STORM FAITH

Too many times we fail to admit to ourselves that we are in a situation; a storm and we need help. Often we either chose to pretend the situation doesn’t exist in the hope it’ll just go away, we try to run from it or we smile and carry on while battling on the inside.  It’s natural to try and overpower our situations; our enemies but then we can lose sight of the real issue. We start to see it through our own eyes or through the eyes of the situation and we defeat ourselves.

The story in the Scripture Numbers 13 tells us of the children of Israel who God had given the land of Canaan to. Ten of them were sent as spies to see what lay ahead and bring back a report but when they got there, eight of them saw themselves as grasshoppers against the inhabitants and deemed themselves defeatable. Only two of them saw themselves as conquerors and said we can take the land. They did not see the situation through their natural eyes because the natural eyes will not see the things that God lets you see with your Spiritual eyes. The situation was the same but there were two differing perspectives and reports.

It is important to remember that in any situation; any storm God is still God and His promises are for always.  He is not man that He can lie, so if He said He has given you something then it’s yours no matter what you have to face on the journey to getting it. On the way there you will need to exercise faith. Faith that says though the natural eyes shows me to be smaller than my situation, my God is bigger than the situation so I will call on Him.  Exercising faith means going back to The Word and standing on The Word. His Word is a lamp onto our feet (Psalm 119:105). His Word will show you the way through your situation; through the storm, through the battle; but too many Christians stand on parade and fail to confess their sins and struggles. They think that to admit their weakness is to fail but the Word of God says in our weakness He is made strong (2 Corinthians 12:9). He desires us to confess our sins and weaknesses so that He can become the strength we need to overcome; but you will have to exercise faith and trust Him.

When we are ill, we go to our doctor, state and submit our problem to him and receive medication for our cure.  It’s the same with God.  He is quick to deliver us but it means submitting to Him. As soon as we confess our circumstance to Him, it causes a shift and changes the paradigm. God takes control and we begin to see our circumstance from the supernatural and not the natural.  To confess and repent is to have a change of mind (Chronicles 7:13-15). Once we confess our situation and repent, our mind will be renewed and we will see the circumstances differently. We will see the mountains in our way from the top as opposed to from the bottom and suddenly it won’t seem so big. God wants to deliver us from all our storms, from all situations that’s bigger than us but the enemy wants to keep us there so he makes it look bigger than us. When we confess it and admit that in our own strength we are defeatable we make God bigger than the situation. It’s an invitation for Him to come into it and help us the same way He helped Peter and the disciples who were in the boat in a storm. Peter said “Lord, if it’s You bid me come” and God made him walk on the water and the water did not consume him.  Peter had to exercise storm faith (Matthew 14:22-19).  What are the storms in your life today that you are battling with?

We have a propensity to feed the storms we are in by getting into a fight with it. We feed it with fear and make it bigger than we are. Whatever we feed we strengthen. To feed our fear is to give the enemy strength. He wants us to focus on our fear, our battles and storms because it’s his plan to steal, kill and destroy us but that’s not Gods plan for us. His Word teaches us that His plan is to prosper us and give us an expected end (Jeremiah 29:11). We are more than conquers because He is our strength and He is a present help. 

Often we focus on the wrong thing to try and fight our storms. The disciples in the boat focused on the storm but Jesus spoke to the winds and calmed the storm.  In the middle of our storms, our situations, our battles who are we listening to? What are we looking at? Are you fighting the waves and not the wind? When we are in a storm we get so busy fighting that we forget to call on God. In any storm or situation we must submit, surrender and confess it to God. When we do this we allow Him to take control. It doesn’t mean that He will take away the storm or the situation but He will get into it with us and walk us through it. We must remember that we do not fight against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:11-13). He will defeat the situation in the Spirit enabling us to be strengthened in the natural. It is also important to listen. Sometimes we assume what we should do because that’s what we want to do but listen and hear what God is saying. He is in every situation with us and is always speaking, guiding and directing us (John 10:27-28). Before a battle, David always asked the Lord what to do; (2 Samuel 5:19) “Lord, if I go will you deliver my enemies to me?” Should I go or should I stay. Ask, wait and listen. We must listen and follow His direction. He will never let us perish. Sometimes we just want the battle to overcome us so we don’t have to fight anymore but that’s not Gods plan. He said He will never leave nor forsake us so be of good courage (Deuteronomy 31:5-6). We will have to walk through valleys, weather the storms, fight battles but He is always with us (Psalm 23:4). The disciples in the boat in the storm were afraid but Jesus asked, “Where is your faith?” The storms, situations and battles in our lives are there to strengthen us (Ephesians 6:13) but we will have to exercise storm faith.  We will have to wear the full armour and exercise faith.

In every battle God is there.  His joy is our strength. Our faith raises Him up to be more than eyes have seen ears heard or have entered our minds (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Our faith releases Him to take control and free us from the attempts of the enemy.  Our storms are an opportunity to take our faith to the next level. 

What are the storms in you life that you are covering up with a smile, the ones that you are too afraid to confess? Are you struggling in your job? Is it your health? Your marriage? Your children? Your family? Are you struggling with sexual sin? You may be struggling financially or are you experiencing a lull in your faith? Your worship life? Your prayer life? These are all struggles that are common to all man. There are no struggles or sin that is uncommon (1 Corinthians 10:13).  We all go through these and many such others on a daily basis but God knows our heart and sees our struggles.  He is waiting on us to confess to him, to give him permission to fight our battles, to deliver us.  He is our Defender and there’s no sin or struggle too big or too small that He will not deliver us from. We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8).  You may feel that you are battling on every side, that there seems to be no way out and you are too weak to stand but you have not yet been crushed or destroyed so call on The Lord and exercise faith.  Whatever your struggle, your sin or no matter how treacherous the waters, He is the same God who calmed the winds and delivered the disciples; the same God who delivered David’s’ enemies to him; the same God who caused Moses to part the Red Sea.  He is the same God yesterday, today and tomorrow and if He did it then, He will do it again but we must admit, confess and exercise faith...storm faith.

In the midst of our storms and situations, we must never lose sight of who God is, never stop listening and praising Him.  Don’t wait till the storm has calmed to worship Him.  Worship Him in the midst of the storm.  Talk to Him in the midst of the storm...Lord You are God and I worship and praise You! You are my Redeemer and Saviour! Your name is The name above all names! What do You want me to do in this circumstance?  What would You have me do?  I am weak but You are strong. Speak to me Lord. Order my steps. Then wait and listen.  To wait and listen is to exercise faith.

It’s time to fight with greater faith....a time to exercise STORM FAITH