Many of God’s children don’t live God’s best, the good life God planned for them because they don’t realize they are sheltered from the storms that come against them. Sadly, because we don’t know God very well-many actually think the storms are meant for them, from God and they are to endure those storms.
Using the Word of God-which is our foundation of truth, I would like to defend God and show the truth about the storms that come against us. I want to prove to you that they are not from God and how we can by our faith in God, and by His instruction-actually stop the storms in our lives.
I chose this occurrence from the Word because Jesus demonstrates that we are empowered to do great things, even take control over the wind and the sea. That we are not created to be overtaken by our circumstances even a physical storm, but we are created to be over-comers.
Mark 4:37 And a furious storm of wind [of hurricane proportions] arose, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that it was already becoming filled. 38 But He [Himself] was in the stern [of the boat], asleep on the [leather] cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do You not care that we are perishing? 39 And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush now! Be still (muzzled)! And the wind ceased (sank to rest as if exhausted by its beating) and there was [immediately] a great calm ([a perfect peacefulness). 40 He said to them, Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (no [firmly relying trust)? 41 And they were filled with great awe and [feared exceedingly and said one to another, Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?
This storm is a physical storm, but also an analogy of what any storm that may come against us would be like. When the enemy attacks our minds with doubt and fear, the attack is like a storm that seems over-bearing. The reasons for the storms that come against us are to steal our peace and our trust in God. As I already mentioned many think the storms are from God, therefore we can see the enemy has already stolen our peace and our trust in God with His lies, using storms (our circumstances) to control us.
The source of the storm is the enemy, he is always at work trying to steal God from us (Mark 4:5) a nd therefore it is vital we have the understanding of the storm and how to stop it.
Looking at this picture, we can see that Jesus wasn’t moved emotionally by the storm, He never lost His peace. When the disciples woke Jesus to tell Him about the storm Jesus didn’t freak out and wonder what to do. No, rather He was confident in who He was and His ability to stop the storm. As a standard practice for Jesus, He took authority over His circumstance; He told the wind and the sea what to do.
The disciples on the other hand were freaking out and their first words were, “Don’t You care?” We might wonder how they could say that to Jesus after all the miracles they had witnessed before the storm, but we do the same thing today. We face a storm and beg God to do something and when He doesn’t do what we want Him to do; we too wonder if He cares.
The reason being, is we fail to realize God has given us His permission to do what we are asking Him to do. He has granted us His power and authority to do what He does, what He modeled when He was here. We can take His authority and calm any storm that comes our way, with our faith in Him.
Clearly if we are Christians which is the same as a disciple we are to take our God given authority over our circumstances. Recall what Jesus said to the disciples after He calmed the storm. He said, “Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
Jesus is so right; we are a timid people still today. We let whatever blows our way knock us down. Why are we so timed and fearful, how is it we have no faith? How is it that we don’t get that we are to take authority over our circumstances, as He modeled to us?
Jesus taught that we are to talk to the mountain (our circumstances) and to change them. He taught us through the disciples to take authority over the bad in our lives.
Mark 11:22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
The storm Jesus spoke to is just another occurrence, another conformation of the power that resides in Him and in us to take control over the troubles in our lives.
Jesus not only demonstrated His power but He delegated His power and authority. He sent out seventy men and gave them power and authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, and to share the goodness of God.
Luke 10:17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name! 18 And He said to them, I saw Satan falling like a lightning [flash] from heaven. 19 Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.
Jesus didn’t say put up with your circumstances, He said to change them. He modeled to us to speak to our circumstances and change them. He gave us authority and power over all that the enemy possesses. And He said, “Nothing shall in any way harm you.”
Does that mean the storm; the actual storm was from the enemy? It wasn’t from God; Jesus would not come against God. He said no house divided against itself would stand (Matthew 12:25). God is not against Himself; therefore the storm was not from God to Jesus.
Genesis 1:26 God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.
