Mark 10:46-50, “Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. ⁴⁷ And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹ So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” ⁵⁰ And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

Each of you has been in my prayers this morning. Praying for one another is becoming even more important as we identify the needs that are present in the lives of our family and friends. I would also encourage you to remember that there is a benefit in agreeing in prayer for a specific need. Do you remember the words of Jesus, “IF two or three agree…”

I would like to share with you an inspiration that I believe the Holy Spirit placed in my heart at the conclusion of last Sunday’s service. The Spirit reminded me of blind Bartimaeus and the story of his healing. Bartimaeus is sitting on the side of the road and he hears that Jesus is passing by that way. He immediately begins to cry out for Jesus to have mercy on him. I can close my eyes and hear the desperate yet faith filled cry that is coming from this man’s heart. Do we realize that Jesus hears each of us when we cry out for His assistance in our journey of life? I encourage you to take a moment and reflect on the times that Jesus heard your cry for help!!!

The passage of scripture in Mark 10 reveals the sound of some other voices that are making noise at the same time that Bartimaeus is crying out for Jesus. The “noise” is the “voices of discouragement.” These other voices wanted the blind man to be quiet. EACH OF US must decide which voices we are going to listen to and which voices we will obey. We must remember that each of us will face the “voices of discouragement” any time that we choose to follow Christ. It is the devil’s intent to discourage us and to interfere in our journey of faith.

Satan wanted to keep Bartimaeus on the side of the road. Satan wants to keep EACH OF US on the side of the spiritual road of life. Satan wanted to keep Bartimaeus blind. Satan wants to keep EACH OF US spiritually blind. Satan wanted to keep Bartimaeus away from the presence of God. Satan wants to keep EACH OF US away from the presence of God through the Biblical principles of prayer, praise, fellowship and the corporate preaching of the Word of God.

Let me remind you of another voice in the crowd. In the midst of the discouragement someone declares these words, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He (Jesus) is calling you.” I am that voice this morning. I am saying that Jesus is calling us in the midst of our discouragement, in the midst of our trials, in the midst of our heartaches, in the midst of our hurts, in the midst of our excuses to stay on the sidelines, (This is not the time to be on the spiritual sidelines, this is the time to step into the battle and release our faith.), in the midst of our sorrows and heartaches, etc. God is calling each of us to draw near to Him regardless of whatever “in the midst of” situation or struggle we are facing.

Praise God, Bartimaeus chose to listen to the voice of Christ. He listened to Christ in obedience and he was healed. He chose to reject all of the “voices of discouragement and dismay.” He chose to respond to Christ!! Which voice will we chose to respond to today? Which voice will we chose to respond to the remaining days of our lives?

Each of you is DEFINITELY MISSED when you are unable to worship with us!! I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday (2-19). God is at work but we must be willing to let Him do His work in our lives. I encourage you to not listen to the voices of discouragement but listen for the VOICE OF CHRIST!! He is calling us to draw near to Him!! Take a step of faith and respond to His call!!