Lord, Please Touch Me Again: From Blindness to Sight

Jul 18, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Blind Spots in Familiar Places

Jesus led the blind man out of Bethsaida, a town familiar with miracles yet resistant to transformation. Spiritual blindness often hides in comfortable routines and unexamined traditions. Like the man who knew his environment by touch but couldn’t see clearly, believers may function in religious habits while missing deeper revelation. True sight begins when Christ disrupts our complacency, leading us beyond what we’ve normalized. Growth demands willingness to be unsettled. [03:34:31]

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (Mark 8:22–25, ESV)

Reflection: What familiar routines or traditions might be shielding you from deeper spiritual sight? Where is Jesus inviting you to let Him disrupt your comfort for greater clarity?

Day 2: The Fixed Fight of Sanctification

Sanctification isn’t instant perfection but a graced struggle. Like Israel claiming the Promised Land, believers face battles where victory is assured yet progress is incremental. God permits challenges to refine dependence on Him, not to punish. The fight against sin is “fixed” – not because it’s easy, but because Christ’s power outmatches every stronghold. Our part is persistent trust, not flawless performance. [03:23:35]

Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land. (Exodus 23:30, ESV)

Reflection: Which ongoing struggle makes you question your growth? How might this “fixed fight” be cultivating deeper reliance on Christ’s strength rather than your own?

Day 3: DNA, Environment, and Divine Intervention

Generational patterns and environmental influences shape us, but they don’t define our destiny. Like inherited traits requiring vigilance, spiritual strongholds demand honest acknowledgment. Jesus meets us amid our bloodline burdens and cultural conditioning, offering power to break cycles. Victory begins by naming vulnerabilities while clinging to Christ’s superior authority over every legacy of brokenness. [03:48:15]

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. (Psalm 51:5–6, ESV)

Reflection: What generational or environmental struggle feels ingrained in you? How can you partner with Christ to rewrite that narrative today?

Day 4: The Room Without a Key

Even seasoned believers harbor unyielded spaces – thoughts, habits, or relationships deemed “off-limits” to God. Like the blind man’s partial healing, we may see progress yet resist full surrender. Jesus asks, “What do you see?” not to shame but to expose areas needing His touch. True freedom comes when every locked room is opened to His renovating grace. [03:39:41]

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23–24, ESV)

Reflection: What “room” have you kept locked from God’s transforming work? What step will you take today to hand Him the key?

Day 5: “Touch Me Again” Surrender

The man’s blurred vision (“trees walking”) mirrors half-measures in faith. Sanctification requires repeated surrenders, not one-time heroics. Like the psalmist collecting tears, Jesus tracks our incremental growth, patient with our stumbles. To pray “touch me again” isn’t failure – it’s faith embracing the process of becoming what grace declares we already are. [03:44:45]

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you need to trade shame over slow progress for confidence in Christ’s persistent work? How will you invite His “touch again” today?

Sermon Summary

Mark remembers a strange mercy in Bethsaida. Some people bring a blind man to Jesus, and Jesus takes him by the hand, leads him out of the village, spits on his eyes, lays hands on him, and asks, “Do you see anything?” The man says he sees people, but they look like trees walking. Then Jesus touches him again, and his sight is restored clear.

The whole Bible points to Jesus and to how the plan of salvation works. Every story, promise, and prophecy is divinely designed to build belief, faith, and hope in Jesus. Jeremiah 29:11 says God knows what He is doing, has it all planned out, and has plans to take care of His people, not abandon them. God does not merely see outward appearances. God sees the value, spirit, tears, hairs, history, weakness, and need of the person.

The everlasting gospel eliminates excuses for anyone to be lost because God knew the mess before the mess ever showed up. Justification credits a sinner with righteousness before that sinner starts doing right. The liar, thief, smoker, homosexual, gossiper, and everybody else is called to come because God does not close the door on anyone. Sanctification then becomes the process of becoming what God already credited the believer with being. God will not dwell in an unclean temple and leave the temple unclean.

