Are You Ready To Let Jesus In?

Are you ready to let Jesus in? Maybe you are wondering where I am getting at since you are already made the decision to make Jesus your Saviour. But I have come to the realization that becoming a believer does not mean that you have fully let Jesus into your life. And yes you might think you have

 But there is only one way to find out. Jesus wants the real you, not the person you pretend to be. And it could be the pretense does not even come from a bad place rather, it could be that you are trying to portray yourself as best as you can be for Him. Maybe the reason is that you have been rejected in the past so you think Jesus is the same way. Or it could be you sincerely want to be a better person and so you put up a front before Jesus.

But friend, what this does is prove that you have not let Jesus in. Whenever you put up a facade when you are in God’s presence, it shows that deep down you have areas that you have yet to give to God. You know surrender is not an easy thing to do. Because it means relinquishing control and learning to fully trust God. And this my friend, is not an easy thing to do. Especially if you have experienced betrayal of some sort.

You see, the problem we have as human beings is that we find ourselves limiting our experiences with God based on the experiences we have had. And because of that, we end up using these lenses in our view of who God is. So then, trust becomes difficult. But today I want to encourage you to let Jesus in and fully surrender. And to do that, I would like to give you a glimpse of the importance of letting Jesus in? And to help me do that, I would like to take you to John 4.

The Woman at the well.

Now Jesus learned the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although in fact, it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. John 4:1‭-‬3 NIV

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.). John 4:4‭-‬9 NIV

The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus had to go through Samaria. Now, in those days, the Jews would not pass through Samaria. They preferred to use a longer route than go through Samaria. Yet Jesus went through Samaria. He intentionally made a detour. And if you have read the Bible for a while you know that Jesus was very intentional.

Everything He did had a reason tied to it. And as the story unfolds, we quickly realize that Jesus made a detour for the woman at the well- the Samaritan woman. He knew she had internal struggles and He wanted to set her free. 

The woman, on the other hand, had her guard really up, which is clear from the answers. I mean she could have just said no. But she had to point out that He was a Jew and she was a Samaritan. And although that was a fact (the Jews and Samaritans did not interact) it did not have to be pointed out. So let me ask you this: have you had moments where you found yourself letting your guard up unnecessarily?

Maybe you have been a little too harsh on people who did not deserve it? Can you relate to the woman’s response and behavior? Have you had moments where you acted a little too much and you wish you could take it back? Let’s go on with the story. And before we judge the Samaritan woman, let’s dive into what her problem was. 

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.

 Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” John 4:10‭-‬20 NIV

You see, all along Jesus was patient. He wanted the woman to open up because He understood that the harsh response was only a symptom of a deeper issue. The woman was wounded. She had been married 5 times and the man she was living with was not her husband. People had probably judged her in the past and that’s why she lashed out when someone was polite to her. That was her defense mechanism.

She probably did not even trust men at all based on her experience. But Jesus did not mind waiting a little bit longer to have her reveal what the actual issue was. And it was when she became vulnerable that she received her healing which is revealed in verse 28.

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” John 4:28‭-‬29 NIV

And before you wonder how this is being revealed, let me explain. The woman in verse 5 came to fetch water at noon. The reason this was odd is that women at that time would get water either early in the morning or in the evening because during the day it was very hot to go and get water from the well. So it was odd for her to be fetching water at that time of the day. This means she chose a time when no one would see her or at the very least talk to her. She was isolating herself.

Yet we see down in verse 28 her going to the same village to tell people about Jesus. And this time she did not care about people’s perception of her. In fact, she was the one who went around telling people about Jesus and told her everything she had ever done.

This time she was free and had no problem talking about her past. So this is a clear sign that Jesus had healed her and all this was because she allowed Jesus into the deepest, darkest areas of her life.

Mind you Jesus only told her of that one area she was struggling with, not every struggle of hers. Yet she went to testify about Jesus. She told them Jesus had revealed to her every aspect of her life. Why is that? This, my friend, is because Jesus revealed the very area she struggled in.

Jesus wants to do the same for you, too. He wants you to experience freedom just like the woman at the well. He wants to set you free because that was His intention when He came here on earth. Can you imagine He left the heavens to come to this sinful world to redeem you and me? But you cannot fully experience freedom unless you let Jesus in. And today I want to share some keys to help you with that. 

3 things that can help you let Jesus in

The first key is honesty.

The first thing we see with this woman is that she was honest with Jesus. She did not try to fake her reality. Can you imagine what would have happened if she had not been honest with God? She probably would have missed out on her healing.

Jesus will only heal what you bring to Him, and this starts with you being honest. Do not hide your struggles. The truth is that Jesus already knows your struggles. But it is going to take you admitting your struggles and you taking them to Him so that He can heal you. Jesus wants you to come to Him with your heavy burdens and He will give you rest.

Notice that He first tells you to come before you can receive your rest. And the same goes for your healing. You need to be honest to receive it. 

Be open

You have to get to the point where you are vulnerable with Jesus. Vulnerability means being open and real with Him. Hide nothing from Him. And as you do so you need to be open to what He will say. Jesus did not reveal the woman’s shortcomings to shame her. No! On the contrary, He did so because He wanted to heal her.

The same goes for you. You need to understand that before Jesus can heal you, HE will reveal those dark areas and struggles. He might even have you go back to the places that wounded you. And all this He will do so that you can receive healing. You see there has to be confrontation for you to be healed. And you have to come face to face with the very thing you are hiding deep within in order for Jesus to heal you.

The only thing that torments you is what you have not brought to Jesus. The enemy is the ruler of the dark. That’s why He torments you with the very thing you are hiding. But once you expose your struggles, failures, and fears to the light, the enemy will have no hold over you. And the torment and condemnation will stop.

The woman went from isolating to testifying about Jesus to the same people she was hiding away from. This is the power of healing. When you are healed, guilt, shame, and condemnation dissipate and you no longer are bound by the thing that wore you down before.

It is in the light that you will receive your healing. So again I remind you to be vulnerable with Jesus. Don’t try to put up a front or try to talk all these Christian terms. Just tell Him as is. Be real and lay it all bare knowing that He will not judge you because of the love He has for you.

Do you know that He knew that you would have the said struggle when He died for you? Why then would He judge you when He died to set you free? Why would He condemn you when He came to set you free? Jesus is the One who will never judge you. And if you have had people judge you in the past, I want you to know that Jesus is a safe space.

You can trust Him. The beauty of trusting Jesus is that not only is He a safe space, but also your Healer. This means that He will take you through a healing journey and He will give you beauty for your ashes. When He is done with you, you will come out better than you went in. This is an invitation to trust Him and turn to Him.

Scriptures that show that you can trust God.

Isaiah 41:10  – Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Jeremiah 17:7 – “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

Proverbs 3:6 – In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 16:20 – Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

Psalm 9:10 – Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Psalms 139:16‭-‬18 – Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.

Conclusion.

It is time for you to let Jesus in. Do not shy away from telling Him your deepest worries and giving Him your fears. He wants to carry your burdens and give you His yoke. He says that His burden is light and His yoke is easy.

You were never meant to carry your burdens alone. That is why Jesus died. He wanted to set you free from every bondage in your life. It does not matter what you ate struggling with. While it’s true that people will not understand, God is not so. He will not judge you rather, He will take you through a healing journey and when you come out, you will be your best self.

There is healing in Him. And not only that, you can only be fully who God created you to be when you are free. There is freedom with your name on it. Don’t go on another day tied down to the bondage of the past. It is time for you to be free. 

Jesus is waiting at the door and He promises that when you let Him in He will dwell in you.