"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
Ephesians 6:11, KJV
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Experiencing Jesus in a Storm
Tony Evans
In
the book of Mark, chapter six, we read that the disciples got into a
boat, at night, and took out across the sea. In their obedience to
Jesus, the disciples ran directly into a storm. Their obedience
literally took them into the nucleus of a disaster.
I
wish I could tell you that following Jesus means you will never have to
face any storms. I wish I could tell you that following Jesus means
that the waters of life will always be calm. I wish I could tell you
that following Jesus means life will be rosy and all of your days sweet.
But I can’t. These disciples were following Jesus, and they ran right into rough
seas. The disciples discovered, as many of us have also discovered, that
you can be both in the center of God’s will, and still in a storm.
There
is a lot of preaching today as well as many Christian books that tell
you that if you follow Jesus, then you will never have to face any
challenges in life. That wasn’t true for Jesus or for anyone else I know
who has followed Him. Following Jesus doesn’t offer immunity from
troubles. What it does give is the opportunity to experience Him in the
midst of the trouble. Life comes with troubles, regardless of whether or not you follow
Jesus. You get to choose if you want Him to join you in your troubles,
or if you’d rather go through them alone.
Experiencing Jesus in the
storm allows you the chance to see His power over whatever it is you are
facing in your life. Keep your eyes focused on Him, and experience the
calm that focus brings your way.
When you look in the dictionary the word fear has two main definitions: A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, threat or evil whether the threat is real or imagined; and a reverential awe, as in the fear of the Lord. With this in mind, what does the verse “God has not given us a spirit of fear” mean? Let’s start by looking at the whole verse which is found in 2 Timothy 1:7: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” The New King James says it this way – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Based on the definition of the word, it can’t mean reverential awe because that wouldn’t make sense. Clearly fear means something else so let’s dig deeper to understand what it means. Let’s also consider the proper response we should have to fear. Photo credit: Unsplash/Aziz Acharki ...
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks you have probably seen, heard, and read about the coronavirus that is disrupting life all over the globe. And it is quite likely that it has had a direct impact on you, even if you have not yet gotten sick from it. Social distancing has become a new by-word in the past few days. The banning of large gatherings, including churches, and the closing of many establishments where people gather are common. Empty shelves at the grocery store are a normal sight. And there is the expectation that things will get worse before they begin to improve. Many people automatically look to connect any large-scale disaster to Revelation and see in it a sign of the end. But should we? This article will look at this virus and its relationship to Revelation. And then at how, as Christians, we should respond to it. What Is This Coronavirus? There seems to be a lot of confusion about this virus, starting with its name. Cor...
He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty. — 1 Samuel 20:25 In a season when many of us are gathering around the table with our family and friends, it seems apt to talk about who’s around the table. In 1 Samuel chapter 20, we see a picture of the person Saul has become. Having once been a man of God—to the point that God chose and anointed him to be King—with direct access to the voice of the Lord through his prophet Samuel, he’s now chased away that wise and just voice and replaced it with a yes man , Abner. God directs people in and out of our lives. He sends the right people, to the right place, with the right plan. And if we are open to His voice, we will recognize these people in our lives. The problem is, the enemy does the same thing. He sends people into our path as well; hoping the distraction and ego stroking will cause us to invite the wrong people to sit at ...
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