Storms

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What You Should Do During the Storms

Acts 27:14

"But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon."

Everybody is going to face storms in their life, but what they do during the storm will determine whether or not they conquer the storm. Paul faced a fierce storm on his way to Rome. While in the storm, the shipmen and centurions continued to make tragic mistakes that nearly cost the lives of all onboard. However, we find that Paul's intervention is what saved everyone's life. Though this was a physical storm, how they made it through this storm is how you can make it through the storms that you will face in your life.

When the storms come, you need to pray. When most face the storms panic is the first reaction, but panic will cause you to make bad decisions. When I was learning to fly an airplane, my instructor told me that when the storms come I need to stay calm. He said that I would make better decisions if I would stay calm instead of panicking. The best way to stay calm when you face life's storms is to pray. Train yourself to always make prayer your first reaction with everything you face. If prayer becomes the reflex for every thing you face, then when the storms come you will pray instead of panic.

Be sure to keep a good attitude when the storms come. Paul told the centurions "...to be of good cheer:..." Having a bad attitude during the storms will never help. Your attitude is one of the most important things you should guard during the storms. Don't let the storms dictate your attitude, but you must determine to have a good attitude no matter what you face. This good attitude will only happen if you will make prayer your first action.

Don't be afraid when the storms come, but trust God. Paul told these people to "Fear not,..." You must always remember that fear is a lack of trust in God. Fear is a result of not believing that God will help you through your storms. God has always been there for you in the past, and He will be there for you when you go through the storms. Just learn to take the storms in stride realizing that there is no reason for you to fear.

Moreover, don't quit on God during the storms. Paul told the centurion to "...abide in the ship..." The greatest way to make your storms worse is to quit on God. When the storms come your way it is not time to quit, but rather it is time to step up your service to God. Though quitting may cross your mind, put the thought of quitting aside and determine to keep on going. If you quit, you will always wonder what would have happened had you kept going.

Last, stay in your daily routines during the storms. Paul told the people onboard the ship "...to take some meat: for this is for your health:..." Getting out of their routines would have caused them to be weakened when what they need was the strength of routine. Christian, keep doing what you have always done when you face storms. Don't let the storms shake your routines. Routines are the greatest prescriptions to surviving storms.

Everybody faces storms, but only those who follow these principles are the one's who make it through them. Let your storms be a building block in your life and faith by following these principles.

Endurance

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His Mercy Endures...

Psalm 118:1

"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever."

One of the greatest attributes of God is His mercy. Every person who has ever lived can be thankful that God is a merciful God. In the verse above we are reminded that God's mercy endures forever. What is this mercy that will endure forever? The easiest definition of mercy is not getting something that we deserve. In other words, when we deserve the worst, mercy steps in and keeps us from getting the worst. Yet, it is not just God's mercy that is great, but it is the longevity of His mercy. The verse above says that God's "mercy endureth for ever." The word "endureth" means, "to last, to remain, to bear, to sustain or support, and to continue in." In other words, the length of this mercy is what helps us to keep going. So what does God's mercy endure?

First, verse 5 shows us that His mercy endures in times of distress. When we deserve to be distressed in life, God keeps us from being distressed. When we deserve to live in anguish, God's mercy sustains us through the time of pain. No, God doesn't remove the things that may cause us distress, but His mercy is there to help us go through it. When life causes heartache, God is there to remove the heartache. When life brings heartbreak, God is there to heal the broken heart. When life brings pain, God is there to remove the pain. Even when we have caused these things to happen in our life, God's mercy is there to remove those things.

Second, verses 8 and 9 show us that His mercy endures in our times of indecision. You will see in these verses that there are times when we are trying to decide whether to trust God or man, yet His mercy endures with us. Imagine, we are contemplating whether we should forsake God for man, and yet His mercy keeps Him with us when we don't deserve His presence. Christian, though you may have made a dumb decision and trusted man over God, you can rest assured that His mercy keeps His presence near you.

Third, verse 13 shows us that His mercy endures times of attack. When the world attacks us, God's mercy is there to protect us. There are times when the attacks of the world are our own fault, yet God in His mercy is still there to help keep those attacks from harming us. Yes, we deserve the attacks of the world, but God in His mercy is there to stop the harm that the attacks were meant to cause.

Fourth, verse 18 shows us that His mercy endures times of chastening. When we have done something wrong that causes God to chasten us, His mercy steps in and causes Him to be with us as we go through the chastening. Though the punishment of sin is being administered, God's mercy is there to help you through your punishment.

Fifth, verse 24 shows us that His mercy endures daily struggles. When we deserve to have a bad day, God's mercy steps in and finds a way that we can have a good day. In other words, sometimes the only way you will have a good day is to find out what God's mercy has done for you on that day. Every day we live, we experience the mercy of God and if we will find what His mercy endured that day, then we can rejoice in that day.

Finally, verse 25 shows us that His mercy endures financial struggles. Though we deserve to be broke, God's mercy is what gets us through rough financial times. God doesn't owe us anything, yet His mercy promises to supply our daily needs. It is only because of God's mercy that we can make it through these tough financial times.

