"Listening To The Storm"

"And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" Mark 4:35-40

When you are going through a storm of life, did you know that it will "speak" to you. "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still." The word for peace is translated: to be silent; hold ones peace. The word for be still means: to stop the mouth, make speechless, reduce to silence. When Jesus rebuked the wind and sea, He literally told it to "shut your mouth and be quiet". 

 

Not only does the storm speak to you, but it does it very loudly. "And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full." It shouts with intimidation and fear. The storm that the disciples were going through was shouting to them that they were going to die; they weren't going to make it; they were going to drown. It was spewing out fear and death. "We perish". 

 

"And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" Why did Jesus rebuke the disciples for not having faith? The rebuke was for not having faith in what He had said, but having faith in what the storm said instead. Jesus had already told them His will. He had already spoken His plan to them. "He saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side." He didn't say to them, "We are going to drown on the way; we won't make it to the other side; we are going to die in the sea". No, He told them that they were going to go to the other side. 'To pass over' literally means- to go through. They were going to make it over-- they had His word on that.

 

Are you in a storm? If you are, I can guarantee that it is speaking to you. It is speaking fear, dread, intimidation, hopelessness, anger, guilt, etc. But I also know that Jesus is speaking, or has already spoken, to you. When Jesus speaks, He doesn't shout it at us. When He told the disciples to get in the boat and pass over to the other side, He didn't shout it, He simply told them. He speaks in that "still, small voice". So the question is, "Are you going to listen to the shouts of the storm, or the voice of the Lord?" Are you going to put your faith in what the storm says, or what Jesus says? Whose words are you going to believe? 

 

Have a great day. Are you going to believe what the storm says instead of what Jesus says? 

 

For further reading:

1 Kings 19:12

 

"From The Frying Pan, Into The Fire"

"...a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him..." Amos 5:19 

Are you familiar with the expression, "Out of the frying pan and into the fire"? It seems as if we don't get out of one situation before we are met with another-- sometimes seemingly worse. Well, as a matter of fact, life is often like that. Usually there is some situation we are trying to leave behind us, but another one awaits us. We make it out of one trial, and we find ourselves in another one. This happened often in the Bible.

 

While Jacob was leaving his lying, manipulating, Uncle Laban who was using him, he got word that his brother Esau was coming to meet him-- the same brother he stole the birthright from. (From the frying pan into the fire.) The children on Israel left the slavery of Egypt behind them and ran into a "roadblock" in front of them that threatened to drown them- the Red Sea. (From the frying pan into the fire.) Joseph fled from Potiphar's wife and her advancements only to face prison. (He got out of the frying pan and wound up in the fire.)

 

Often though, the "fire" that we are heading into is not as destructive or devastating as we think it is. Look again at the three examples above. When Jacob did meet Esau instead of a battle, healing and reconciliation came between them. (Genesis 33) When the Israelites faced the Red Sea they weren't destroyed, instead it was there final deliverance from the Egyptians. (Exodus 14) When Joseph wound up in prison, it was the place that put him in position to enter the palace and fulfill his destiny. (Genesis 41) 

 

In each of these examples we also see a common thread-- God was with them moving and working on their behalf. If you feel as though you have made it "out of the frying pan" but are now facing the "fire", don't be afraid, the Lord is with you, and He is working on your behalf as well. He is working all things together for your good-- including the frying pan and the fire. It may look like destruction, but it may also be the very avenue to blessings, restoration, healing and the fulfillment of God's plan for your life.

 

Have a great day. When we get out of the "frying pan", there is often a "fire" that awaits us. But don't fear because the "fire" is often taking you into a blessing. 

 

For further reading:

Romans 8:28

"Guilt"

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23 

There are two kinds of guilt. One deals with the fact of having committed a specified offense or crime. When it is proven that we have committed such a crime, we then receive a guilty sentence. The other is a feeling that comes upon us when we have done something wrong, or image we have-- we feel the remorse/guilt. 

