CHRIST IN THE STORM
Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? —Mark 4:40
At the age of 27, Rembrandt painted the seascape Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galileebased on the story in Mark 4. With its distinctive contrast of light and shadow, Rembrandt’s painting shows a small boat threatened with destruction in a furious storm. As the disciples struggle against the wind and waves, Jesus is undisturbed. The most unusual aspect, however, is the presence in the boat of a 13th disciple whom art experts say resembles Rembrandt himself.
Mark’s gospel describes the disciples’ vivid lesson about who Jesus is and what He can do. While they were frantically trying to save a sinking boat, Jesus was asleep. Didn’t He care that they were all about to die? (v.38). After Jesus calmed the storm (v.39), He asked the penetrating question, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (v.40). Then they were even more afraid, exclaiming to each other, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (v.41).
We could also put ourselves in this story and discover, just as Jesus’ disciples did, that to each person who trusts in Jesus Christ, He reveals His presence, compassion, and control in every storm of life.
Be still, my heart; for faithful is thy Lord,
And pure and true and tried His holy Word;
Though stormy flood which rageth as the sea,
His promises thy stepping-stones shall be.
God is a safe dwelling place in life’s storms.
GO IN THE POSSESS THE LAND
Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. - Numbers 14:9
Thousands of years ago, God told the children of Israel to go up and occupy the land that He had given them. He told them to take it, by force and without fear, from the ungodly ones who were dwelling there.
He's still saying that today. God is still trying to get us, as His people, to take the good land He's given us. He's still trying to get us to use the power He's given us to run the wicked one out.
You see, this earth doesn't belong to the devil. It belongs to God (Ps. 24:1). The devil has just moved in and taken control of things because we believers haven't stopped him.
That is our job, you know. Jesus took Satan's legal rights away from him on Resurrection morning. Then Jesus put us in charge of enforcing Satan's defeat. The Scripture says that Jesus is going to sit at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made His footstool (Heb. 10:12-13). Do you know what that means? It means Jesus is waiting on us to kick the devil and his crew out of the affairs of this earth. He's waiting on us to carry out the victory He won at Calvary and occupy this land.
But just like Israel had to rise up physically to take the land of Canaan, you and I have to rise up in the Spirit if we're going to establish the dominion of God in the earth. We're going to have to get moving. We can't do it sitting down!
Listen, you may not know it, but we're at war. We're in a spiritual battle--and we're winning. In fact, if you realized what was already established in the spirit world, you'd laugh at the devil every time he showed his face.
So today if the devil has control of an area of your life or your church or your community, rise up in the Spirit through faith and prayer and the Word and start taking that territory back. Don't be afraid. His defense is departed from him. He has no weapon that can stand against you.
The Lord is with you. Rise up in the Name of Jesus and take back the land!
The Recipe for Continuous Victory and Success
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified (Acts 20:32).
The Word of God is the building block we need as Christians to shape up our lives and become all that God has planned for us to be. This is because the Word has inherent ability to produce what it says. In Joshua 1:8, ever before Joshua could embark on the mission of leading the Jews into the Promised Land, God instructed him to meditate on the Word regularly and keep the Word in his mouth. He was to have the Word in his heart and in his mouth, and be completely taken over by the Word. That way, he would be careful to do the Word.
This was necessary because God had premised Joshua’s success on meditating on the Word. If this was true for Joshua, it’s all the more true for us today as Christians. The Word of God is what we need to live a successful, prosperous and victorious life. Thus, you shouldn’t allow any kind of failure in your life! God has given us His Word that’s able to make us successful, prosperous and victorious. Our responsibility is to think God’s thoughts; speak and live according to the Word.
God’s Word is our sure road map to a life of unending victories. So if as a Christian you’ve been experiencing consistent failures rather than victories in your life endeavours, what you need do is a Word-check. It might mean that you’re not living according to God’s Word. Now, that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily doing something wrong. It does mean however that there’re some important things you’re not doing. An example could be proper meditation on the Word; it’s a sure recipe for success. Praise the Lord!
WAKE UP
What is satan stealing from you? Is he stealing your health? Is he stealing your finances? Is he stealing your relationships? What area of your life is he targeting? Is he stealing your peace? Now is the time you must come to realize My children that he is defeated. He is a defeated foe. The ground that he stakes out in your life is not his. He is trespassing. Walk with Me and he cannot tag along.
