But they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Luke 5:19 (NLT)
If there’s one type of person I love to be around, it’s people with stubborn faith.
That doesn’t mean I surround myself with naïve people or “yes” people, but rather with those who don’t back down when a challenge is too big. They recognize it will take a miracle to overcome it—and they still say, “Yes, we’re pressing on with you.”
Luke 5:17–25 provides a terrific example of the value of having friends with stubborn faith. As Jesus was teaching in a house, four men loaded their paralytic friend up on a stretcher and brought him to Jesus. Unable to get to the door, they carried their friend up onto the roof, tore a hole in it and lowered him down in front of Jesus. Now, that is stubborn faith in action!
What impresses me about these men is that they weren’t sitting in their friend’s bedroom feeling sorry for him. No, they loaded him up and put their faith to work. And when they brought him before Jesus, He saw their faith and healed their paralyzed friend.
You see, you’ll experience more miracles when you hang around with a faith crowd rather than with those focused on the negative. You can actually lose the miracle you need by hanging around with friends who won’t believe with you, because they will affect your faith.
Since the right friendships are crucial, seek out friends with stubborn faith who’ll believe and always point you to Jesus. They’ll make an amazing difference in your life!