 

All of us have sinned. We are born sinners because of Adam. We were all found guilty of the "sin crime". Therefore, we are under the sentence of death. I have good news this morning-- Jesus took care of guilt at the cross. When He hung on the cross, He was paying the price for your and my sins. He took the guilty sentence and was put to death. We were guilty, but He took our punishment. He became guilty so that we can become innocent. Once we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. We are set free because He became guilty on our behalf. 

 

All of us have done something wrong and when we did, guilt came attached to it. Have you ever had those feelings of guilt? You wish you had not done a particular thing? You wish you could go back and undo it? You wrestle with the guilt of past mistakes and heartaches? Good news again-- Jesus took care of our feelings of guilt at the cross also. We no longer have to go around feeling weighed down by guilt from the past or the guilt of failure. We don't have to carry the burden of that the rest of our lives. Since He took that as well, there is no condemnation to us. 

 

In a nutshell, Jesus took care of guilt at the cross. We don't have to face the guilty verdict of death because of our sins. He became guilty so we could be free. He took care of the feelings and accusations of guilt that come upon us from ourselves, others and the adversary. So don't keep staying under guilt this morning. He who the Son sets free is free indeed.

 

Have a great day. Jesus took care of guilt at the cross. When we come to Him as our Savior, we are set free from the guilty verdict. He also took care of those feelings of guilt that torment and weigh us down.

 

For further reading:

1 John 1:9

Romans 3:23; 5:12

John 8:36

"Don't Forget To Say, 'Thank You'"

"And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? " Luke 17:15-17

There were ten lepers who called out to Jesus to have mercy on them and heal them. Jesus did and only one of them returned to give Him praise and thanks for healing him. Only one of the ten- nine did not return to thank Him. Before we get down on the nine, let me ask you, "How many times have you returned to give God thanks for an answer to prayer that He did for you?" We are quick to call out for His help when we are in trouble but after He hears us and does what we have asked, do we thank Him, or do we forget and go on about our business?

 

We should be just as quick to say, "Thank You", when He answers our prayers. We get desperate for His help, should we not have the same feeling when it comes to giving Him praise and thanksgiving? When we don't give Him thanks when He answers, we are like ungrateful children. 

 

When we don't give Him thanks, He isn't going to pout about it, neither will He withhold His help the next time out of hurt or spite. When we don't give Him thanks for answering our prayers, He is not going to punish us for it. None of these are the reasons why we should thank Him for what He has done. We should thank Him because we are truly grateful to Him. Perhaps you would say, "He knows I am thankful". You are right, He knows- He knows everything. But shouldn't you say it anyway? Shouldn't your gratitude and thanks come out of your mouth? Shouldn't He hear it from you? 

 

Have a great day. We are quick to call upon the Lord for help, shouldn't we be as quick to tell Him, "Thank You", when He answers?

 

For further reading:

Luke 17:11-18

Psalm 75:1; 140:13

1 Thessalonians 5:18

"God Has A Plan For You"

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." 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." (NIV) How wonderful it is to know that the Lord has plans for us. God has a plan for each of our lives. But sometimes we forget that. 

 

Often, we let the trials that we are facing, the storm that we are going through, or the dark time of testing cause us to either forget that or make us feel that He has no plan for us. 

 

The pit, Potiphar's house, and the prison tried to convince Joseph that God did not have a plan for him. The Babylonian captivity tried to make Daniel think that God did not have a plan for him. The threats of Jezebel tried to cause Elijah to forget that he was in the middle of God's plan. 

 

Don't let your circumstances convince you that God doesn't have a plan for your life. Don't believe what they are "saying" to you. Believe what God says to you--- "I know the plans I have for you." What you are going through will often make you feel as if God has no plan for you. But it might be that those very circumstances are the instrument, or avenue, that will take you into God's plan instead. The pit was the first step in the fulfillment of God's plan for Joseph. Remember that what often looks like the enemy coming to steal the plan of God, or make you think that there is no plan, is the very thing that may be taking you into His plan. In this way all things work together for the good to those who love the Lord.

 

Have a great day. Don't let your circumstances convince you that God doesn't have a plan for your life.

 

For further reading:

Romans 8:28