Sanctification is not license to keep sinning, but it is a process. Some victories come immediately, and some battles require prayer, fasting, struggle, and time. The fight is real, but it is a fixed fight. God understands incremental growth, but “I’m not what I wanna be, but I’m not what I used to be” must not become an excuse for settling.

The blind man’s partial sight exposes spiritual blind spots. Jesus leads him out of familiar surroundings because blindness can become comfortable when the environment is known. Seventh-day Adventists can know prophecy, know Sabbath language, and still have rooms in the mind where God has not been given the key. The man sees, but not clearly, and that half-sight becomes the picture of believers who have been touched by God but still see people like trees walking.

Jesus is coming back for a people who reflect His character. DNA, environment, and the devil’s setup may explain temptation, but they do not defeat God’s promise. Prayer can hold God to what God has already said: He began the good work, He gives strength, He makes His people more than conquerors, and no weapon formed against them can overcome. The cry is simple and desperate: “Lord, please touch me again.”

Key Takeaways

1. Justification welcomes sinners before change. Justification credits the sinner with righteousness before the life looks righteous. God does not wait for the house to be cleaned before entering the house. Christ comes through the opened door already knowing the mess, and His presence begins the cleansing He requires. [194:11]
2. Sanctification is a fixed fight. Sanctification does not pretend that temptation disappears at baptism. God gives real victory, but the believer still has to fight the good fight of faith. The comfort is not that the battle is small, but that God has already decided the outcome for those who keep struggling by His grace. [203:11]
3. Partial sight can become dangerous. The blind man saw, but he did not see clearly. Spiritual life can reach that same half-healed place, where old habits are reduced but not surrendered, and hidden rooms remain locked. Grace must not be used to celebrate blurry vision when Christ is willing to touch again. [222:44]
4. Blind spots hide in familiar places. Jesus leads the man out of the village because familiar surroundings can make blindness easier to manage. Religious people can become comfortable with prophecy, church language, and correct information while still resisting the light that exposes character. The most dangerous blindness may be the kind that knows how to move around without bumping into anything. [214:31]
5. God’s promises shape honest prayer. Prayer becomes powerful when it repeats what God has already promised. The believer does not have to invent confidence, because Scripture has already given words for the fight. “Lord, you said” is not manipulation of God, but surrender to the God who cannot lie.

## [232:51]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[181:30] - Reading Mark 8:22-25
[186:09] - Lord, Please Touch Me Again
[186:29] - The Bible Points to Jesus
[187:32] - God Knows What He Is Doing
[189:10] - “I See You” and God’s Care
[193:45] - Justification, Sanctification, Glorification
[196:07] - God Cleans the Temple He Enters
[199:33] - Sanctification Takes a Different Path
[203:11] - The Promised Land and the Fixed Fight
[211:42] - The Unique Healing at Bethsaida
[215:59] - Blind Spots in Familiar Religion
[222:44] - Seeing People Like Trees
[226:39] - A Formula for Victory
[235:13] - Invitation to Be Touched Again

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Mark 8:22-25
“And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. And when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, ‘Do you see anything?’ And he looked up and said, ‘I see people, but they look like trees walking.’ Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” [03:01:44]

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” [03:08:11]

Revelation 3:20
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

1 John 2:16
“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” [03:11:35]

Observation questions

In Mark 8:22-25, what are the specific steps Jesus takes with the blind man before the man sees clearly? [03:04:09]
What does the blind man say he sees after the first touch, and how is that different from his condition after the second touch?
According to Jeremiah 29:11, what kind of plans does the Lord say He has for His people? [03:08:11]
What kinds of struggles are named in 1 John 2:16, and how do those categories describe the pull of the world? [03:11:35]

Interpretation questions

Jesus leads the blind man out of the village before completing the healing. What might that suggest about how familiar environments can help a person live with blindness instead of being healed from it? [03:34:31]
The blind man is touched by Jesus, but at first he still sees people “like trees walking.” What might partial sight represent in a believer’s life when there has been real spiritual change, but not yet clear surrender? [03:42:44]
Revelation 3:20 presents Christ entering the life before everything is cleaned up. How does that help explain the difference between justification and sanctification in a practical way? [03:16:07]
God’s promises are given so they can be prayed back to Him. Why might “Lord, You said” be a powerful way to fight temptation, discouragement, and long-term struggles? [03:52:51]

