What if the thing holding you back isn’t your situation, but how you’ve learned to think about it?
In John 5:1 15, Jesus encounters a man who had been sick for nearly four decades. Day after day, he lay by the Pool of Bethesda, waiting for someone to help him into the water when it was stirred. When Jesus asks him a life-changing question—“Do you want to be made well?”—the man doesn’t say “yes.” Instead, he gives excuses. “I have no one to help me… Someone always gets there before me.”
Sound familiar?
Sometimes we find ourselves stuck, not because God isn’t willing to move, but because we’ve built mental walls that keep us from moving with Him. We’ve rehearsed our limitations, clung to our disappointments, and trained our minds to expect defeat instead of breakthrough.
Jesus wasn’t just offering this man healing—He was inviting him to think differently, hope again, and respond in faith.
The truth is, a broken mindset can quietly sabotage your spiritual life. It can dress up as caution, self-protection, or even humility—but in reality, it keeps you from stepping into all God has for you. In this post, we’ll explore three powerful ways a broken mindset hinders your faith and how Scripture shows us a better way.
Excuses Over Action: The Mindset That Keeps Us Stuck
Scripture Focus: “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” – John 5:7 (NIV)
Let’s be real for a moment—how often have we stood on the edge of a breakthrough but talked ourselves out of it?
That’s precisely what we see in John 5. Jesus asks the lame man a life-changing question: “Do you want to be made well?” And instead of saying yes, the man responds with reasons why healing hasn’t happened. No one helps him. Others beat him to it. He’s been waiting… and waiting. And now, he’s convinced the problem is everyone else.
It’s easy to look at this man and think, “Just say yes!” But when we pause and examine our own hearts, we often respond to God in the same way.
- “I would move forward if I had more support.”
- “I’ll start once things calm down.”
- “If it weren’t for what they did, I’d be further along.”
We don’t mean to resist healing, but excuses are often easier than action. They protect us from disappointment and allow us to stay in our comfort zones, even if that comfort comes with pain.
But here’s the truth: Jesus wasn’t asking for a backstory. He was offering a choice. Healing wouldn’t come through the pool anymore—it was standing right in front of the man, speaking to him directly. The question wasn’t Can he be healed, but Will he trust the One who can do it?
This same pattern is reflected in Scripture. Take Moses in Exodus 4:10-13. When God calls him to lead Israel, Moses responds with self-doubt and excuses: “I am slow of speech… Please send someone else.” But God didn’t need Moses to be eloquent—He needed Moses to be obedient.
And that’s what God asks of us, too.
Excuses may feel like protection, but they often mask fear.
If we’re not careful, they can quietly become the reason we remain spiritually stuck.
This is why the words of C.S. Lewis are so powerful:
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
Jesus isn’t asking for your resume. He’s asking for your willingness. The first step toward healing and growth often starts when we stop rehearsing the reasons we can’t—and start believing in the One who can.
So, let me ask you:
What excuse have you been clinging to that’s keeping you from the healing or breakthrough God is ready to give you?
Comfort in the Condition: When Familiar Feels Safer Than Free
Scripture Focus: “One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.” – John 5:5 (NIV)
Thirty-eight years. That’s how long the man in John 5 had been in the same condition. Nearly four decades of waiting. That’s longer than many of us have been alive. And yet—there he remained, lying by the pool, hoping for something to change but never quite stepping into change himself.
Let’s pause and be honest with ourselves:
How long have you stayed in something broken because it’s familiar?
Sometimes, we get so used to our dysfunction—our pain, struggle, mindset—that it becomes a strange kind of comfort. We know how it works, and we’ve adjusted our lives around it. It may not be ideal, but it’s predictable… and feels safer than the unknown.
For this man, healing would mean change. It would mean walking again, learning new routines, and facing new responsibilities. Sometimes, the fear of what happens next is greater than the frustration of staying stuck.
This isn’t just his story—it’s ours, too.
In Numbers 14:1-4, the Israelites, having just been delivered from slavery in Egypt, stood on the edge of the Promised Land. But instead of stepping forward in faith, they panicked. They said, “Let’s go back to Egypt!” Why? Because freedom required trust, and they were more comfortable with what they knew, even if it was bondage.
A broken mindset tells us it’s better to stay in what we understand than risk the vulnerability of faith.
It convinces us that healing, growth, or breakthrough might not work out… so why bother trying?
But Jesus didn’t just come to comfort us in our condition—He came to call us out of it.