God gave us authority over all the earth, therefore that would include a physical storm. Jesus was demonstrating to us what we were already to have authority over, right from the beginning. Jesus came to show us the Father and His will, the power and authority we are to have over the fish of the sea, the birds, the beasts, the earth, and the enemy.
Jesus at no time begged God to do anything for Him, but He did the greater works and He controlled His circumstances with the power and authority God gave Him. When Jesus left He gave us the power to do the same.
Matthew 28:18 Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. [Amen (so let it be).
Jesus controlled everything in His life, even that He would lay down His life. The enemy didn’t take His life, Jesus decided that He would lay His life down and pointed out, that He could pick it up again.
John 10:18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” NKJV
Jesus didn’t let the enemy rule in His life, nor should we. We are sheltered from the storms the enemy brings against us by our faith and reliance on God.
God truly expects us to take control in our lives and do those greater things which we have been assigned. He is not pleased when we endure the storms, but when we have faith to take control over them. God made us in His likeness and expects we take on His character and do His will. God is calling us to be over-comers.
1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith. KJV
Remember what God said to Paul when Paul was begging Him to take out the thorn? He said My grace, My favor, is sufficient for you. In other words My favor is all you need. You’re asking for something that has already been done. You take out the thorn, you tell Satan’s messenger to flee, you do it Paul.
2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Like Paul we forget, or don’t take God seriously when He tells us the privilege we have to use His name, to change our circumstances-to control the enemy as Jesus did. It was when God answered Paul, that Paul realized what he needed was God’s strength in his weakness. He knew in that moment the enemy was threatened by the revelation he had and that was the reason for the messenger from Satan, to keep Paul from being exalted above measure with abundance of revelations.
Satan does not want us to know our authority or to use it to control him, therefore he will at every instance of us moving forward, try and keep us from revelation. His goal is to keep us bound in our knowledge, which will keep us under his foot.
Therefore when we are in a storm, when Satan tries to get us to stop in our abundance of revelations, we need to take authority over him instead of begging God to. We can ask God for His strength to overcome, rather than ask God to do what He told us to do.
How can I ask God to heal me when it has already been finished? The Word says by His stripes I was healed. Therefore I don’t beg God to heal me when healing has already been purchased. Jesus took thirty-nine stripes for my healing therefore I have to believe it, not beg for it. Jesus said many times: your faith has made you well, be it unto you according to your faith. Therefore what we need to do is feed ourselves the Word which produces faith, and then we can ask for God’s guidance and strength to see us through to be the over-comer He has called us to be.
I am not telling you this only by study but by my experience. I have never received from God by begging or questioning His love for me, but only by faith in His promises. When I believed by acting out my faith, I have received God‘s promises. When we act like we are healed is when we have true faith according to James 2:17.
Talking as though we are healed and acting as though we are healed is faith. If we are in a situation where we lack understanding we can ask God for understanding according to James 1:5 and God will give us liberally, His wisdom. He will tell us what we need to do to have victory.
That is where many miss it; they don’t believe that they have to do anything. They think if it is God’s will, God will heal them. Therefore their first mistake is not knowing God’s will; the second is not knowing faith in God’s will to heal, is an action of faith that we have to take. Many mistake faith action for works, good deeds that will earn God’s favor. Faith action and good deeds are entirely two different things; good deeds are good but won’t be the action you need for healing. Action for healing is dependence on God’s will, His instructions to us; nothing we can earn.
To conclude: Jesus plainly said He is in need of employees, He said the harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. There are many looking for answers from the storms of life, freedom from destruction, poverty, sickness, and disease. And…there are few who will take the time to know God’s will and take the shelter He already provided for them that would prove the goodness of God-which will bring in the harvest.
How do we take shelter, how do we live in God‘s protection? Living as God lives. Knowing God and abiding in Him, living in agreement to His will, which will project His power in our lives to calm the storms that we have been sheltered from by our faith in HIM.
As we live in the will of God we are a light for God, reaching out to others through the demonstration of His power in our lives.