Application questions

Are there any familiar patterns, settings, or habits that have made it easier to stay spiritually comfortable without seeing clearly? What might it look like to let Jesus lead that area “out of the village”? [03:35:59]
Christ welcomes sinners before change is complete. Is there any part of life where shame has been keeping someone from coming honestly to God? What would it look like to come as you are and still expect Him to keep cleansing what He enters? [03:17:40]
Sanctification is a process, but it is not permission to settle. Where has “I’m not what I used to be” become a comfort instead of a challenge to keep growing? [03:43:01]
Some struggles are shaped by family history, environment, and temptation. What patterns in life seem especially stubborn, and how might greater honesty about those patterns help in seeking victory? [03:47:56]
Jesus asks, “Do you see anything?” If that question were asked today, where might the answer still be, “I see, but not clearly”? [03:41:11]
Revelation 3:20 pictures Jesus knocking on the door. Is there a room, memory, habit, relationship, or private thought life that has not been fully opened to Him yet? [03:39:31]
God’s promises can shape specific prayer. What promise of Scripture needs to become part of daily prayer right now, and how might someone begin praying, “Lord, You said…” this week? [03:53:41]

Sermon Clips

68s

#GodKnocksDoor

“Who came to the Lord perfect? If you raise your hand, then you're calling the Bible a liar because all have sinned and come short of the glory when he knocks on your door, Revelation three twenty, God already knows about the mess that's inside or behind that door. But he says if you open that door, I'm coming in and I'm going to sup with you. In other words, I'm a get comfortable. I'm a come into your house and I'm a take the shoes off my feet and I'm a sit down and I'm a sup with you. I'm a hang out with you. That's the process of sanctification.”

81s

#ProgressNotPerfection

“I don't drink as much as I used to. I don't cuss as much as I used to, particularly outwardly, but I can't talk about what I'm thinking. I don't run around as much, but I still have some numbers in my phone. I don't gossip as much, but I still talk about people behind their back. I don't return a faithful tithe as much, but I give what I can. I don't judge people as much, every once in a while if you get on my last nerve, the victory can be yours if you'll only touch me again.”

81s

#SpiritualBlindSpots

“Can I tell you about blind Seventh day Adventist? We are so familiar with the prophecies. We've gone, oh, as soon as the Sunday blue law is passed, that's going to be the time I need to get ready. I don't need new light. I have all the light that I need. Well, for the benefit of this sermon, I'm not talking about people who are physically blind. I'm talking to individuals who have blind spots in their lives. They've become comfortable in areas that are not what God expects of us.”

67s

#ThankfulForProgress

“Jesus says, what do you see? Do you see clearly? And again, the man says, I see individuals walking like trees. Do we utilize the common statement, I'm not what I wanna be, but I thank God I'm not what I used to be. And in essence, we are doing selling for not being all God wants us to be.”

83s

#OvercomeByGraceNow

“that's what I offer you today. You know what is going on in your life and nobody else's business. God already knows. has never been surprised by anything that you have done or said, but he can give you victory. enable you to see that which is keeping you from becoming all that he wants you to be. Brother pastor, just wanna have an altar call. We came to church this morning. God brought you here. The opportunity to overcome any malady in your life is available to you right now.”

54s

#DesperateForGod

“I wonder if we have any desperate people in the house today. You say desperate? Well, you've gotta be pretty desperate for somebody to spit in your face and not react in a violent way. I wonder if even within the Seventh day Adventist church, we have a blind because there are some things that we won't do. Or as I stated a little earlier, we don't think it's salvific.”

66s

#VictoryByPrayerAndFasting

“And we've been touched by God, but we see but we see them as trees walking. Somebody in the house that knows that they need help. You may not look like it to the naked eye, but you know. You may not act like it around people, but you know. may not sound like it to people that you talk to, but you know.”

