🌪️The Storms of Life 🛟👽

 

Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.

Most have read or heard of Peter the night he walked on water to go to where Jesus was. Peter asked Lord if that be you let me come out on the water with you?

Matthew 14:28 (KJV) And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. The Lord said to him come. And Peter stepped out and began to walk on the water to where Jesus was. All is well Peter’s faith was shining that night until his eyes saw something.  Matthew 14:30 (KJV) But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Peter asked and Jesus said come and Peter stepped out on water. Wow, have you ever tried that? If you have then you know the results, sink! That just can’t be done, it is impossible. Here we have recorded the fact that it did happen, but not without Jesus. Now Peter knew that you can’t walk on water so when he saw how strong the wind was he became afraid. I have always asked myself were the winds not strong when Peter stepped out on the water? Yes they were; then why did he become so fearful? Peter the man who walked with Jesus and saw Jesus do miracle after miracle. Now Peter is standing on water. Was this not a miracle? Sure it was and all is well until when? Peter saw the strong wind then Peter became afraid. Then we read that Peter began to sink. Peter saw something that was already there before he stepped out on the water. Then he became afraid of what he knew was there. Here is the amazing thing that happened: the Bible said that Peter began to sink. Began to sink? You don’t just begin to sink on water you sink! 

Matthew 14:30 (KJV) But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. This is great news to you and I, to which you might say how? Great question! Just because we have trusted Jesus; our lives have changed doesn’t mean that we ourselves won’t have doubts. The harsh winds of this life will blow and our faith in Christ may be weakened to the point we begin to sink. We might ask ourselves why is this happening to me? Does the Lord not care? That night Peter walked on the water and got his eye off Jesus and his eyes on the problems of the wind he began to sink. What did Jesus do? Nothing until Peter asked. That is when Jesus did something. Jesus didn’t just do something to save Peter from his doubt. Oh no Jesus told him why he doubted.

Matthew 14:31 (KJV) And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Peter doubted his faith; it wasn't the wind or the water it was his faith. That my friend is the same thing that happens to you and I. Did you notice that Jesus didn’t stop the problem, the wind. No! But Jesus was with Peter in the problem, the wind. Well you placed your faith in Jesus like Peter. You believed with all your heart that Jesus died in payment for your sins. Does that mean we will never have any problems? One day we all will receive some bad news. The doctor may tell you or someone you love that they only have 6 months or so to live. You were walking on the water but now you start to sink. What do you do? The same Peter did “he cried, saying, Lord, save me” It’s not wrong to ask the Lord to heal you. That’s what Peter did and on that night Jesus reached out His Hand. Peter reached out and took His hand. Jesus did say “O thou of little faith” Oh but keep reading and see what happened to the wind.  

Matthew 14:32 (KJV) And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Once Peter placed his hand into the Hand of Jesus things changed “the wind ceased.” It’s not the bad news that you may not be healed. Jesus made this promise and we so often forget it.  

John 14:18 (KJV) I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

John 14:27 (KJV) Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

There may come a time in our lives that there seems to be no hope and that may very well be the case. My Daughter n law’s dad was dying and he knew it. He told me that the doctors had given him 5 years. Oh but he would not get to live those 5 years. When his health got really bad my Daughter n law stepped up to the plate. She would bring him home to her house. They clean out a room for him. Hospice brought a hospital bed and placed it in a bedroom. Before they could get him there he passed away. You know what I think sometimes the Lord gives us the will to pull the cord so to speak. No hope in sight for this life but I think that maybe to show us the light of the home that He has promised us and we ourselves say “I ready Lord take me now.” That is when the Lord reaches out and takes us away and when my daughter n laws dad came unto heaven the wind ceased. Oh I’m sorry I got that wrong. Jesus is true to His promise about never leaving us comfortless. don’t miss what happened on that sea, read every word. “And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.”

When they were come. They, means more than one; and when Jesus and Peter were come, the wind ceased. 

Don’t let doubt rob you of what the Lord has prepared for you. For it will if you let it. Is it the words of Jesus or the storms of this life?

🧐I Believes 😲

 To believe is something and not live it, is being dishonest…

The Story is told of a man who walked across a high wire. He asked those who watched if they believed he could walk across the high wire. They yelled back and said we believe you can do that. He said do you believe I can roll this wheelbarrow across. To which they said we believe. Then he asked if they believed he could roll a load of bricks across, to which they said that they believed. It was a sight to see all those that said they believed witnessing all those amazing stunts. My question is did they really believe?  Then the man turned once again and asked all those who had said previously that they believed if they believed that he could roll one of then in this wheelbarrow across. No one believed he could do that. It’s easy to say one believes but it’s another thing to vest yourself in what you say you believe. That is when what you say is tested. Many say they believe in Jesus Christ but their actions say differently. These types of people can be dangerous to those who have just accepted or believed that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. When I was growing up my dad said to me more than once “Wayne I would be careful hanging around those kinds of young men.” Why did he tell me that? Did he not like those young men? Oh no not at all. He didn’t like how they acted. He knew if I spent much time with them it would affect what he had taught me and wanted to teach me. 

