HOW TO REMAIN IN PEACE IN THE MIDST OF A STORM
2 Timothy 3:16 says "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and
is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and instruction in
righteousness that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped unto
all good works."
There are three kinds of storms in life.
There are storms that we bring on ourselves. See the story of
Samson.
There are storms that God causes: Mark 4:39
There are storms that other people cause.
Christians have problems too.
When you get impatient, you're going to run right into a storm.
Acts 27:9b-10 "So Paul warned them, Men, I can see that our voyage
is going to be disastrous. It will bring great loss to the ship and the
cargo and to our own lives also."
Acts 27:11 "But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said,
followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship."
We listen to the wrong experts.
Acts 27:12 "Since the harbor was unsuitable in winter, the majority
decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter
there. This was a harbor in Crete that was facing both southwest
and northwest."
A lot of times we get ourselves into a mess when we simply listen to
prevailing opinion, the most popular thing.
Acts 27:13 "When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought
they had obtained what they wanted so they weighed anchor and
sailed along the shore of Crete."
We rely on circumstances.
We too often go on our feelings.
The truth is feelings often lie.
The devil can arrange circumstances too.
Acts 27:14-15a "Before very long a wind of hurricane force called the
Northeaster swept down from the island and the ship was caught in
the storm and could not head into the wind."
Acts 27:15 "The ship was caught by the storm and could not head
into the wind so we gave way to it and we were driven along."
Acts 27:17b "They let the ship be driven along."
Storms tend to cause us to allow ourselves to be driven by the storm
itself. We just DRIFT.
Acts 27:18 "So we took such a violent battering from the storm that
the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. And on the
third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard."
In the midst of storms we tend to DISCARD, we start throwing
things overboard out of our lives.
Acts 27:20 "When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and
the storm continued raging we finally gave up all hope of being
saved."
The last thing you throw out when you are in a storm or you've got a
problem is hope.
They had forgotten that God is in control.
They had forgotten that God had a plan.
Isaiah 46:10 “Only I can tell you the future before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I please.”
They had forgotten the fact that He can inject hope into an
absolutely, positively hopeless situation.
Paul's reaction was one of Faith and confidence.
Anybody can be a Christian when things are going great.
But the test of your faith is how do you handle it when the storms
and problems come in on you.
Character is revealed in a storm, in a crisis. It's not made in a
storm.
Character is made in the day by day, little, mundane, trivial things of
life. The routine, that's where character is made. It is revealed when
you get into a shipwreck.
Acts 27:29 "Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they
dropped four anchors from the stern and they prayed for daylight."
The safest thing to do when you get in a storm is to drop your
anchors.
Psalm 125: "He who puts his trust in God is like Mount Zion. He is
immovable."
Hebrews 6:19 "Hope is the anchor of the soul."
Acts 27:22-23 "But I urge you to keep up your courage because not
one of you will be lost, only the ship will be destroyed. 23 "Last night,
when an angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, stood beside
me."
The first anchor in a crisis is THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
No matter the severity of the storms, Storms can never hide the face
of God.
Wherever you are, God is.
Acts 27:24 "This angel stood by me and he said `Do not be afraid,
Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar and God has graciously
given you the lives of all those who sail with you."
THE PURPOSE OF GOD is an anchor.
“No person is ever born by accident, regardless of the circumstances
of your birth.”
Absolutely nothing can change God's ultimate purpose for your life
unless you choose to disobey Him.
The danger is when you start focusing more on your problems than
you do on your purpose for living.
Acts 27:25 So keep up your courage men, For I have faith in God
that it will happen just as He told me."
The third anchor is GOD'S PROMISE.
Get around godly people, people who are in contact with the Lord.
"Never ever give up"
Acts 27:29 "Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks they
dropped four anchors from the stern. And they prayed for daylight."
You pray for daylight!
Acts 27:39 "When daylight came, they didn't recognize the land but
they saw a bay with a sandy beach where they decided to run the
ship aground if they could."
Acts 27:44 "the rest were to get on planks in the water on pieces of
the ship and in this way everyone reached the land in safety."
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