"Ride The Storm Out"

"And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish."  Matthew 8:25

A while back my husband and I were in town shopping and the clouds started rolling in, the wind started blowing, the rain started pouring, the thunder sounded, and the lightening flashed.  We had to make a choice-- either stay inside the store or go to our vehicle.  The storm was so bad for a while and the rain was so heavy you couldn't see outside.  The signs were blowing on the buildings-- they looked like they would take flight any minute.  We saw smoke across the street where lightening had struck something.  The lights kept flickering where we were.  Of course, we decided to stay in the store because it was a safe structure that protected us from what was going on outside all around us.

When the disciples were in the boat and the storm was so bad that even these experienced fishermen thought they were going to drown, they had to make a choice.  They could abandon the ship and take their chances in the sea.  Or they could stay in the boat.  Staying in the store was the safer choice for us because it was a covering and fortified place from the elements.  The boat was the safer place for the disciples because Jesus was in the boat with them.

Is there a storm going on in your life?  Are you trying to decide what course of action you should take?  When we are in Jesus, we are in the safest place there is.  He is the ship that will not sink.  He is the fortified place during the storm.  He is the shelter in the storm.  Are you looking for a safer place?  An easier place?  A way out?  Will you stay in the place of safety with Jesus and "ride it out"?  Or will you look for a quick exit that only puts you in more exposure to the thing that is seeking to destroy you?  The choice is up to you.

Have a great day.  It is safer in the boat with Jesus than it is to jump into the sea. 

For further reading:
Psalm 61:3; 46:2,3
Isaiah 25:4; 43:2

"Freedom From Life's Dread"

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."  1 Peter 5:7

Did you wake up this morning feeling pressured and overwhelmed by what awaits you today?  Did you dread getting out of bed because you already feel the weight off all that lies before you?  If so, before you face the world, before you face any task, before you head off to work, or go to meet the responsibilities of the day, take time to get alone with the Lord.  Don't face "life" today without having first faced the Lord.

Go into that secret place-- your prayer closet, take some time to go before His presence and cast your cares upon Him.  Acknowledge Him in all your ways-- in all that you have before you--- and let Him direct your steps, thoughts, ideas, appointments, commitments and responsibilities.

It has been said that "he who knees before God can stand before anything and anyone".  When you humble yourself first thing in the day before the Lord and bring Him into the affairs of your life, you will find that you don't have as much facing you as it seemed.  You will find that that "mountain" of cares is actually nothing more than a "mole hill".  You will also gain a peace that passes understanding, the pressures will dissipate, the dread will be replaced with victory, the confusion will give way to a calm spirit and fear will take a back seat.

There is no denying that we all have responsibilities and things that we have to do each day, but the choice of how they affect us and affect our attitude is up to us.  We can face them with peace or with anxiety.  Anxiety comes naturally, but peace in the midst of overwhelming cares comes as we get into the Lord's presence and cast these cares upon Hm.  Which will you do today?

Have a great day.  Are you overwhelmed by what the day holds before you even begin the day?  Then get in the Lord's presence and leave those cares there.

For further reading:
Matthew 11:29, 30; 6:33

"The Tower"

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe."  Proverbs 18:10

The name of the Lord is a strong tower to the righteous.  What does that mean?  It means several things.  It means that He is a place of safety for us when we are under attack by the enemy.  It means that if He is the place of safety, it is a well-fortified place-- one that the enemy can't break down, break through or destroy.  It means that in order for the enemy to get to us, he has to go through God first-- we are out of his reach because we are in the Lord.

The Lord is like a well-fortified place of safety to us.  We don't have to fear the enemy, the storm, or the devourer as long as we are in Him.  But it means something else as well.  A tower is an elevated place.  It is a raised place.  It is a place that is high above other places and ground level.  When we are in the Lord, our strong tower, we are elevated above the enemy.  We are able to look down on him.  We can see the battle from a different elevation causing us to see it from a different perspective-- God's perspective. 

