Why? Because God has something sunny and bright on the other side of your storm. Keep your focus. Never let your guard down in this season. It is always the darkest right before dawn.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Ephesians 6:13
Min. Denise Cook-Godfrey
Wow……the creative juices are flowing everywhere today as I am listening to a certain song, looking back over my life, and searching for lost things!!! Ahhhh yea….lost time, dreams, missed opportunities, loss of self esteem, loss of respect, loss of loved ones, etc. Then I looked and contemplated all of the overwhelming challenges, the storms, the fire, etc. One thing I can say is that I am overwhelmed as I see the incredible ability that God gives me to reach down within myself and realize that I have not lost my will to move ahead. I still have my trust, even though I have had to look deep down within myself and find that trust and that awesome love that I still have for God no matter what. With this, I know that I have not lost my praise even though I have lost so many other things.
Even when I was broken, misused, disrespected, unappreciated, and the like……and even when I said within my mind that I was done, through with it all…..nope, just couldn’t stop believing that the misplaced peace and discomfort will NEVER cause me to give up on my destiny. Even though on this road to destiny there are so many road blocks and detours, I refuse to believe that God has given up on me.
So I will keep going and I am writing this to encourage someone right now. Not looking for sympathy or a pity party. Just want to reach out and encourage someone who is going through. To the soul that is sunken down low, the broken heart, the one that can’t seem to catch a break…..just find a way within yourself to love and trust God no matter what. Grab a scripture, a song, a sermon, whatever it takes and hold on! Your change is coming after while.
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And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being
covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep .(Matthew 8:24)
Ok, have you ever been in a situation where you felt overwhelmed with fear or with so much un certainty until you literally became “unglued”? Becoming “unglued” in frightening and troublesome situations is a common thing for the human race. So I wonder, how did He do it? How could Jesus continue to sleep during a fierce storm that was about to take His disciples and Him out? Well, you may be thinking…..”well He was Jesus, He was God in the flesh”. True that, but let us not forget that He was also Son of Man. Fully God, yet fully man. Jesus had emotions and humanity. He was made like unto man for the suffering of death! So, I ask again….what was His secret? What about the Apostle Paul in Acts 20:24? Paul had been given revelation by the Holy Spirit that chains and afflictions awaited him as he was about to go from city to city to preach the gospel. But he said in Acts 20:24 that “none of these things move me”. Paul kniew that he had an assignment from God.
The secret to enduring great trials and even fears and uncertainties of life is to rest in what the Lord has already SAID! We must spend time alone with God during evey season of our life so that we can receive a proceeding word out of His own mouth. This type of word is what sustains our hearts during the most difficult times. The spoken or proceeding word always lines up with the written word and is trust worthy. It is impossible to please God without faith. We must practice walking a walk of faith not only when times are good or fair, but even in despair, fear, danger, persecution, and any other situation or wilderness experience of life. I can remember times in my own life when I would be so overwhelmed but others would be coasting along as if they did not have a care in the world! It was not that they did not have trials, they had learned to respond in faith. They were bearing the fruit of the Spirit.
So the next time you have an opportunity to become “unglued”, remember Jesus, sleeping on a pillow in the lower part of a boat that was about to sink. Yes, in His humanity, He was probably tired from His ministry work, but the main point is that He rested! Let us rest in Christ during our fierce storms of life and pray for one another. Our lesson from Matthew 8:24 teaches us to rest. To be at peace. Read the remainder of the story of the situation and see what Jesus told the disciples when they woke Him up from His little nap. There is lots to gain from this passage.