I’d like to continue on with knowing the storm we are in so that we come out whole. It’s not enough to just come out, we should have grown in faith, endurance, knowledge and intimacy with God so that we are fully prepared for the harvest that is ripe so that we can greet them, usher them in with gladness of heart, welcoming them in love rather than being disheartened, suspicious, lack-luster, dubious, frightened because we are still battling the after effects of the storms that we’ve been through or are currently in and don’t know how to handle it. This should be part of our daily prayer:
Lord correct me when I’m wrong, guide me when I’m lost, strengthen me when I’m weak, give me a push when I want to give up. Our desire should be as your word says to standing firm, being stable, and enduring. I want to live life with an unshakable confidence that’s produced by my faith in God. We can be conquerors and prosper in every season by serving God.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58
I translate this to mean, when I’m wrong send s storm, if I’m led or go astray, send a storm, when I’m weak, send a storm, when my faith is low, send a storm, when I’m fainting, send a storm. We don’t want it, but we need it. The bible tells us that we learn, increase our knowledge and grow because of the storms in our lives. Not only that, we learn how to weather and navigate the storms by being faithful and obedient to the word of God.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: Matthew 7:24
Being faithful and obedient builds a solid, unshakeable foundation.
Unfortunately, many believers today suffer through situations and the cares of this life without really understanding why. Some bow out of their relationship with God while others accept it with tired resignation as if this is the life that they are to live as a Christian or a believer. Others buck and kick against their suffering never understanding why they are suffering. Some even indict God and become angry with Him. Think about this, without a situation of suffering, you'll never come to know the power of Jesus in your life. Suffering can actually become an opportunity for the power of God to be demonstrated in our life; an opportunity for the glory of God to be revealed. Not to mention a strengthened relationship with God through our storms as we cling to him and watch His wonders be performed in our situations.
One thing we should all understand is that our storms are not always a result of disobedience. Neither is this kind of storm according to the will of God. Remember the account that I shared from Mark 4:35-40. In short summary, Jesus had a mission, the enemy wanted to stop it; in the process scared the disciples. Jesus took authority; calmed the storm and the disciples were first-hand witnesses to the awesomeness of God; namely that nothing is impossible with God. God doesn’t want anything to hinder His plan for us. When we face this type of storm, exercise authority over the enemy through the power given us by Jesus. Don’t give into the storm, don’t run from the storm, but face it in the power and authority given us in the name of Jesus! Jesus has given us authority in His name over every satanic attack of Satan and the power through His spirit to overcome.
Note that there were other small ships with them. Because these other ships were following Jesus, they were also protected. Surround yourself not only in the word and will of God, but with those who share your same spiritual beliefs! Have someone close enough to you that they see even if they don’t experience what you’re experiencing so they can begin to pray and intercede on your behalf. There is definitely something to be said about being in the company of other like-minded believers!
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:25
Mark 4:35-50 was one account of a natural storm with a spiritual application. It was also an example of a spiritual storm affecting our natural lives. There are two other accounts of natural storms with spiritual applications recorded in the Bible that I want to share with you that illustrates”
√
storms of chastisement for sin and
√
storms according to the will of God.
Read the account of Jonah and his storm in Jonah l. and the account of Apostle Paul and his storm in Acts 27. Then compare the two:
|
Jonah |
Paul |
|
Jonah put himself
in the storm; he willingly got on the ship to avoid God’s will |
Paul was in the
storm through no fault of his own; he was a prisoner being transported to
Italy to see King Ceasar |
|
Jonah paid the fare
to sail |
Paul tried to
prevent them from sailing |
|
Jonah was the cause
of the storm |
Paul was the remedy
in the storm, not the cause |
|
Jonah slept during
the storm |
Paul fasted and
prayed |
|
God’s blessing was
not with Jonah |
God’s blessing was
with Paul |
|
The crew was fearful |
The crew was of
good cheer |
|
To be saved: |
To be saved: |
|
Jonah must be cast
out of the ship |
Faith and obedience
to God must be followed |
When we cause a storm, it is because we violate God's will and are disobedient to His commands. Often we are not even aware of the seriousness of our situation. You sleep spiritually while the storm increases its fury around you. God's blessing is not on you, and those around you grow fearful. This storm is not an attack of Satan. It is chastisement from God who loves you and desires to bring you back into conformity to His will. You can confess promises of "power over the enemy" but it will not change the situation. Take the necessary steps to get it right and keep it moving forward.
When you recognize a storm of suffering as one resulting from disobeying God's voice, there is only one remedy: Repent, confess, forsake (if necessary) and ask forgiveness from God and walk in obedience to His will!
