Key Scriptures: Hebrews 11:1; Luke 8:43–48; Matthew 7:7–8; Psalm 46:1
Have you ever been faced with a situation that seemed impossible to overcome? Have you prayed, believed God, and continued to seek Him, yet the circumstances surrounding you have remained unchanged? Perhaps you have been dealing with the same struggle for so long that you have begun to wonder whether things will ever get better.
Sometimes, the greatest battle we face is not just the situation in front of us but the thoughts, fears, doubts, and lies that develop while we are waiting for our breakthrough. Over time, these things can weaken our faith and cause us to believe that our circumstances will never change.
But I want to encourage you today: Don’t stop pressing for your breakthrough!
Your circumstances may be difficult, your strength may be fading, and the answers may not be visible yet. But God has not abandoned you. There is power in His Word, and there is a reason to keep believing even when you cannot see how things will work out.
Hebrews 11:1 reminds us:
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Faith is not simply believing God when everything is going well. Faith is trusting Him when the evidence before you seems to suggest otherwise. It is choosing to believe what God has said, even when your circumstances have not yet changed.
One of the most powerful examples of this kind of faith is found in the story of the woman with the issue of blood.
1. Twelve Years of Suffering, Yet She Did Not Give Up
Imagine experiencing mental and physical exhaustion, extreme discomfort, emotional anguish, financial hardship, and the loneliness of feeling misunderstood and rejected. Imagine spending your resources searching for a solution, only to find that nothing has changed. Imagine wondering whether you will ever experience relief, restoration, or a normal life again.
Now imagine enduring these circumstances for twelve years.
This was the reality of the woman with the issue of blood.
Luke 8:43–44 tells us:
“And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.”
For twelve years, this woman had suffered from a condition that affected far more than her physical health. Under the purity laws of her time, her condition brought significant religious and social restrictions. She would have faced limitations on ordinary physical contact and participation in communal religious life. The stigma associated with her condition may also have contributed to feelings of isolation and embarrassment.
The Bible specifically tells us that she had spent all her living on physicians, yet she had not been healed. Mark's account adds that she had suffered under many treatments and had grown worse.
Consider the emotional weight of that experience. She had exhausted her financial resources. She had sought help without receiving the healing she desperately needed. She may have wondered how much longer she could endure her suffering.
The Scriptures do not tell us whether she had a husband, children, or supportive family members. However, we can recognize that her condition placed enormous physical, emotional, social, and financial burdens on her life.
After twelve years, it would have been understandable if she had lost hope.
But she did not allow the length of her suffering to determine the outcome of her story.
She kept believing, and when she heard that Jesus was nearby, she made a decision that changed her life.
2. She Saw an Obstacle, but She Pressed Anyway
When the woman learned that Jesus was in town, she had another obstacle to overcome: the crowd.
Jesus was surrounded by people. Reaching Him would not be easy. She was already physically weakened, and the crowd presented another challenge. Yet she was determined to get close enough to touch Him.
Imagine what might have gone through her mind as she approached the crowd.
What if I cannot get through?
What if people recognize me and push me away?
What if I reach Jesus and nothing happens?
What if I am too weak to make it through the crowd?
What if the people around me make me feel that I do not belong there?
These are imagined questions, but they help us understand the kinds of fears that can accompany a desperate situation.
She could have looked at the crowd and decided that reaching Jesus was simply too difficult. She could have allowed her exhaustion, embarrassment, or fear of rejection to stop her.
Instead, she pressed her way through.
She did not have the strength to change her circumstances on her own, but she took the step she believed would bring her into contact with the One who could.
Sometimes, our breakthrough begins with a decision to keep moving toward God even when we do not have all the answers.
What obstacles are standing between you and the breakthrough you are praying for? What thoughts have been discouraging you? What fears have kept you from seeking God more deeply? What situation have you faced for so long that you have begun to believe it will never change?
Perhaps you have become emotionally exhausted. Perhaps you have been disappointed by people you trusted. Maybe you have prayed about a situation repeatedly and have started to wonder whether God hears you.
Whatever your situation may be, do not allow the obstacle to become greater in your mind than the God you are trusting.
The crowd did not stop this woman, and your obstacles do not have to stop you from continuing to seek God.
3. The Power of God Can Reach What We Cannot
Luke 8:45–46 continues:
“And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.”
Many people were pressing against Jesus, but this woman's touch was different. She approached Him with faith, believing that reaching Him would make a difference in her life.
The King James Version uses the word virtue in this passage. The underlying Greek word is dynamis, which can refer to power, might, or miraculous power. In this account, it describes the power associated with the healing that took place through Jesus.
Think about the significance of this moment. The woman had spent twelve years seeking a solution to her condition. Physicians had not been able to heal her, and her resources were depleted. Yet, in a moment of faith, she experienced what years of searching had not accomplished.
Her story reminds us that there are things we cannot fix through our own strength, knowledge, or resources. There are wounds that require more than positive thinking and burdens that cannot be resolved simply by trying harder.
We need God.
His power can work in our lives in ways that reach beyond what we can accomplish on our own. He can strengthen us when we are weak, give us wisdom when we are confused, bring peace in the middle of turmoil, and help us confront the fears and false beliefs that have kept us bound.
Consider the imagery of an explosion clearing an obstruction. Dynamite can break apart what blocks a path, allowing movement where there was once a barrier.
In a similar way, God's truth can confront the lies we have believed, and His power can help us move beyond the barriers that have held us back.
What needs to be cleared out of your life?
Is it the fear of failure? The belief that you are not good enough? The thought that God has forgotten you? The disappointment of past experiences? Or the assumption that because something has not happened yet, it never will?