Same is true in our Christian life for rotten apple in the barrel will always spoil good apple. It is never the other way around. Judas one of the Lord disciples had big plans to harm Jesus. What?? After all Judas had witness and been apart of now decides that for money he would betray Jesus. In Matthew chapter 26 verse 48-50 we read of the way he said it would be done.  

Matthew 26:48 (KJV) Now he (Judas) that betrayed him(Jesus) gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.

A kiss! Oh my; A salute given with the lips; a common token of affection. This want to be  disciple was not at all who he wanted other to think he was. These were the kind my dad warned me about. There was a TV program when I was a kid called the “Leave it to Beaver.” Bever had a brother named Walley who had a friend named Eddie. When Eddie was around Beavers Mom and dad June and Ward he was diffent. He was so kind with his words which that made you believe what a great kid. Oh but this wasn’t who he really was at all. Who and what he was came out when he got around Walley and Bever. Although Eddie wanted others to believe that he was a good kid his actions said something entirely different. This was like Judas and I’m sure you have known some Judas’s and Eddie’s in your life time. Be careful what you believe and who you believe for actions speak louder than words. John warns of that 

1 John 4:1 (KJV) Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Don’t be fooled for our actions speak loud. 

🤔Believe The Lie👽

🌃The picture looked great, but the finished portrait was awful. 🫣

Have you ever been lied to? I’m sure you don’t have to think real hard to remember a time, a day, month and year. Maybe not that detailed but you remember. Sometimes when someone lies to you it makes you a better person. 

It was a Friday night and my wife and I went just to look and see what was out there as we needed a car. Just look mind you. That’s not what happened at all. The salesman told me one lie after another. I was young and had seen my dad make deals with a handshake. I didn’t realize that those days were gone and now a handshake meant nothing, it's what the contract said. Money had taken the place of being honest and character. That evening I learned, things had changed and not for the best. That night I learned, read the paper work after hearing promising words for they may not be the same as a handshake once was.

God spoke Words, life giving words. The serpent spoke promising words but it was all lies. On that day as he talked with Eve he the devil our enemy became the father of lies. 

John 8:44 (KJV) Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

It was a good try but not a successful one. Forty days have went by and the Bible tell us that Jesus had, had nothing to eat and that He was hungry; I guess He was. Great time for the lair to appear. Oh this should be good. How will Jesus handle the lair? Will He fail the test as Eve did? Let’s see.

Luke 4:2 (KJV) Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

The devil struck low and tempted Jesus at the weakest point, He was hungry. The devil our enemy does the same to you and I. Oh you say you don’t have any weak points. Oh yes you do and the enemy knows them and will attack you there, rest assured.  

Hebrews 12:1 (KJV) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Did you read those word “so easily beset us” that means especially that sin that distracts us. Those wondering eyes that leads the mind in the wrong direction. That wondering walk, that wondering talk. I’m sure you get the picture. What we fail to see is the full portrait of the finished work of our sin. The grass that looked so green on the other side will soon be just as brown as the grass on this side. Had Eve known the day of her encounter with the devil what she knew the day after she would have never bought into his lying. Yes it was a lie she never forgot and neither have we. The drug that you thought had now finally gotten you over your shyness now has you entrapped and ruined your relationships. The drink that made you the life of the party has now entrapped you also. The woman or man you sold your marriage off for has turned out to be an awful decision that now has entrapped you. The money you thought had finally brought you real joy and has brought you way more sorrow than you ever thought. Oh you saw the picture but not the finished portrait. Jesus overcame the devil’s temptation. How by knowing what His Heavenly Father said. It’s all recorded in the book of Luke chapter 4 verses 1-13. The reason we lose is we know not what our Heavenly Father has said. So what does God say about alcohol? Lying? Fooling around? About marriage? About wanting what you can’t have? About how we should react toward Him? About how a husband is to treat his wife? Parents are to treat their children? How children are to treat their parents? Do you know? Being unlearned is a choice one makes. 

If only I had known how I would feel today  after deciding to follow what I knew was  wrong yesterday, I assure you I would have done differently. You think? 