With all of this in mind, we are commanded to thank God for His mercy. Be sure at the end of every day that you take the time to thank God for His mercy that was extended to you throughout that day. It is only God's mercy that helps each of us through each day.

The "Why's"

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The "Why's" Do Have Answers

Acts 16:33-34

"And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house."

Trying to understand why God allows us to go through certain things can be very frustrating, but we must realize that God does have a purpose for all of life's situations. There are no "uh-oh's" with God. Everything that God sends our way has a purpose, and that is why we must make the most of every situation.

Paul and Silas had one of those hard to understand situations in their lives. After preaching to the people of Philippi and seeing many people saved, one man who had an agenda against them brought them to the magistrates and falsely accused them. This false accusation caused them to be beaten and thrown into prison. Though they could not understand why they had to go through this, they made the most of their situation and kept a good attitude. However, in the middle of the night while they sang praises to God, an earthquake opened the doors of their prison. Instead of walking out, they stayed in the prison only to find that the prison keeper almost killed himself had they not intervened. Because of their intervention, they were able to lead this man and his family to Christ.

Why did Paul and Silas have to endure the beating and imprisonment? God allowed them to go through this because He knew they had the opportunity to lead a man and his family to Christ. If Paul and Silas would have griped and complained about their situation, they would not have had the opportunity to lead this prison keeper to Christ. Instead of complaining about a bad situation, they made the most of their situation which resulted in someone being saved.

Christian, I do not pretend to be God, and neither should any other man of God. However, I do know that there is an answer to your "Why." You may be facing some adverse circumstances at the present, but God has a reason for why He allows you to face it. All too often we are so busy complaining about our present situations that we miss the very reason why God sent us through it. There are a couple of things you must do to understand the "Why."

First, realize that everything God sends in your life is not about you. The truth is that many times God sends us through situations for the sake of others. The sickness that you face may be so that you can help someone go through the exact same sickness. The heartbreak you face may be so that you can lead someone to Christ. If we keep an inward approach to life's situations and not an outward approach, then we will never see why God allows us to go through these things. Sure, God may be sending you through your life's situation for your sake, but most likely it is for someone else's sake.

Second, make the most with whatever you are facing. Like the old cliche, make lemonade from your lemons. Find a way to allow good to come through your situation. Don't wait for good to come through it, make it good yourself. Learn from it so you can help others go through the same situation you face. Help others around you who watch you endure your situation by keeping a good attitude. Don't let your life's situation be a wasted time of your life.

Yes, whatever you may be facing at the moment may be hard to take, but God has a reason for you to go through it. Claim God's promises that He guides the paths of our lives, and rest in the assurance this His presence is with you as you go through it. Ask God to help you make the most out of your situation.

Growing Pains

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Advice for Growing Pains

Acts 6:1

"And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration."

Being a part of a growing church is one of the most satisfying things you will experience in life. The spirit of a growing church is exciting. Watching young Christians grow and souls getting saved is a great thing to experience. However, a growing church will have growing pains. The church of Jerusalem experienced growing pains. When you study this church, you find there are five things for which you should watch.

First, watch your attitude. When you are in a growing church, it can be easy to get a bad attitude. When the church is growing, the Devil will be sure to fight. One of the areas where he fights is in the attitude of the Christian. The verse above shows that there were some who were murmuring about their needs not being met. Christian, it is easy to get caught up in finding some fault in a growing church. Be careful about being caught up in the fault finding, for it will destroy your attitude. Yes, you can find fault, but you must focus on seeing the positive.

Second, watch your people. What I mean by this is you must be careful that you don't get so busy in the growth of the church that you begin to neglect the needs of the people. That is what happened to this church in Jerusalem. Though the people should not have murmured, they were right in that the needs of people were being neglected. Don't get so wrapped up in the growth that you neglect the very purpose of why we are in the ministry. When you get so busy that you help people, then you have become too busy.

Third, don't neglect your walk with God. Verse 4 shows us this church continued walking with God though they were growing. One of the things I have found in many growing churches is that people get so busy in their outreach that they have no time to walk with God. Never forget to have a daily time with God in the Scriptures and prayer. Your walk with God is very important to your spiritual health. Keep your walk with God healthy.

Fourth, don't neglect your outreach. Verse 7 shows us that this church continued trying to reach the lost for Christ. Just because you are growing doesn't give you an excuse to let up in your soul-winning efforts. Keep your soul-winning efforts active while you are growing. Often when a church starts growing they will get so busy in their ministries that they stop soul winning. Always keep focused on the main reason of why we are in the ministry, and that is to keep people from going to Hell.

Last, don't change what you've always done. The church of Jerusalem kept doing what caused them to grow in the beginning. They didn't get so enamored with growth that they looked for newer methods of growth. Growing churches must be careful about changing their pattern of success so they can see more growth. Keep doing what you've always done and you will keep getting what you've always gotten. Don't look for new methods to see growth, but rather keep working the tried and proven methods that have given you growth to this point.