He told the man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk” (John 5:8). That command wasn’t just physical—it was emotional, spiritual, and mental. He was telling the man, “You don’t have to live here anymore.”
Maybe God is telling you the same thing.
Comfort zones can feel safe, but they rarely grow our faith. Faith requires movement, obedience, and trust that where God leads, He also provides.
So here’s the real question:
Are you willing to leave your comfort for your calling?
Healing Without Transformation: When the Heart Stays the Same
Scripture Focus:
“Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.’ The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.” – John 5:14–15 (NIV)
The man at the Pool of Bethesda received an incredible miracle—after 38 years, he walked away on legs that hadn’t moved in decades. But if you follow the story closely, something important is missing: transformation.
When Jesus finds the man again in the temple, He doesn’t pat him on the back or ask how his legs are doing. Instead, Jesus warns him: “Stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you.” Those words reveal the man’s real issue wasn’t just physical but spiritual.
And sadly, his response shows us that while his body had changed, his heart had not. Instead of worshiping Jesus or thanking Him, the man turns and reports Jesus to the authorities. There’s no confession, no gratitude, no transformation—only self-preservation.
Healing without heart change is incomplete.
As believers, we must remember that Jesus doesn’t just want to make our lives better—He wants to make us new. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
That’s the goal of grace—not just breakthrough, but rebirth. Not just a new season, but a new self.
This brings to mind a powerful quote by Christine Caine:
“God is not looking for behavior modification; He’s looking for heart transformation.”
It’s easy to seek God for what He can do for us, but genuine faith asks: What is God trying to do in me?
We see a similar pattern in Judas Iscariot’s life. He walked with Jesus, witnessed countless miracles, and heard the truth daily, but he never allowed his heart to truly surrender. He stayed close to God’s power but far from its purpose.
Here’s the honest reflection:
- Has your healing deepened your relationship with Jesus, or have you stopped at the miracle?
- Have you allowed the work God began in your situation to take root in your soul?
Healing is the invitation. Transformation is the journey.
Don’t just walk away physically restored—walk forward spiritually renewed.
Renewing Your Mindset: How to Move Forward in Faith
Scripture Focus:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” – Romans 12:2 (NIV)
A broken mindset can keep us stuck, but the good news is—God wants to renew your mind and lead you forward.
The man at the Pool of Bethesda was healed, but Jesus wanted more than physical change—He wanted transformation. That same call is for us. God doesn’t just rescue us from something—He calls us into something greater.
Here are a few simple, powerful ways to start renewing your mindset:
1. Stay in God’s Word
God’s truth reshapes our thoughts and breaks the cycle of negative thinking.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet…” – Psalm 119:105
2. Speak Life Over Yourself
Replace doubt with declarations of God’s promises.
“The tongue has the power of life and death…” – Proverbs 18:21
3. Take One Faith Step
Faith grows when you act. Start small. Obey what you know.
“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” – James 2:17
4. Pray for God’s Perspective
Sometimes the shift begins with one honest prayer:
“Lord, help me see things the way You see them.”
Transformation isn’t instant, but it is intentional.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…” – Philippians 1:6
You’re not stuck. You’re invited to move forward in faith, freedom, and purpose.
Closing Statement
God is not only able to heal your body or fix your situation—He desires to transform your mind and heart. When the lame man at the pool was given the opportunity to walk again, Jesus offered him more than just physical movement—He provided a new way of thinking, a new way of living, and a new way of seeing.
You don’t have to stay stuck in fear, blame, or spiritual paralysis. Healing is just the beginning. When your mindset is renewed by truth, faith becomes active, and transformation becomes possible. The same Jesus who asked, “Do you want to be made well?” is still asking today—and He’s ready to do more than you could ever imagine.
You were never meant to stay by the pool. It’s time to rise, walk, and move forward in faith.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for seeing me, even when I’ve been stuck in the same place for so long. I confess that at times, I’ve allowed fear, blame, or disappointment to shape my mindset more than Your truth. But today, I choose to believe that You are not only my Healer—but my Restorer and Transformer. Renew my mind. Shift my thoughts from defeat to victory, from delay to direction, from excuses to obedience. Teach me to walk by faith and not by what I see. Help me to take the next step forward in trust, knowing You’re with me every step of the way. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Has this message challenged or encouraged you?
We’d love to hear your thoughts—leave a comment below and share this post with someone who might need a fresh perspective on faith. Let’s grow together! 🌱✝️