You cannot always control the obstacles around you, but you can choose whether you will continue to seek God and stand on His truth.
4. Stop Believing the Lies That Keep You Stuck
One of the greatest challenges we face while waiting for a breakthrough is the battle in our minds.
When we pray and do not see immediate change, we may begin to question whether God hears us. When we see others receiving opportunities or experiencing answers to prayer, we may wonder why our situation seems different.
We can begin to believe that God is answering everyone else but us.
That thought can quietly become a lie we live by.
We may start to believe that we are forgotten, that our circumstances are permanent, or that our past failures have disqualified us from experiencing God's goodness. Before long, those beliefs begin to influence how we pray, how we make decisions, and how we see ourselves.
But we must learn to distinguish between what we feel and what is true.
Your feelings may tell you that you are alone, but Psalm 46:1 declares:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Your circumstances may tell you that there is no way forward, but Matthew 7:7–8 reminds us:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
These Scriptures do not mean that God will grant every request exactly as we desire or according to our preferred timeline. They remind us that we can continue to approach Him, seek His wisdom, and trust His character even when the outcome is uncertain.
We must stop allowing disappointment to become the foundation of our beliefs.
Instead, we must return to the Word of God and allow His truth to challenge the thoughts that are keeping us discouraged.
When the lie says, “I am alone,” remember that God is your refuge and strength.
When the lie says, “Nothing will ever change,” remember that your present circumstances do not determine every possibility in your future.
When the lie says, “There is no point in praying anymore,” remember that you are invited to ask, seek, and knock.
When the lie says, “I am not worthy of God's help,” remember that you can approach Him through Jesus Christ.
This is not about denying your pain or pretending that everything is fine. It is about refusing to let pain have the final word in what you believe about God.
We must identify the lies, replace them with biblical truth, and learn to stand on that truth in both good times and difficult seasons.
Faith is not just something we practice when we feel encouraged. It must become part of how we live.
5. Faith Moves Us to Keep Pressing
Let us return to the woman with the issue of blood.
Luke 8:47–48 tells us:
“And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”
Jesus acknowledged her faith and spoke peace over her.
Notice that she did not allow twelve years of disappointment to prevent her from taking one more step. She believed that reaching Jesus was worth the effort, even though she could not see the outcome beforehand.
That is the essence of faith.
Faith does not require you to know every detail of how God will work. It calls you to trust Him as you take the next step He places before you.
Sometimes, pressing means continuing to pray when you feel discouraged. Sometimes, it means studying the Word when your mind is overwhelmed with negative thoughts. Sometimes, it means seeking godly counsel, asking for help, establishing healthy boundaries, or taking practical steps toward a situation that needs to change.
Pressing does not mean ignoring your limitations or refusing to rest. It means refusing to surrender your hope in God simply because the journey has become difficult.
You may feel alone, but keep seeking Him.
You may feel weak, but ask Him for strength.
You may have been disappointed, but do not allow disappointment to determine what you believe about His character.
You may not see the answer yet, but continue to trust Him as you walk through the process.
Do not stop pressing just because the crowd is large, the journey is difficult, or the breakthrough seems far away.
6. Your Breakthrough Is Also a Journey
There is another important lesson in this woman's story. Her encounter with Jesus was not merely about the end of her suffering. It was also about what happened as she moved toward Him.
She had to make a decision. She had to confront the obstacles in front of her. She had to move despite her physical weakness and the uncertainty of what would happen.
As we continue to seek God, we, too, can grow through the process.
Our faith can deepen. Our understanding of His Word can increase. We can become more aware of the thoughts that undermine our confidence and learn how to respond to them with truth. We can grow in spiritual maturity, develop greater perseverance, and become less controlled by the opinions of others.
Sometimes, God changes our circumstances. At other times, He strengthens us to navigate those circumstances differently. Sometimes, the answer comes quickly; other times, we must continue walking with Him through a season of waiting.
We should never assume that a delayed answer means God has abandoned us or that our faith has failed.
And when we experience healing, restoration, or a breakthrough, our journey does not end there. We continue to seek God, grow in His Word, and trust Him with the days ahead.
The goal is not simply to receive something from God. It is to grow in our relationship with Him.
We must also remember that healing and breakthrough can take different forms. We should continue to seek appropriate medical care, wise counsel, and practical support when needed, while trusting God to sustain us through the process.
The woman with the issue of blood reminds us that we can bring our deepest needs to Jesus. We do not have to allow shame, fear, exhaustion, or the opinions of others to keep us from seeking Him.
We have access to God's Word every day. Through Jesus Christ, we can approach God in prayer, seek His wisdom, and trust Him to guide our steps.
So, I encourage you today: Identify the things that are holding you back. Examine the thoughts that have been shaping your beliefs. Find the truth in God's Word, and begin to stand on it.
Application. Application. Application no matter how you feel!
When fear tells you to stop, keep seeking God.
When discouragement tells you to give up, return to His promises.
When the road seems impossible, ask Him for the strength and wisdom to take the next step.
Don't stop believing. Don't stop seeking. Don't stop pressing.
Your circumstances may not change overnight, but you can continue to grow in faith, become stronger in the Word, and trust God through every season.
The crowd may be large, the journey may be difficult, and the outcome may not yet be visible. But keep your eyes on Jesus.
Keep pressing for your breakthrough!
Reflection Questions
What situation in your life have you been praying about for a long time?
What negative thoughts or lies have you begun to believe because of that situation?
What Scripture can you use to challenge those thoughts and replace them with God's truth?
What is one practical step you can take this week to continue moving forward in faith?