to get the issue resolved?

It was a crowd of people surrounding Jesus, so much so that He could hardly make a step. This woman who was forbidden to be in public began to go through the crowd saying to herself “If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole”. Mind you the place was jammed packed with people. This woman had to have stooped down through the crowd to touch the hem of His garment.

Her determination gave her an answer to her prayer to be healed. Just like the woman with the issue of blood, we must be determined to get closer to Jesus than we were in 2024. Thank God, He blessed us to enter into 2025, and now we should be determined to serve Him better. Many Christians need to rededicate themselves, and others need to be determined they will not allow anything or anyone to keep them from making the Lord first in their lives.

Just as we have a mindset to do things or accomplish goals, we should have a mindset to follow the instructions of God’s written Word. Be determined to make the Lord first when you awake and make Him the last one you talk to before retiring to bed. The more you talk with Him the more you want to be around Him to hear His voice, to feel His touch.

God wants His people to grow spiritually just as we grow educationally. If we didn’t attend our classes we wouldn’t know what the assignment was nor could we excel at other grade levels to graduate. Spiritually speaking, we will not graduate spiritually until we are in His kingdom to live forever. In the meantime, He wants us to excel spiritually, excel in praying, fasting, reading and studying His Word, and applying His Word to our daily lives.

If you never spend time with someone, how would you get to know them? The more time you spend with them, the more you get to know them. It’s the same thing with meeting with the Father daily, as you do so, you will begin to grow spiritually.

Many professing Christians have not heard His voice or felt His Spirit as long as they have been a Christian, something is wrong with that! It’s through His guidance and leading we can navigate this Christian journey.

This is the reason why so many Christians are easily influenced by the Adversary because they aren’t spending enough time in the presence of God. God’s Spirit will lead and guide us through things that aren’t in the Bible, but by His Spirit, we know what is right and wrong in His eyesight. What to do and what not to do when we don’t see what we are doing or going through in the Bible.

As Christians we’re different from the nonbelievers, we don’t do what they do, we don’t say what they say, and we don’t go where they go (Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you – 2nd Corinthians 6:17). Christianity is not only attending church, but allowing Christ to be the head of your life in every area of your life and being.

Jesus, the Father, nor the Holy Spirit will make you stop doing what you’re doing. He has given us a choice to live according to His will or ours. When we live according to our will, we hurt ourselves with the desires of life and the flesh. Jesus is returning for His church and we must be prepared when He returns to go with Him. If we are practicing sin when He returns, we will not be going with Him.

It’s not hard to live a godly life when you love Jesus, when you love someone you do everything humanly possible to make them happy, well it’s the same thing with loving our Lord and Savior. Take time to read and study the Bible, and seek Him in His Word. Seek Him in prayer that you may grow spiritually and be prepared for death or His coming!