When churches start growing they will experience growing pains. Christian, don't allow yourself to be part of the problem that causes your church to stop growing. Be watchful of these areas so you can be a contributor to the growth of your church.

Running on Empty?

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Is Your Faith Running on Empty?

James 2:26

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Having fuel is very important to the enjoyment of driving a car. When a car has gas, then the car can take you to the places that you want to go. However, when the car is running on empty, the ability of the car to take you where you want to go is limited unless you fill it up with gas. A car without gas does not stop it from being a car, but the car will not be able to function without it.

The verse above is showing us that faith without works is like a car without gas. God said that "...faith without works is dead..." God is not teaching that works are a part of salvation, but He is teaching that without works your faith will seem dead to those who see you. Works has nothing to do with the salvation of your soul, but works plays a big part in whether you will have an impact with your witness. A person will only get saved by putting their faith and trust in Jesus Christ to be their personal Saviour. 

However, after you are saved, works is what validates your salvation to the lost world. Works is to faith what the spirit is to the body. Notice that the spirit is what gives life to the body. Yes, the body is still alive without a spirit, but the body only exists without the spirit. Likewise, a person is saved whether or not they have works, but works is what makes your salvation come alive to the lost.

Simply put, faith struggles without works. It is your works that build your faith. It is your works that cause your faith to get stronger. It is your works that show to the world that what you say happened to you is real. The world cannot see what happened on the inside when you got saved, so the only way you can show to the world that you are truly saved is by your works. How often do you hear people tell you that they have seen other people claim to be saved, but they live no different than the lost? That is what this verse is teaching. It is saying that your works build your faith so that others will see your faith by your works. Faith alone is not enough to witness to others. Faith with works is what allows your witness to be strong.

Let me ask you, is your faith running on empty? In other words, is your faith lacking strength because of your lack of works. Christian, certainly God saved you to keep you from going to Hell, but the purpose of leaving you on this Earth after salvation is so that you can be a witness to lead others to Him. If you have no works to build your faith, then your faith will be running on empty and will lack the emphasis it needs when you try to witness to others. I implore you to start working your faith. The more works you have for God, the stronger your faith will become. Likewise, the more works you have, the greater your testimony will be to the lost. Don't be a Christian who runs your faith on empty, but be a Christian who fills your spiritual tank of faith with works. The greater works you have, the greater your faith will be to those who are watching you.

Entering

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Entering the Holiest

Hebrews 10:19

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,"

One of the greatest privileges that salvation gives the Christian is the opportunity to enter into the holiest place of all, the place of prayer. You must understand that before Jesus Christ died on the cross, only the high priest had the privilege to enter into the Holy of Holies. However, the verse above teaches that by the blood of Jesus Christ, we can enter into that sacred place of prayer called the Holy of Holies.

Because prayer is such a sacred place, we must enter into it according to the manner by which God commands. In the Old Testament, the High Priests would be killed if they entered the Holy of Holies in the wrong manner. Not only were the High Priests commanded to go into this sacred place in a certain manner, but they could only enter this place once a year. Yet, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, we have the privilege to enter this sacred place as much as we desire. However, Hebrews 10 shows us God's guidelines of how we are to enter into this sacred time of prayer.

First, God wants you to understand that it is a privilege to enter into prayer with Him. Christian, before you start your time of prayer, I believe you should take a minute of time to remind yourself of this great privilege. Remember that those before the cross never had the opportunity of which you are about ready to partake. When you understand the privilege of prayer, then I believe you will enter in your time of prayer with a right attitude understanding Whose presence you are in.

Second, enter boldly into your time of prayer. This sounds strange, but you have a right to enter into prayer. Just like the High Priest had the right to go into the Holy of Holies, you have that right because you are a priest of God. When God says to enter boldly, He is teaching you to be straightforward with your requests. Don't beat around the bush in your prayers, but be direct with God and pour your heart out to Him. God likes it when His people are straightforward with Him.

Third, enter your time of prayer sincerely. Verse 22 says, "Let us draw near with a true heart..." Be sincere with God when you pray. Don't try to pull the wool over God's eyes about why you are asking Him for your requests. Be sincere with God about your requests, for He already knows why you are asking for those requests.

Fourth, enter your time of prayer confidently. Notice in verse 22 that God wants us to have "...full assurance of faith,..." This is talking about having confidence that God will answer your prayer. When you pray, don't let doubt creep into your heart that God won't answer your prayer. Instead, have confidence in the promises of God that He will answer your prayers. Doubt will keep your prayers from being answered. Therefore, you need to be confident that God can do what you are asking Him to do.

Last, enter into your time of prayer clean from sin. The last part of verse 22 says, "...having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." Christian, get rid of your sin. Nothing will hinder your prayers more than sin. Confess your sins to God before you go into your time of prayer.

Prayer is a certainly one of the greatest privileges of salvation. To get the most out of your time of prayer, be sure to enter into this sacred time the way God tells you to. When you enter your time of prayer according to God's guidelines, then you will leave with the confidence that your prayers will be answered.