Matthew 24:43 (KJV) But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Oh my, my wife just asked me what time it was, I said 8:20 and all of sudden I just realized I had lied. She would have never known. She didn’t run to a clock to see if I was right. I knew it was 8:23 so quickly corrected myself and told her the truth. She didn’t jump up and say “why did you lie to me.” Oh that’s no big deal you might say. I know, but small lies lead to big lies. Just a small example of how quickly wrong takes over. 

🥳Is It or Not❓

 To know what we know and not what others tell us.

The book we call the Bible, is it really God’s Word? Or is it a book written by men of long ago with good teaching and advice? Many have no idea and have never look into it. Maybe they feel it just isn’t that important. Now buying that new jacket at a great price we must read the reviews. We must see if it’s true what the seller is saying before we spend our money. I wonder how much we have put into knowing if the Bible is true or false? I think much more is riding on that than a jacket or whatever else we are reading reviews on. Eve did the same thing she believed a lie.

Genesis 3:1 (KJV) Now the serpent was more subtil (Sly,Crafty) than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Well Eve, what did God say? This is what Eve said. Genesis 3:2 (KJV) And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

Genesis 3:3 (KJV) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

That is close. What did God say?

Genesis 2:16 (KJV) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Genesis 2:17 (KJV) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

God said nothing about touch. Although that would have been  an appropriate thing to do. Stay far away, don't look and don’t touch. The enemy, the devil didn’t question that but he did question the eternal life issue.

Genesis 3:4 (KJV) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

That’s a good one, so good that the enemy, the devil, is still using it. The Bible it’s not God’s Word, God is Love. He is not going to send people He loves to hell. When life is done it’s done so live it up and enjoy life. Stop!! Where did you get that kind of thinking? What book did that come from? Who told you that? Why do you trust and believe that? Have you taken the time to know and see if that is true? Eve did the same thing she believed a lie and because she did she paid the price. Are you sure you don’t have time to see if your thinking is correct? Oh don’t believe what I’m saying for that’s no better than believing Joe or Betty at work. No go read and understand about the Bible. Look it up, how it came to be in printed form, how it has stood the test of time. Has God protected it? When others have tried their best to destroy its existence and failed time after time. Good books come and go but the Bible stays the course year after year. Oh don’t take my word for it, check it out for yourself. Or believe someone else. I did that in college and because I did I made the lowest grade I ever made. We were given an assignment to have finished before the semester was over and it was to be half our grade. Well many said they weren't going to do it and said “he won’t fail the whole class.” Sounded good at the time until just before the end of the semester the teacher said “if you don’t have the work done you will fail this class!” I wrote that to say that those I listen to didn’t know. 

👏Applauding Each Other👏

O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

As the book of Psalms comes to a close the last 5 chapters have always been very interesting to me. If you pay attention you will notice that Psalm 146 starts off with this phrase “Praise ye the LORD.” The last chapter Psalm 150 closes with the same “Praise ye the LORD.” Now the phrase “Praise ye the LORD” is only mentioned  23 times in the whole book of the Psalms. With that being said from Psalms 146-150 it is mentioned 11 times.  If you look at those Psalms 146-150 with the phrase “Praise ye the LORD” you will notice each one of those chapters starts off with “Praise ye the LORD” but it also ends with “Praise ye the LORD.” They call that an inclusio. Inclusio alerts the reader to a particularly important theme. Inclusio is like the refrain in a song or poem 

Allelu allelu allelu alleluia, Praise ye the Lord (x2)

Praise ye the Lord, alleluia, Praise ye the Lord, alleluia

Praise ye the Lord, alleluia, Praise ye the Lord.

Another fact is the phrase “Praise ye the LORD” is only mentioned 25 times within the whole canon of scriptures. So outside of these 5 chapters in Psalms it is only mentioned 14 more times and not once in the New Testament. Now don’t misunderstand. I'm not saying there isn’t Praising the Lord in the New Testament for there is. The word praise is mentioned 26 times in the New Testament. Could it be that the Lord maybe saying after all I’ve done shouldn’t you be Praising me more?  

Maybe we are too busy Applauding each other. 

🧐Knowledge Tested🫨

 Ignorance is a choice, knowing God is the knowledge wherewith we fly to heaven.  

We can have no knowledge of that which does not exist. God has a perfect knowledge of all His works. Human knowledge is very limited, and is mostly gained by observation and experience. 

