And

And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath
And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years
And was bowed together
And could in no wise lift up herself
And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him
And said unto her, "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity"
And he laid his hands upon her
And immediately she was made straight
And glorified God

And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation,
because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day,
And said unto the people, "There are six days of the week
in which men work: in them therefore come
And be healed
And not on the sabbath day"
The Lord then answered him
And said, "Hypocrite,
doth not each of you on the sabbath day
loose his ox or his ass from the stall
And lead him away to watering?
And should not this woman,
this daughter of Abraham whom Satan has bound,
lo, these eighteen years,
be loosed on the sabbath day?"

And when he said these things,
his adversaries were ashamed
And all the people rejoiced
for all of the glorious things
which had been done by him
13 Luke 10-17 KJV

In this passage, the word "and" is stated 18 times, and the woman was bound for eighteen years. For those of us who like to work with the spiritual meaning of numbers in the bible, it is understood that the number 18 stands for bondage.

What has you bound? What is your infirmity?
It doesn't have to be physical. Many of us suffer from mental and/or emotional bondage. Some of us even suffer from financial bondage, and bondage of other sorts. Bondage does not have to remain your state. Let's look at the passage to discvover how to become free.

How To Be Relieved From Bondage
First, note that Jesus was teaching at the synagogue; he was in control. Step One: let God take control of your life.

Second, Jesus saw the woman's affliction. Step Two: get God to notice you. Pray.

Third, Jesus called the woman to him and spoke to her. When you pray with faith, God will hear you and speak to you. Step Three: listen for God to answer you.

Fourth, Jesus laid his hands upon the woman and immediately she was made straight. Step Four: allow God to touch you and heal you. Realize that the healing will be in God's own time, but the healing will come right on time.

Fifth, as soon as she was healed, the woman praised God. Step Five: praise God for your healing, without delay. And if you are not sure that you have been healed, praise him anyhow.

Sixth, the ruler of the synagogue was perturbed that Jesus had the audacity to heal on the sabbath day, breaking the law of Moses. Jesus, in turn, pointed out that a daughter of Abraham was more important than a beast of burden and deserved as much, if not better, than such beast. Step Six: don't let others shake your faith. You are the head and not the tail.

My sisters and brothers, what God has for you is for you alone and no one can take it away from you. But, you can refuse to accept the gift that is yours. I suggest that you not. Be healed!

Let the Peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
Gye