Whatever you are fighting against right now, do not fight alone. Fight with Me by your side. He has already been defeated. In walking in unbelief you achieve his goal for him. You believe his lie and give him ground. He bases his existence in your life on a lie. My children must rise up against him now. My children must do battle against him now, he is a defeated foe. Instead of believing his lies, you must pick up your weapons and fight against him.
The battle is in your mind. Knowing that you are fighting against something or someone who has already been defeated is the most important tool. My army needs to come to life. my army needs to be fed this knowledge. He is done defeating My children. My children are called upon now to rise up against him and his minions. He can no longer take from, steal, ruin, or deceive any of My children.
Wake up My children to who you are in Me. I am the I AM, the creator of all things. He is nothing. Enough now, reclaim your territory. My children, I love you. You must fight to rest in Me, you must fight to rest.
God can and will heal your wounds; after all, His banner over you is love. (Song of Solomon 2:4)
God has delivered you before, hasn't He? If He delivered you before, then you should be confident that He will come to your rescue again.
We cannot stand through the storms of life based on someone else's faith. We must be fully assured in our own hearts and minds.
Do you know that giving to you actually brings joy to God’s heart? When you place a demand on Him to heal you or to provide for you, you let Him be God. When you draw on His fullness and His abundance of life, health and blessings, you delight His heart!
THE DEVIL IS A LIAR
When he [the devil] speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. – John 8:44
Some people find it difficult to believe God's promises because they've seen so many things in the natural world that seem to contradict them. They've seen faithful tithers go broke. They've seen sick Christians fail to receive their healing.
In reality, it would be more accurate to say that they think they've seen those things. Because, you see, there's a deceiver at work in the world. A deceiver who's busily doing the same thing he's been doing ever since the Garden of Eden: tricking mankind into believing God's Word isn't true.
And, after working on it for thousands of years, he's a master at it. Think about that the next time he tries to make things look as though God's Word is not going to work for you, when he makes it look like all hope is lost. Say, "I don't care about appearances. I believe the Word and I refuse to doubt it."
Let me show you what I mean. Have you ever seen a magic show where someone crawls inside a box and then is sawn in half? You can see it with your own two eyes. The guy's feet are sticking out one end of the box and his head is poking out the other, and the box is plainly cut in two. Then the magician slides the two halves back together and the sawed-apart fellow jumps out of the box in one piece.
Now tell me, did you really believe, even for a moment, that fellow was truly cut in half? Of course not! You knew that you'd seen a trick, a deception, something that appeared one way when, in reality, it was a different way altogether. You may not have known how it was done. You may not have been able to explain it. But you knew a person couldn't be sawn in half, then put back together, so you refused to believe your eyes.
That's exactly the way you need to be where the Word of God is concerned. You need to learn to trust it and rely on it to such an extent that when Satan shows you something in the natural world that appears to contradict it, you just say, "Well, I saw that, but I'm not going to be gullible enough to believe it. I'm just going to stick with the Word."
If you'll do that, the father of lies will never be able to put one over on you.
DEGREES OF DENIAL :
Matthew 10:33, "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."
This word "deny" can mean a variety of things from as little as "to assert the contrary of" to "to disavow; disown." For example, we can see that it must have been the lesser type of denial which was committed by Peter because God certainly forgave Peter's sin and continued using him. In Hebrews 6:4-6, the Lord states that there is no repentance from total denial of the Lord (Heb. 10:29). Therefore, even though Peter denied (asserted he did not know) the Lord, he did not disown or disavow the Lord.
No believer desires to deny our Lord, but failing to provide for spiritual health is the first step in that direction. Remembering this will help motivate us to seek the Lord as we know we should. It takes more than desire; it takes preparation. We have all been taught how to rely on ourselves, but we have to learn anew how to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Eph. 6:10). Just as in the physical realm, muscles have to be exercised to become strong, so we have to exercise ourselves unto Godliness (1 Tim. 4:7).
Many people have been tormented by fear in thinking that they have denied the Lord because of some type of sin in their life. However, God looks on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7) and, regardless of how offensive our actions or words might be, if there is still a place in our hearts where we honor Him, He will not deny us (2 Tim. 2:12-13)..
Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? —Mark 4:40
At the age of 27, Rembrandt painted the seascape Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galileebased on the story in Mark 4. With its distinctive contrast of light and shadow, Rembrandt’s painting shows a small boat threatened with destruction in a furious storm. As the disciples struggle against the wind and waves, Jesus is undisturbed. The most unusual aspect, however, is the presence in the boat of a 13th disciple whom art experts say resembles Rembrandt himself.
Mark’s gospel describes the disciples’ vivid lesson about who Jesus is and what He can do. While they were frantically trying to save a sinking boat, Jesus was asleep. Didn’t He care that they were all about to die? (v.38). After Jesus calmed the storm (v.39), He asked the penetrating question, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (v.40). Then they were even more afraid, exclaiming to each other, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (v.41).
We could also put ourselves in this story and discover, just as Jesus’ disciples did, that to each person who trusts in Jesus Christ, He reveals His presence, compassion, and control in every storm of life.
Be still, my heart; for faithful is thy Lord,
And pure and true and tried His holy Word;
Though stormy flood which rageth as the sea,
His promises thy stepping-stones shall be.
God is a safe dwelling place in life’s storms.
GO IN THE POSSESS THE LAND
Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. - Numbers 14:9
Thousands of years ago, God told the children of Israel to go up and occupy the land that He had given them. He told them to take it, by force and without fear, from the ungodly ones who were dwelling there.
He's still saying that today. God is still trying to get us, as His people, to take the good land He's given us. He's still trying to get us to use the power He's given us to run the wicked one out.
You see, this earth doesn't belong to the devil. It belongs to God (Ps. 24:1). The devil has just moved in and taken control of things because we believers haven't stopped him.
That is our job, you know. Jesus took Satan's legal rights away from him on Resurrection morning. Then Jesus put us in charge of enforcing Satan's defeat. The Scripture says that Jesus is going to sit at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made His footstool (Heb. 10:12-13). Do you know what that means? It means Jesus is waiting on us to kick the devil and his crew out of the affairs of this earth. He's waiting on us to carry out the victory He won at Calvary and occupy this land.
But just like Israel had to rise up physically to take the land of Canaan, you and I have to rise up in the Spirit if we're going to establish the dominion of God in the earth. We're going to have to get moving. We can't do it sitting down!
Listen, you may not know it, but we're at war. We're in a spiritual battle--and we're winning. In fact, if you realized what was already established in the spirit world, you'd laugh at the devil every time he showed his face.
So today if the devil has control of an area of your life or your church or your community, rise up in the Spirit through faith and prayer and the Word and start taking that territory back. Don't be afraid. His defense is departed from him. He has no weapon that can stand against you.
The Lord is with you. Rise up in the Name of Jesus and take back the land!
The Recipe for Continuous Victory and Success
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified (Acts 20:32).
The Word of God is the building block we need as Christians to shape up our lives and become all that God has planned for us to be. This is because the Word has inherent ability to produce what it says. In Joshua 1:8, ever before Joshua could embark on the mission of leading the Jews into the Promised Land, God instructed him to meditate on the Word regularly and keep the Word in his mouth. He was to have the Word in his heart and in his mouth, and be completely taken over by the Word. That way, he would be careful to do the Word.
This was necessary because God had premised Joshua’s success on meditating on the Word. If this was true for Joshua, it’s all the more true for us today as Christians. The Word of God is what we need to live a successful, prosperous and victorious life. Thus, you shouldn’t allow any kind of failure in your life! God has given us His Word that’s able to make us successful, prosperous and victorious. Our responsibility is to think God’s thoughts; speak and live according to the Word.
God’s Word is our sure road map to a life of unending victories. So if as a Christian you’ve been experiencing consistent failures rather than victories in your life endeavours, what you need do is a Word-check. It might mean that you’re not living according to God’s Word. Now, that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily doing something wrong. It does mean however that there’re some important things you’re not doing. An example could be proper meditation on the Word; it’s a sure recipe for success. Praise the Lord!
WAKE UP
What is satan stealing from you? Is he stealing your health? Is he stealing your finances? Is he stealing your relationships? What area of your life is he targeting? Is he stealing your peace? Now is the time you must come to realize My children that he is defeated. He is a defeated foe. The ground that he stakes out in your life is not his. He is trespassing. Walk with Me and he cannot tag along.
