Trusting Jesus during the storms of life will require a shift in the way you see, the way hear, and the way you interpret things. Your spiritual senses must first be activated. You can not operate in the spirit the same way as you would in the natural.
Whatever your beliefs are, that is how you will behave and eventually who you will become. When it comes to the things of God, your natural understanding and senses will not be able to function because the spiritual arena operates differently from the natural.
Your thinking must change; there is a different rule of engagement that governs the spiritual arena. The law that governs the spiritual will not hold up to the law that governs the natural because the natural man is subjected to his outer surroundings (which is composed of his natural sight, his hearing, and his emotion) while the spiritual man is subjected to his inner core (which is composed of his belief, his thoughts, and his faith).
Who you are on the inside will be the determining factor that will guarantee that you can withstand the storms of life. Let us take a look at what Peter did when he was confronted with the storms of life.
Matthews 14:22-33
‘And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.‘
Here we see a powerful illustration of a man who trusts Jesus during a raging storm. Jesus had just finished feeding 5000 people by the miraculous multiplication of fish and bread. He then told his disciples to get the boat and go before him on the other side but what Jesus kept back from telling his disciples was to expect a storm. Although Jesus might not tell you about the coming storm, you can be sure that he will never leave you alone in the midst of it, but he will show up to take you through it.
In this life, you can always expect the storm of life to rock your boat, but it cannot destroy you once the master of the storm is in your midst. God can use the storm of life to shape your perception of the things of his kingdom.
We see here Peter trusted Jesus during the boisterous storm that even when his natural senses were troubled by what he saw yet he stepped out of the safety of the boat into the unknown depth of the sea. Peter moves in faith to defy the law of gravity because he knew that Jesus, the calmer of storms, was able to keep him above the water of the raging sea. At first, Peter did not look at the storm of the sea, but he only looked at Jesus, who had called him to step out of the boat and come to him.
Here are some scriptures that speak about the alignment a believer walks in when they look to and trust Jesus Christ at all times.
2 Timothy 1:7
‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. ‘
Matthew 21:22
‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. ‘
Proverb 3:5-6
‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. ‘
Colossians 3:2-5
‘Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. ‘
Isaiah 11:3-4
‘And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: ‘
Psalms 20:6-9
‘Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.’
Everything in this life is embodied in knowing, hearing, and obeying Jesus as Lord and King. Without him, you are nothing, but with him, you are everything. Jesus is the reason why you are living and not destroyed by the storms of life.
There is a story in the book of 2 Kings 6 about the king of Syria sending his army to capture the prophet Elisha who was in Dothan because Elisha was leaking the secrets that the King of Syria spoke in his bed-chamber. The scripture tells us that when Elisha and his servant arose early in the morning, they were surrounded by horses are chariots of the Syrian army. Yet during this Besiegement, Elisha, by the spirit of God, saw the army of God, which was greater and more powerful than the army of his enemy. But the servant of Elisha, with his natural sight, only saw the power in the numbers of the enemy and was fearful of the outcome of this besiegement. Yet Elisha was calm, knowing that the Lord already won the battle.
Elisha then prayed to the Lord to open his servant’s eyes and the moment the servant’s eyes were open through the prayer of Elisha, he saw the mighty and innumerable chariots of God’s fire, which gave him peace and comfort.
I will ask you these questions.
What will you see during the storms of your life?
Whose command will you obey during these turbulent times?
Who will you call on when you cannot see through the tunnels of life?
Will you give in to the storm, or will you trust Jesus and escape the unexpected and boisterous storms?
The answers to these questions will tell if you will make it through the storm or if the storm will overcome you.
What you see and believe when the battle of life rises will tell if you will walk in fear or if you move in faith and boldness.
Here is a copy of my book (Engulfed in God’s fire) that you get on Amazon. It will help you to better understand and walk with God. In this book you get more answer (scriptural base) to the question (why is it important to trust Jesus during the storms of life?)
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