I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.
(Psalm 34:1-3, NLT)
The Lord deserves our worship and praises at all times because He daily watches over us and lavishes us with His goodness. The Lord is good and His unfailing love endures forever. Amen
Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?
(Mark 4:40, NLT)
Jesus told his disciples that “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake”. There was a starting point and a destination. They jumped on a boat with Jesus and started their journey. But soon a fierce storm came up. The scripture says “High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water” v37. And the disciples thought that they were going to be consumed by the fierce storm. The interesting part of the story is that, in the midst of the fierce storm, “Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion” v38.
How could you sleep when we are drowning?
The disciples were overwhelmed by the event so they rushed to Jesus shouting “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” v38.
In other words (my own) “how could you sleep when we are downing? Don’t you see, feel, sense, etc that we are going to die?”
Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we thought “God! where are you? Don’t You see that we are going to drown?”
But in the midst of this, Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”v40.
God has promised you a future; that is your vision, dream, aspiration, etc. He placed them in you and equipped you for the task. It looks great at the start and you are excited about it. However, what you have no knowledge about is the kind of storm that awaits you.
The course of life isn’t straight. There are curves, valleys, hills, potholes, thunderstorms, turbulence, high currents, waves, tides, etc along the course. In effect, whichever way or form your course might be, there are obstacles or limitations that would appear to make you feel that your mission is impossible.
One lesson you can learn from the passage is that Jesus Christ didn’t quit. He woke up, and as calm as you could imagine, rebuked the storm and continued the journey.
The storm you see today is waiting for the demonstration of your Faith to cease. Many times we wait for God to (sort of) appear in the flesh and take us through when in reality God is rather waiting for us to use the tools He has given to us already. His angels are waiting for us to command them to work.
From the passage, while the disciples thought Jesus has got the solution for the storm, Jesus on the other hand thought they could have handled it. Thus “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Could it be that you are the reason why your storms keep staring at (or threatening) you daily? because you are waiting for God? Well, God is with you. He is the reason why you haven’t drowned yet. He is waiting for you to use your Faith.
You may ask; how do I use my Faith?
What can you do now about the situation? Can you fast and pray? can you place the first phone call? can you make the first visit? can you obey the constant voice you are hearing? can you take the first step moving forward? These are acts of Faith. Can you give yourself one more try? Don’t be afraid to act because your miracle is in your obedience to His Word.
One challenge in the body of Christ has to do with Identity. That is the realization of who we are and how we are supposed to function. This is serious because it is becoming difficult to distinct a believer from an unbeliever when it comes to dealing with issues about this life.
Do you know YOU?
Scenario: A guy traveled to UK and became citizen through marriage. On record he is British but until he accepts the truth about his new identity, he would never enjoy the healthcare system, and other benefits. He may see people from his native country struggling because they are undocumented citizens. He may interact with them but his identity sets him apart when it comes to what he can do, where he can go, and what he can get in the UK.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father”
(John 14:12, NLT)
Note what He said “anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater work…”
May I submit to you that you are more powerful than any superhero you have ever seen or watched.
Jesus is your STRENGTH and He declared you Victorious before your battle began. You are not ordinary.
Satan’s job is simple: He is happy to keep you ignorant about your New Creation Status. Because when you know and accept that the Spirit of I AM lives in you and experience His mighty power, nothing shall be impossible for you.
Scenario: Someone (undocumented) talked the guy into thinking that he is the same person who came to the UK and he can never be live British because there are many laws in the country. The person talked about how unfair the UK government can be when it comes to breaking laws and how there are many CCTV watching everybody. This undocumented fellow wants to keep the guy from knowing his new identity so that both can be scared about the same events and circumstances.
The enemy’s strategy is to keep you bound in the old system so that you never really enjoy the benefits you are entitled to.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. (Hosea 4:6, NIV)
There are lots of information about what a person can do once he/she becomes a citizen of a country. Governments spend money on this because they want you to know the benefits of your new identity. They want you to understand the new laws and to live in a way that distinct you from citizens of other countries. It therefore becomes your responsibility to educate yourself and seek for help when necessary.
This is true about your spiritual journey. Your new nature needs to be fed with information about it’s identity so that you can distinguish yourself from the world. Unbelievers are undocumented citizens in God’s Kingdom and they don’t have access to the Holy Spirit. They don’t have access to the privileges you have and the Grace Factor is impracticable for them.
Always remember Jesus’ Words that
I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father”
(John 14:12, NLT)
Maybe you can try to answer this question again:
Do you know YOU?
Can you think about some things you know about your New Creation Status?
For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].
(Ephesians 2:10, AMP)
Uplifting Christ 