the answer to your crisis…

what’s rocking your boat today?  what’s got you all shook up?  what storm are you sailing through right now?  a financial storm?  a relational storm?  an emotional secret storm inside?  and your heart is aching.  is there a secret storm raging in your life? 

what are the options?  i can be filled with peace or i can be filled with panic.  JESUS CHRIST can calm the restlessness in your heart.

the last verse in this story of the unexpected storm after JESUS had said, “sit down and shut up!” and there was the instant miracle of the storm vanishing it says in matthew 8.27 (niv), the men were amazed and asked, “what kind of man is this?  even the winds and the waves obey him.” the answer is, HE was not a man.  JESUS was GOD. 

GOD came to earth as a man two thousand years ago to show us what GOD is like.  HE was not just a good teacher.  HE was not just a prophet.  all of history was split into a.d. and b.c. when HE came to earth.  what kind of man is this?  HE’s not a man. HE’s GOD and HE will put HIS spirit in your life so that HE will always be close to you and you will always sense HIS care and you’ll know that HE’s in control and you can handle the crises that are inevitably going to come.

you need to put JESUS in your boat. 

what is in your boat?  your boat may be filled with money. that’s not enough security.  you can lose it all.  you boat may be filled with a bunch of friends.  your boat may be filled with dreams and ambitions.  but when the crisis comes, you can lose it all unless you have CHRIST in your boat – in your life.

just a thought from the front porch…

HE knew it was coming and HE allowed it...

psalm 91.1-5 (good news), whoever goes to the LORD for safety and protection can say to HIM, “YOU are my defender and protector. YOU are my GOD; in YOU i trust.”  HE will keep you safe from all hidden danger.  you need not fear.

listen, we fear too much because we trust GOD too little.  the more i trust GOD, the less i’m afraid of things. 

JESUS said, “in the world, you will have tribulation.”  that’s a fact of life.  “but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.”  i haven't, but HE has.  JESUS CHRIST has overcome the world.  HE’s got the power.

let me ask you a question about this story in matthew 8.23-27 of the unexpected storm.   do you think that JESUS knew this storm was coming when HE had them get in the boat and set sail?  did HE know in advance the storm was coming?  yes. HE was GOD.  HE knew all things. so if HE knew the storm was coming, why did HE allow it?  if HE knew it in advance, why did HE allow this crisis?  why didn’t HE at least warn those who put their lives in HIS hands? 

because HE wants to teach a truth.  it’s a truth that i have to learn and that you have to learn and it’s a truth that the only way we learn it is by experience. 

i can talk to you all day about it, but the only way you’re going to learn this truth is by experience.  and the truth is this:  CHRIST can be trusted in a crisis.  and the only way you’ll know that is when you go through the crisis and trust HIM.  CHRIST can be trusted in a crisis. 

when you’re going through a trial and when you’re going through a crisis – some of you are heading into one right now, some of you just got out of one, some of you are saying, “when’s the other shoe going to drop?” – you need to remember three basic truths. GOD is always with me, GOD always cares for me, GOD is always in control.

just a thought from the front porch…

a major step of maturity…

here are the facts of fear:

1) fear occurs when we feel out of control.  when we feel like we can’t control a situation, we become afraid. 

2) most of life is out of your control.  so you have a lot of things to fear because most of life is out of your control. 

3) the secret of overcoming fear is faith in GOD. 

JESUS in matthew 8.26 (niv) said, you of little faith.  why are you so afraid?  HE contrasts fear and faith.  the antidote to fear is faith.  fill your life with faith and the fear vanishes. 

here’s the point, one of these days you have to come to the point in your life that you realize, “i can’t control everything.” that’s a major step of maturity.  “i cannot control everything that happens in life.  but i don’t have to.” 

“it’s out of my control, but it’s not out of GOD’s.  and GOD is in control.  HE’s close and HE cares and HE’s in control, so i don’t have to sweat it.” 

yes, there are many things that i can’t control and that’s what makes a crisis a crisis.  it comes unexpectedly, uncontrollably, inevitably, in different varying shapes and sizes.  but GOD has seen it and HE’s got it under control.

just a thought from the front porch…

remind yourself over and over…

when you are going through a crisis, first you refocus on the fact that HE’s close to you – HE’s here – and HE cares.  and relax in that truth.

psalm 112.6-8 (living bible), the believer will not be overthrown by evil circumstances.  GOD’s constant care of him will make a deep impression on all who see it.  he does not fear bad news nor live in dread of what may happen for he has settled in his mind that GOD will take care of him.  that is why he is not afraid but can calmly face his foes. two key words there, constant and calmly.

he’s saying that when you go through a crisis, you need to remind yourself over and over that GOD cares about what you’re going through.  just say it over and over, “GOD is close and GOD cares.” 

notice it says when he relaxes in GOD’s care, he does not fear bad news.

there is a lot of bad news in the world today.  any time there is a disaster in the world, the media announces it instantly.  you can’t get away from it.  a plane has gone down, a hostage has been taken, a gunman has gone berserk, somebody else has got cancer, an earthquake has occurred, a poisonous gas has spilled, somebody killed in iraq.  any time there’s a crisis anywhere they’ll break into tv programs and say, “we bring you this special bulletin.” 

the point that i’m making is that we receive much more negative input than people did fifty years ago and that has created a high level of fear in our society.  it says the person who seeks GOD’s constant care and relaxes in it, does not fear bad news.  it says he can calmly face whatever happens.  calmly means he’s relaxed. why is he relaxed?  the calmness comes from relaxing in GOD’s closeness and GOD’s care. 

i want to point out one other thing.  there was one thing the disciples did do right in this situation when an unexpected storm came up.  when they became afraid they talked to JESUS about it.  it says, “when they were afraid they came to the LORD and said, ‘don't you care?’”  they went right to the source.  they did not pray to saint christopher or to mary.  they did not bring out a good luck charm.  they didn’t have a crystal.  they did not repeat a bunch of ritual prayers. they talked directly to GOD.  HE’s the only one who could do anything about it.  they went straight to JESUS.  none of those other things will help.  go to the source.

just a thought from the front porch…

we’re not all alone…

refocus on GOD’s closeness.  the problem is, when we go through trials and crises, we tend to think we’re all alone, but we’re not.  we, like the disciples, tend to forget who is with us.  so we need to remind ourselves, first of all in a crisis, what the bible says in isaiah 43.1-2 (niv),  fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.  when you pass through the waters I will be with you and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  HE’s saying, “I’m with you.” 

no matter what situation you go through, GOD is with you. you never go through a crisis by yourself.  so the first thing you do is say, “i’m not by myself here.  GOD is with me, and if GOD is with me, what in the world am i worried about?  if GOD is near, there is no fear.”  GOD says, “I will never leave you, I will never forsake you, I’m with you always.”  the bible says “nothing can separate us from the love of GOD.”

the point i want to make here is that it doesn’t matter if my boat is rocking in a storm, if JESUS is in it.  i look, i remember, i refocus on GOD’s closeness.  HE is with me.

just a thought from the front porch…