Puking overboad part2

Secure the hatches! Tie down the sails! Man your positions! Bottom out the anchors!

This might be some of the expression/commands that you might have heard back in the days when a crew in a ship might be on the verge of going into a storm. When there is not where else to go or to do but to weather the storm. Many of us go through storms weathering them. Some just waiting it out, yet others are tossed all over the place by storms.

Like I mention on my the first part of this three part blog, a believers life can be split three stages. Going into a storm, in the middle of a storm or coming out of a storm. We are going to be talking about how to maintain during a storm. Not to weather, cause when you weather the storm it implies that over time things might erode. We will not wait out a storm because that implies that our hands are tied. We will not be tossed around because that implies that we are at the mercy of the storm. We will be talking about how to maintain in the middle of a storm.

Matthew 8:23 talks about a storm that came upon the disciples without warning. Now keep this in mind. Some of the disciples where experience fishermen. They where used to predicting the weather. Not only that but I am sure that they might have been in a middle of a couple of storms during their fishing experience. These men where season sailors/fishermen. In verse 24 it says that a furious storm came without warning. Ain't that true with a lot of our storms? We never saw that accident coming. We never saw that legal situation growing, or we never imagine the health issue popping it's head now.

It's interesting because knowing that the disciples where fishermen you would figure that they might have been calm, cool and collective. They might have know what to do and how to navigate through it. On verse 25 it says that - The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" This struck as normal at first... you are in the middle of a storm and you feel like you are about to drown so you go ask for help, right? But wait, the person that you go ask for help is in the same boat you are in.... not only that but this person in asleep!

We can take away many things from this illustration but the one I want to mention is that the disciples not only had little faith as Jesus mention on the following verse "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" but that they really did not think about who Jesus really was. Here is the Son of Man, the Savior, The Almighty, The Lion of Judah, the Light of the World on the same boat and they are afraid that the boat is going to sink? Think about it, this man has healed, made miracles, taught with authority yet the disciples overlooked what they had seen and live through when a sudden storm hit. They let their fears cloud their judgment and knowledge of who Jesus really is/was. Many of us go through the same thing. We encounter a storm in our lives and all of a sudden we forget how much God has done in our lives. Our spiritual eyes get clouded by fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of not knowing the outcome of the storm. We forget that when we are going through a storm Jesus is in the same boat with you. He is riding the same wave you are riding. He is feeling the same up and down motion that you are feeling. The difference might be that If we have faith that He is there with us then we can have peace that no matter how bad the storm is, no matter how hard the wind blows, no matter how big the waves are we will not sink.

I want you to remember that the outcome is already determined. The end result is already worked out, and if we hold on to Jesus and have faith in who He is then know that we have the victory. We do not have to weather the storm, we should be ready for each and every storm. We don't wait out the storm, we have faith out work out our fears with his help and the knowledge of who He is. We don't get tossed and feel helpless in a storm, we should stand firm in the promises and the victory that God has already given us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

When we understand the authority of Jesus over everything, including our lives, then we can maintain through any storm. When we have unwavering faith in Jesus, then we can feel that supernatural peace in our lives during the hard times. When we trust God completely with our safety we will then be able to believe that whatever happens in our lives is the best for us according to His will.

Puking overboard!!!

Ok I have not been slacking on posting I've just been real busy.... but I am back and have something more to say. This one will be in 3 parts.

About a year ago I was introduce to a show called The Deadliest Catch. The idea of the show is to bring cameras on board a boat that is going to sea to trap crabs. They only have a certain amount of time to trapped them and they have to follow some guidelines. When the boat returns to the harbor and it cargo is full of crab they can make a good amount of money. The down side to this is that the time alloted for them to go and trap crab can be one of the most challenging times weather wise. Most times is freezing, snow builds up on the side of the boat, the boat can experience mechanical failure and on a couple of occasions some boats have sank and lost an entire crew. It's an interesting show to say the least.

Watching this show brought back a quote from a choir director and good friend of mine, "as a believer you are in one of three stages/positions in your life, either you are going into a storm, in the middle of a storm or coming out of a storm".

It really had me thinking about where my life was and is within this quote. Regardless of where your life might be when it comes to this quote, i believe that are some steps/notions that we need to keep in mind. Let's look at the first one.

Not sure if you have ever been on a boat in the middle of an ocean and you look to the horizon and instead of seeing a beautiful sun set, bright and orange silhouetted by a blue sky and some nice fluffy clouds you see the sky darkening to gray, the clouds look heavy, the winds in picking up and you smell a storm coming. It is a overwhelming feeling knowing that you are in the path of an oncoming storm and there is really nothing you can do but to ride it out and hope for the best. Most time this how we feel when we see that storm coming. It reminds me of the story in Matthew 8:23-24 where the disciples got on a boat with Jesus and a storm took them.

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.
Matthew 8:23-24

First we need to remember and understand that following Jesus is not something that is easy. We need to take up our cross daily. We need to sacrifice who we are. Finally, we need to remember that their is a cost following Jesus, storms will come. Unexpected storms will always come. In this particular verse the disciples where following Jesus. He told them to get into the boat and it says that a storm came without warning. Is this not what we experience a lot of times? Unexpected storms in our lives. Car accidents, The baby fell, I lost my job, I hurt myself, etc. Storms will come and storms will go, is how you ride them out that will make a big difference in out lives.

You might be looking at a storm coming to you right now. You might see the skies getting dark, the wind picking up the water getting rough, you might not even see the storm coming at you. But, knowing that we will always face these types of circumstances should help us to be aware and prepare for anything. If you know what to do when the storm hits, if you are prepare when the first gust of wind hits your sail, if you have everything buckle down then the outcome is a lot better. If you know who you are in Christ, if you believe the promises that He has for us. If you keep his word in your heart, then the storms become more bearable

Be aware that storms will come. Some storms will appear when we least expect them and with out warning. Being prepare before hand is a blessing that we have and that we should take advantage of. How are you prepare when that storm hits? Are you getting prepare? or are you just leaving it up to chance? Hoping that things won't be as bad as then seem. Pray that God can help you get prepare. Take it upon yourself to be always prepare for the storms.



On the next blog we will talk about riding the storm.

God bless