Knowledge is knowing. As spring begins bugs and bees come out. There is a bee that is called a carpenter bee. They drill a  perfect ⅜ inch diameter round hole. The male carpenter bee cannot sting while the female can. How do you tell the difference? Males have a white face and females a black face. If you were to grab hold of the male you would not get stung. Now you know the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say. Mark Chapter 4 is one of my favorite chapters. It’s a chapter that ends up with a test of the knowledge of trust being taught. Jesus says let us go to the other side then Jesus and His disciples entered a ship and began their journey. All is well at first. Jesus heads off to the rear of the ship and goes to sleep. Then a storm comes upon them. The disciples fight hard but the storm overtakes them. They are in real trouble before they ever go back to the rear of the ship where Jesus is still asleep. Asleep? How can this be possible? The ship is rocking, water is splashing everywhere, it is a ruff ride but Jesus doesn’t wake up. Why is this? I believe it was a test from what the disciples should have learned. Jesus plainly said “Let us pass over unto the other side.”  What did that mean?  It meant exactly what Jesus said. Jesus didn’t say let’s see if we can make it to the other side. Our Bible tells us that we are ALL sinners. 

Romans 5:12 (KJV) Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Not a few or some but not you. Oh no it is plain “all have sinned” When Jesus told His disciples to get into the ship to go to the other side He meant that they would arrive on shores at the other side. No matter how bad of a storm they would come in contact with. I look at it as a short view of our lives. No matter the storms in this life that will take place, it will always be more than we want. Some will be umbrella storms; those are storms that we will have some protection. Others will be almost more than we can bear. Oh but the storms that rock our boat, coming in on uu will test our knowledge. In 2004 a 21 year old young man was on his way home when an awful rain and wind storm began. He continued on his way with the rain beating on his windshield to the point it was hard to see. The roads slippery from the rain cause him to lose control. He ran off the road and hit a tree head on. His lungs were punctured and before they could fly him to a trauma hospital he died. On that stormy night a storm hit the home of a mother and father. Their only child lost his life. Just as it was the night of that storm as the disciples fought so hard but failed, so did this man and woman. Where was Jesus? He was right there in the storm as He was with those disciples. He can and does calm the storm. So what was the answer of the storm? Mark chapter 5 the very first words.

Mark 5:1 (KJV) And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

That’s why our knowledge must be in Christ Jesus. My close friend told me just a few days ago he was ready and can’t wait to see heaven. You may ask how could he say that? Because of his knowledge of who Jesus is and what Heaven is like. 

We can have no knowledge of that which does not exist. Know Jesus, know peace. No Jesus, no peace. 

🌧️Do You Know Why🌈

 When you know your WHY

you’ll know your WAY.

Michael Hyayy

Colossians 4:5 (KJV) Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

Colossians 4:6 (KJV) Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Why is it so important that we know why we believe what we believe?  All believe in something even if it’s wrong. Just because one believes doesn’t make it a correct belief. That is why Paul  said for us to examine ourselves.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV) Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 

 This is not guest work, ask yourself questions, look over your life, prove yourself. 

• Question one: Do you have “faith?” 

Faith in Jesus Christ as the savior of your soul? where do you think you go when death comes knocking on your door? 

• Question two: What kind of proof do you have?
• Question Three: Don’t you know your own self?

This is too important of a matter to just let it go. My dad would say to me sometimes when punishing me “I want you to think about what you have done!” Paul says there is a three question exam, now think. 

• Do you have Faith? 
• What is the proof of your Faith? 
• Do you know yourself? Who are you really?  

Was there a time when you knew you were a sinner? Was there ever a time when you asked Jesus Christ to forgive you? It was a last minute decision for a man dying one day outside the city of Jerusalem. 

Luke 23:39 (KJV) And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

Luke 23:40 (KJV) But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

One of the criminals insulted Jesus. But the other criminal said to him: "Don't you fear God at all? Don't you see and understand we are condemned? We will die today!

Luke 23:42 (KJV) And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

Many think that their sins are too many, too awful and why would God even care. After all I have done and been a part of, forgive me? Fat chance of that ever happening. Oh no it’s not, here we read of 2 men and both are dying a slow death. Then one of those men realizes he can be forgiven and simply asks for forgiveness with a true heart. What was the answer from Jesus Christ Himself? 

Luke 23:43 (KJV) And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

What? Are you kidding me? No it’s true. The problem with most is that they tell themselves that what they have done was not that bad. I mean compared to others. That is not wise thinking.

2 Corinthians 10:12 (KJV) For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Do you know who you are? Do you really know? Is what we read in the Bible true? How do you know? Or are you just repeating what others have told you because it sounds good? When our oldest son was going to college to get an electrical engineer degree he almost never left his room. Weekends would come and go and he kept studying only to come out and eat. One day I asked him why? This is what he told me “ he said Dad, I don't want to just know how to pass the test and get a degree. I want to know how it works and why. In order to do so, there's a cost I have to be willing to pay. One can’t really know that they are going to heaven, that sounds good, I mean it was told to me by a respectable person. Is it true? It doesn't matter if it were told to us by a respectable or a non respectable person is it the truth? The Bible says we can know.

1 John 5:13 (KJV) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. See, one can know!