77s

#ClaimHisPromises

“we really wanna go through a time that we are living in right now when the Sunday law is going to pass, whether it's now or later. But I'm sensitive to what it actually means to keep the Sabbath holy? Are there behaviors lives that the holy spirit has made an attempt to make us aware of. And we've been touched by God, but we see but we see them as trees walking.”

84s

#BreakGenerationalSin

“But let's not just make it a habit to come to church. I'm a tell you right, Diane, I'm ending. I'm ending. I'm ending. I wanna give you a simple formula to overcome every malady in your life. my wife's grandfather, when I met him, he said, you a preacher? And with pride I said, He said, is there anything that God can't do? He looked me straight in the eye and he said, God can't lie.”

52s

#KnowYourEnvironment

“You say, what is the benefit? The benefit is that God said he will do what you ask him to do when you surrender all to him. So we're gonna claim it. We're going to declare that the victory has been won, and we're going to seek to live and respond as only you want us to. We're going to give your name all the praise, the glory, and the honor. In Jesus' name, we do pray. Amen.”

79s

#GuardYourEnvironment

“On my side of the family, my grandfather was a drunkard. On your mom's side of the family, she had some drunkards. So when you go out there and you're dealing with your friends and they wanna take a sip of this or a sip of that, they're liable say, oh, this stuff is nasty. But for you, because what is on the inside of you, it could open a door of temptation that you will struggle with for the rest of your life. So the best thing to do is you don't have to stop if you don't get started.”

87s

#SecondChanceGrace

“They're always saying, oh, you got your mom's eyes. You've got your dad's hair. You've got this and that and the other. There is DNA in all of us that has been passed down for generations. Then your environment. What's your environment like? is happening in how you have been brought up? And once you feel some something is natural, then it's easier to go in that direction. You also have a situation where the devil is gonna take advantage circumstances just a setup. But here's what you can do, and I can tell you that it works.”

87s

#SeeTheRealYou

“See, when when Saul's name was changed to Paul, the leaders of the church weren't ready to accept him into the fellowship of the family. And Barnabas says, I'll take him. And so they go on this missionary journey and while things got really hot, there was a young guy that was Mark name was Mark and he said, y'all can have this. I'm out of here. And he leaves and goes back home. They decide that they're gonna go on another missionary journey, and Barnabas says, well, let's let's talk to Mark. Paul said, uh-uh. He left us before. I'm not giving him another chance. And Barnabas said, didn't you get another chance? And he became so contentious that they split. That's how you get Paul and Silas. Come on. Talk to me.”

87s

#AnswerTheCall

“There is there is, from a historical perspective, there is a statement that is made in every Avatar movie, I see you. It does not mean that I just physically see you. It's an African statement that says, I see you as not just looking at how you are dressed, not just looking at how your hair is fixed, not just looking at whether you have all of your teeth, but it represents an individual to see the values the spirit of who you are.”

80s

“I'm concerned that often when messages are shared, number one, an opportunity get prayer or to make a step to go beyond where I am and it's given, and I don't move. Bless my heart this morning when my granddaughter came up and I saw her said, Sage, come in. I'm not asking you to come up here now. Are you alright? I just wanted her to know that I am supporting whatever she is feeling in her life. I came up because I need the Lord to touch me again.”

56s

#GodCannotLie

“Jesus is soon to come. We don't have as much time as we've had in the past. God is coming back for a people that is reflective of his character. What a shame it would be to have lived in this world and has gone through all these trials and tribulations and be lost. I see individuals already standing. There may be individuals who wanna surrender their heart to the Lord this morning. Never be easier than it is right now.”

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Lord, Please Touch Me Again: From Blindness to Sight

Devotional

Day 1: Blind Spots in Familiar Places

Day 2: The Fixed Fight of Sanctification

Day 3: DNA, Environment, and Divine Intervention

Day 4: The Room Without a Key

Day 5: “Touch Me Again” Surrender

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Lord, Please Touch Me Again: From Blindness to Sight

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