Trust Him in the Storm

“A very bad wind came up on the lake. The waves were coming over the sides and into the boat, and it was almost full of water. Jesus was inside the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went and woke him. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!” Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm. He said to his followers, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?””
Mark 4:37-40 ERV

When will we ever understand what Jesus is saying here? When will I ever stop being afraid? When will I start completely trusting in him, even in the middle of storm? Jesus slept during the storm! That is how peaceful he was in the middle of life-threatening situation.

Lord, I want to trust you in the middle of a financial storm, a health storm, a family storm, a marriage storm, a "I'm exhausted but I have too much left to do" storm. Like it or, the storm will become calm. It will end. I want to trust him right in the middle of the storm before I see how it turns out.

Face your Enemies

““So get started. Purify the people. Tell them: Get ready for tomorrow by purifying yourselves. For this is what GOD, the God of Israel, says: There are cursed things in the camp. You won’t be able to face your enemies until you have gotten rid of these cursed things.”
Joshua 7:13 MSG

If you feel any calling at all towards leadership, devour the book of Joshua. You will not be disappointed. My reading today had so many things I could write about that it was hard to decide. But this verse stuck out more than any other.

I will NOT be able to face my enemies until I get rid of these cursed things. I actually wrote a blog yesterday about getting rid of the idols I worship but I never posted it. When I read these verses this morning, I realized I was on the right track.

First of all, identify your idols. I made the word plural because if you worship one idol, there is bound to be others. To worship an idol means you have a heart issue, a trust issue. How to tell if you have an idol...the habits that "bite back if you poke at them." Is food your idol? Is it money? Relationships? Is it "likes" on Facebook?

See there are good habits that only bring you joy and peace like reading the Bible or praying about everything. Those habits will never harm you but they will strengthen you.

When you figure out the cursed idol that you have allowed in your camp, it says simply, "Get rid of it." You can't defeat the enemy until you remove the cursed thing. It may take a stick of dynamite to remove it instead of just a small nudge. We just want to stare at the idol or put it away until another day or ignore it.

If it is a food issue, you may have to say goodbye to some foods forever like cheesecake or fried foods or candy bars. I don't know what your idol is. If it is a possesions issue, give half of it away:):):). Joshua woke up at the crack of dawn and dealt with the issue. The next battle was a resounding victory because they had dealt with the stolen idols. I want some victories in my life. God is telling me plainly how to have those victories!

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