Reaching out in FAITH
1 Peter 1:77 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire —may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Ok we are going to do a little recap from the 1st week of study.
Tonight is all about the visual of what we are talking about, so even if you are not a visual learner please try and go through this with me. Even if it takes you closing your eyes at times…I don’t want you to miss this.
So there we were in the place we are calling the Calm before the storm when all of a sudden it happens. We get the call, or the diagnosis or the pink slip or whatever it is and before we know it, before we can even grasp what has happened there we are in the midst of the storm. We are thrown out into the raging waters and we feel like we are about to drown.
We reach out and grab hold to our life vest that represents the Word of God but it doesn’t take long to realize that even with that we are barely keeping above water. We are not only emotionally and mentally wearing down, but our physical body is wearing thin. We were so blind sided by this tragedy that we never even noticed the enemy has taken a rope with that thousand pound anchor and tied it around our leg and if we don’t take back the foothold we unknowingly gave him then it won’t be long before we go under.
We have our freedom verse that says, For it is for freedom that Christ has set us free, so stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1.
This tragedy on it’s own is not slavery but if we don’t cut the ties that the enemy has us bound up in, then it will be next to impossible to survive it.
Thankfully we are not asked nor required to go at this alone.
Ephesians 3:14-21 says this,14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
You need to know that there is a time that it is appropriate to stand your ground & fight the enemy to take back what is yours. Ephesians just said that he will strengthen you with power through his Spirit.
I know we talked about this a few weeks ago but this one is so important…
Ephesians 6:10-1410 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Do you know that there is nothing in the Bible that ever says for you to take if off? We are to never be unguarded or unprepared always standing firm in the Word of God and in his power that dwells within us.
So What Now?
So here we are, we’ve stood our ground through the power of the HS. We’ve taken back the foothold from the enemy and yet…we are still in the storm.
I think what happens is the longer we stay in the storm the harder it rains. Sometimes we start out with this big faith in God then once we realize the pain isn’t subsiding our faith starts to drift away.
When we are hurt or burned we wear that pain. When we are sad or devastated we wear fear. When we are tested and tormented we wear that distrust. Those feelings turn into hurt and resentment and resentment left undealt with leads to bitterness and more loss.
(Ok, here is the disadvantage of reading this on a blog, you can’t see the visual of the rope.)
We have to be willing to lay every piece of this down at the feet of Jesus.
Learning to lay it down
The longer we choose to not lay these things down at his feet, the longer we stay in the storm. This doesn’t mean that when we lay them down we are instantly healed but this is the beginning of the process we must go through to allow God to heal our hearts and mend our broken places.
When we are freed from the ropes that we are in bondage to, we are able to reach up and into the arms of Jesus.
And it is there that we begin our journey out of the storm into the still waters, to the cove of his mercy and peace.
2 Corinthians 3:1818 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
And it is then, in the midst of our tragedy in the midst of the storm, the clouds start to part we will reflect His glory!!!
As we close tonight I want you to listen to the words of this song. Take out your pen and tell Him the things that you are holding onto that you haven’t been able to lay down. Ask Him to give you the ability and willingness to do so and ask Him how to show you His glory through His healing.
Part the waters/I need Thee
When I think I'm goin' under, part the waters Lord
When I feel the waves around me, calm the sea
When I cry for help, oh, hear me Lord and hold out Your hand
Touch my life, and still the raging storm in me
Knowing You love me, through the burdens I must bear
Hearing Your footsteps, lets me know I'm in Your care
And in the night of my life, You bring the promise of day
Here is my hand, show me the way
Knowing You love me, helps me face another day
Hearing Your footsteps, drives the clouds and fears away
And in the tears of my life, I see the sorrow You bore
Here is my pain, heal it once more.....
Once more....
Touch my life, and still the raging storm in me!
I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord; no tender voice like thine can peace afford.
I need thee, O I need thee; every hour I need thee; O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.
I need thee every hour; stay thou nearby; temptations lose their power when thou art nigh.
I need thee every hour, in joy or pain; come quickly and abide, or life is vain.
I need thee, O I need thee; every hour I need thee; O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee; O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee
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