ICS Daily Devotions
Don’t be Afraid of the Storm
Mark 4:37,38 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling…. and they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
There was a lot of work to scoop up the water that was filling up the boat. Everyone was working hard. Just like all of us will be working very hard to handle a challenging situation in our lives. We will think that it is the end and the answer to the prayers is not forth coming!! The disciples were offended by passivity of Jesus when they could have just trusted His word for it. He told them that He will cross over to the other side! It was a normal reaction that reflects the attitude of many Christians when they are faced with a challenge in their lives. They think that God doesn’t care for them. They think that God is the one who messed it up for them. They think that it is God who is making their lives difficult! What if they plan and their idea is not God’s idea? Or how to deal with the storm or tribulation?
Mark 4:14-17 The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.
The most important thing for us is to keep our heart in the right condition. When we have consecrated our lives to God, then the word from God will be an anchor to our faith. It gives us a firm footing when the tribulation arises for the Word’s sake! The devil knows the power of the word in our heart as it creates faith in God. The objective is to steal our peace, joy and faith in God before the breakthrough. He knows that if he is able to steal it from us before it takes root in our heart, it will be ideal. He has created the tribulation to shift our attention on the “storm” rather than on what Christ has instructed regarding crossing over to the other side. Therefore, hold onto the word, the word that we have received in our prayer of consecration. Don’t allow the word to be uprooted or stolen from your life!
The disciples did not really have grasp on who Jesus truly was. Not every one of them had the revelation that He was the Son of the living God and thus had faith in His word. The person whom Jesus marveled at having the revelation of who He was and the power of His word was the centurion who believed that things would be done the moment Jesus said it. God expects us to have the same conviction on His word given to us personally. We are aware that faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. It is trusting that God is faithful to His word.
It is easier to fight the good fight of faith when you know that you are in the perfect will of God. The mountain, storm and wind signify the challenges and obstacles that we face after hearing from God and knowing that we are walking in His will. We should be speaking to the situation that’s contrary to what God has personally promised us. You have a firm footing after consecrating your plan to God. Then your faith will increase and you will be able to deal with the storms in your life.
Sermon Series: A Firm Footing
