http://youtu.be/SvVR6eKybGo Lakewood Church of God 12637 Pony Lane Hudson, FL 34669 727-856-1770 www.suncoast4jesus.tv www.facebook.com/lakewoodchurchofgod www.about.me/jonathanvorce
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http://youtu.be/UPTeNZEtPaI Lakewood Church of God 12637 Pony Lane Hudson, FL 34669 727-856-1770 www.suncoast4jesus.tv www.facebook.com/lakewoodchurchofgod www.about.me/jonathanvorce
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“Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” – Isaiah 46:9-10 I tossed …
Read Luke 8:22-27.
Jesus’ disciples find themselves in a storm as their boat crosses the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus is sound asleep. In the midst of the storm, as the boat is being swamped with water and the disciples’ fears are at their worst, Jesus is woken up; He rebukes the storm and suddenly all is calm. Amazed, but frazzled, in awe but still shaking from fear, the disciples arrive on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. Jesus steps out of the boat, and begins walking directly into their next ministry opportunity. No time for reflection. No time to calm down. No time to shake off the nerves. Get out of the boat. It’s time to get to work again.
Living in Mississippi, I have a lot of experience with summertime thunderstorms. So many afternoons, a storm will come up suddenly, with lots of thunder, lighting, and heavy rain. What I’ve noticed most often about those storms is the thick fog that lingers around for a while after the storm is over and the sun has come out again.
Isn’t that how life sometimes is for us? You’re coming out of a storm – a health scare, a difficult season at your job, family problems – and you’re still caught in the fog. Jesus is saying: Get out of the boat. It’s time to get to work again. And yet you’re worn, nerves still on edge, and you can’t seem to break through the fog.
There are two struggles we face in coming out of the storm. The first is the struggle to re-gain our passion for worship. The second is the struggle against giving in to temptation and sin; the struggle to let our guard down, to believe the lies our Enemy speaks into our life. These struggles seem to be a one-two punch used against us.
Coming out of the storm is the time to get focused again on the things that matter, on our calling, on our Savior, on our worship. But, how do we get focused again?
We get focused again by looking to the Cross.
We return to the foot of the Cross, and kneel there. We watch our Savior bleed, and die – and we see again, in a fresh way, what life is truly all about. We see the cost of our salvation. We see the power of His blood. We see the seriousness of our calling. We see the defeat of our Enemy.
You see, Jesus didn’t go to the cross simply as a great story that we would tell and re-tell. He went there to purchase our salvation through the giving of His own blood. He went there to defeat sin, death, and Satan through the laying down of His own life. He went there to make new creations out of us, those who would surrender our lives to follow Him.
It’s there at the Cross where we, His disciples, find our passion for worship again. Where we surrender ourselves again to His calling. Where we are reminded of what truly matters.
There, as we lift up our eyes, the fog begins to fade away and we step out of the boat onto dry land to follow the voice of our Savior: Get out of the boat. It’s time to get to work again.
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Perry Stone teaches from Israel.
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