But when our storm is according to the will of God, the situation is different. You suffer through no fault or sin of your own. You can be a remedy to the problems around you instead of a cause. Like Apostle Paul, you can assume spiritual leadership because God's grace is upon you. You can bring encouragement to others because you are a solution to the storm instead of the cause. You should not bail out of the ship or run from the trouble. You must abide in the "ship" of this type of storm because it is the will of God. There were men on the boat with Paul who thought to dessert; to abandon the ship rather than be obedient to the man of God. We mustn’t give up, we must endure - No matter what it looks like, no matter what it feels like! And when the storm subsides, despite whatever wounds may have been inflicted, the scars from the wounds, remember you made it! God never left you, He didn’t forsake you and He is still with you to help you navigate the next course of your life.
The word of God is full of accounts of people, including Jesus, who weathered
storms. There are several reasons why we, as believers, go through storms.
No one is raising their hand or signing up to go through a storm but yet, we
must go through it in one form or another.
Just like
the men of old, we also must be prepared soldier, having the same mind-set as
they; the mind of Jesus. The bible tells
us this:
Forasmuch then as Christ
hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind:
for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 1 Peter 4:1
Go back
to Jonah – rather than try to help him correct his wrong, they agreed to one
solution which was to throw him overboard; to discard him so that their
suffering would end.
Examine the life of young Joseph as an example of this type of storm. Be it friend, family or foe, through no fault of his own, Joseph was sold into Egypt by his brothers, was imprisoned falsely by Potiphar's wife, and was forgotten by those he helped in prison. But read his response. Joseph said:
Now therefore be not
grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me
before you to preserve life. . . so now it was not you that sent me hither but
God. Genesis
45:5, 7
Joseph got what he needed out of the storm: integrity, love, generosity, forgiveness . . .
Storms come to us is through the circumstances of life. This is illustrated by the experiences of Naomi recorded in the book of Ruth. She was blindsided with sorrow because of the death of her husband and sons and was put in a situation that she probably never thought she would face. When Naomi experienced this difficult storms circumstances of life, she said,
"No longer call
me Naomi (which means blessed), but call me Mara." The name Mara means
"bitter." Ruth 1:20
But Naomi did not let the storm that was caused by her bitter circumstances of
her life cripple her. She took measures to be closer to her God in her
decision to return to Judah and was blessed for it in the end. The storm caused her to see the direction she
should take which was the will of God for Ruth to be a position to meet Boaz.
√
Spiritual blessings come through the storm:
If you are a follower of Christ, you know storms are coming. Peter
admonishes us to arm ourselves or prepare our minds for them. Jesus lets
us know during storms of persecution:
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:10-12
Jesus himself, though being the word in flesh, was obedient to the
Father:
Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; Hebrews 5:8
We cannot be an instrument for God without knowing that for which you
stand. That is why it is so imperative that while we are suffering that
we continue or start reading our word and make it a daily part of our
lifestyle.
The words of the
Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven
times. Psalms
12:6
√ The storm humbles us:
I can only speak for myself, I needed to be humbled because I thought I had it
all together but through the process of my struggles, I saw very clearly how
fragile I was; not physically or in the natural, but in the spirit. Yes, there
were times when I wanted to just give up, but the Holy Spirit within me
wouldn’t let me give up. My pride would
say, ‘you don’t have to take this’. This one, I learned very well! I knew that
without God, I am nothing, I was nothing; would be nothing.
For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said , For we are also his offspring. Acts 17:28
God’s word stood up in me and said humble yourself under God’s might hand.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 1 Peter 5:6
It was Moses who said:
Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that He might humble thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end. Deuteronomy 8:15-16
This means you grow spiritually:
Thou has enlarged me
when I was under pressure. Psalms
4:1
You come to know God on a more intimate basis Because of the storm. Job, who
suffered much, learned this truth and after the storm was able to say:
I have heard of thee
by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor
myself and repent in dust and ashes. Job
42:5-6
Some of us only know God through other people's experience. When we are
experiencing the blessings of life, God is often a luxury instead of a
necessity. But when you have a real need, God becomes a necessity. Jonah
came to know God much more intimately through storms; he gained a greater
understanding of the love and compassion of God. Before he suffered, he only
had a working knowledge of God Afterwards, he knew Him by experience. It was Apostle
Paul who said:
That I may know Him,
and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being
made conformable unto His death. Philippians
3:10
Though it may look as if all is lost and you are facing defeat, if you are disoriented by the storms in your life; remember Jesus' words:
. . .
be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John
16:33
Just like God was with those of old in their storms He is with us also. Just learn how to trust and obey Him. And remember, don't count yourself out, it's not over until God says it's over!
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