This is one reason why we must run into the Lord when we are under attack or facing a battle.  Seeing things from God's perspective sheds a whole different light on the subject.  We see the situation from the eyes of faith, not with our natural eyes that would cause us to fear and become discouraged.  We see that we are over the enemy, not under him or equal with him-- he is under us, under our feet.  We also see that though the enemy rages, though he plots, though he sends out his fiery darts, he can't get up to where we are-- making us well out of his reach.  It also means that we are seeing from an advantage point.  We are able to look out over the whole battlefield, not just one small spot. 

Are you in a battle?  Is the enemy "breathing down your neck"?  Are you feeling like you are losing the battle?  Well, get up to higher ground.  Run into the Lord who is your strong tower of defense and advantage point. 

Have a great day.  The name of the Lord is a strong tower... get in the tower. 

For further reading:
Hebrews 2:8
1 Samuel 17:47

 

"Victory's Yours"

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  1 Corinthians 15:57

Those who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are not defeated, they are victorious.  We have been given victory.  Jesus secured our victory at the cross and in His resurrection. 

Through Jesus we have victory over besetting sins.  We have victory over the flesh.  We have victory over temptation.  We have victory over the enemy.  We don't have to "give in".  We don't have to be defeated by the trials, problems and circumstances of this life.  Jesus overcame and in Him we overcome. 

Often, we live our lives defeated, downcast and depressed because we don't realize that we have already obtained victory.  We aren't trying to gain victory; the victory is already ours.  We tend to let the circumstances and things that we go through tell us that we have lost or that we can't do it or won't make it.  Well, whose report will you believe?  Will you believe the enemy, the circumstances, the flesh, man's report?  Or will you believe what God has said?  He said you are more than a conqueror.  He said you have power over all the powers of the enemy.  He said you are victorious.

Stop walking around with a defeated mentality and loser attitude.  Child of God, rise up and be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.  You are not defeated... you are victorious... thanks be to God.

Have a great day.  If your faith and trust is in Jesus, you are not defeated but you are victorious.

For further reading:
Romans 8:37
Luke 10:19
2 Corinthians 2:14

John 16:33

"The Three Crosses"

"And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left." Luke 23:33

I was thinking about the three crosses at Calvary-- one for Jesus, the other two for the malefactors who were hung on each side of Him.  The three crosses are symbols and reminders to us. 

They remind us of several things.  They remind us that we are all "malefactors"-- evildoers, sinners.  "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."  They remind us that there is none good except Jesus- the One in the middle.  They remind us that whatever punishment we get, we deserve.  They remind us that we are not innocent, even at our best.  We have sinned against and transgressed the laws of God-- and probably the laws of man as well. The two men's death on the cross was punishment for their own sins.  Jesus' death on the cross was punishment for the sins of all mankind-- not His own.

They remind us that not all who have the opportunity to hear the truth about salvation will accept-- some will, some won't.  They remind us that we have to make our own choice concerning our eternity-- it is an individual choice made by each one individually.  Jesus didn't make the choice for either of these men, they made it for themselves.  He didn't force either one to accept Him, and He didn't push them away either.  They remind us of the love and compassion of Jesus who hears the cries of the repentant heart.  It reminds us that as long as we have breath in our bodies, it is not too late for Jesus to save us if we call out to Him.  It reminds us that we are never "too bad" for Jesus to save.   

The three crosses remind us that one day Jesus will do a separation among all people.  This time He will stand in the middle (not hang in the middle) and separate the sheep from the goats, the righteous from the unrighteous.  The sheep (those who like the thief who accepted Him) will be on His right side, and the goats (those who like the other thief who rejected Him) will be on His left side. 

The three crosses remind us that one day those who accepted Him will be with Him forever in His Kingdom.  We will live with Him in His Father's house forever.  We will rule and reign with Him. 

We have focused on the two crosses on each side, but the most important cross was the one in the middle.  Without it there would be no hope, not opportunity to receive forgiveness.  We would all be like the thief who rejected Jesus-- hopelessly lost forever.  But because of the cross in the middle upon which Jesus hung we can have eternal life if we don't harden our heart like the one who mocked Jesus but repent like the other one did. 

Which malefactor on the cross represents you-- the one who rejected Jesus, or the one who received Him as Savior and Lord?

Have a great day.  There were three crosses at Calvary.  Jesus was in the middle and two thieves on each side.  Which thief represents you?

For further reading:
Luke 23