Whatever you are fighting against right now, do not fight alone. Fight with Me by your side. He has already been defeated. In walking in unbelief you achieve his goal for him. You believe his lie and give him ground. He bases his existence in your life on a lie. My children must rise up against him now. My children must do battle against him now, he is a defeated foe. Instead of believing his lies, you must pick up your weapons and fight against him.
The battle is in your mind. Knowing that you are fighting against something or someone who has already been defeated is the most important tool. My army needs to come to life. my army needs to be fed this knowledge. He is done defeating My children. My children are called upon now to rise up against him and his minions. He can no longer take from, steal, ruin, or deceive any of My children.
Wake up My children to who you are in Me. I am the I AM, the creator of all things. He is nothing. Enough now, reclaim your territory. My children, I love you. You must fight to rest in Me, you must fight to rest.
God can and will heal your wounds; after all, His banner over you is love. (Song of Solomon 2:4)
God has delivered you before, hasn't He? If He delivered you before, then you should be confident that He will come to your rescue again.
We cannot stand through the storms of life based on someone else's faith. We must be fully assured in our own hearts and minds.
Do you know that giving to you actually brings joy to God’s heart? When you place a demand on Him to heal you or to provide for you, you let Him be God. When you draw on His fullness and His abundance of life, health and blessings, you delight His heart!
THE DEVIL IS A LIAR
When he [the devil] speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. – John 8:44
Some people find it difficult to believe God's promises because they've seen so many things in the natural world that seem to contradict them. They've seen faithful tithers go broke. They've seen sick Christians fail to receive their healing.
In reality, it would be more accurate to say that they think they've seen those things. Because, you see, there's a deceiver at work in the world. A deceiver who's busily doing the same thing he's been doing ever since the Garden of Eden: tricking mankind into believing God's Word isn't true.
And, after working on it for thousands of years, he's a master at it. Think about that the next time he tries to make things look as though God's Word is not going to work for you, when he makes it look like all hope is lost. Say, "I don't care about appearances. I believe the Word and I refuse to doubt it."
Let me show you what I mean. Have you ever seen a magic show where someone crawls inside a box and then is sawn in half? You can see it with your own two eyes. The guy's feet are sticking out one end of the box and his head is poking out the other, and the box is plainly cut in two. Then the magician slides the two halves back together and the sawed-apart fellow jumps out of the box in one piece.
Now tell me, did you really believe, even for a moment, that fellow was truly cut in half? Of course not! You knew that you'd seen a trick, a deception, something that appeared one way when, in reality, it was a different way altogether. You may not have known how it was done. You may not have been able to explain it. But you knew a person couldn't be sawn in half, then put back together, so you refused to believe your eyes.
That's exactly the way you need to be where the Word of God is concerned. You need to learn to trust it and rely on it to such an extent that when Satan shows you something in the natural world that appears to contradict it, you just say, "Well, I saw that, but I'm not going to be gullible enough to believe it. I'm just going to stick with the Word."
If you'll do that, the father of lies will never be able to put one over on you.
DEGREES OF DENIAL :
Matthew 10:33, "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."
This word "deny" can mean a variety of things from as little as "to assert the contrary of" to "to disavow; disown." For example, we can see that it must have been the lesser type of denial which was committed by Peter because God certainly forgave Peter's sin and continued using him. In Hebrews 6:4-6, the Lord states that there is no repentance from total denial of the Lord (Heb. 10:29). Therefore, even though Peter denied (asserted he did not know) the Lord, he did not disown or disavow the Lord.
No believer desires to deny our Lord, but failing to provide for spiritual health is the first step in that direction. Remembering this will help motivate us to seek the Lord as we know we should. It takes more than desire; it takes preparation. We have all been taught how to rely on ourselves, but we have to learn anew how to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Eph. 6:10). Just as in the physical realm, muscles have to be exercised to become strong, so we have to exercise ourselves unto Godliness (1 Tim. 4:7).
Many people have been tormented by fear in thinking that they have denied the Lord because of some type of sin in their life. However, God looks on the heart (1 Sam. 16:7) and, regardless of how offensive our actions or words might be, if there is still a place in our hearts where we honor Him, He will not deny us (2 Tim. 2:12-13)..
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