Harbor In The Tempest

10/22/2011

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.


Bible Verse of the Day: 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 " So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man, and God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

Life can be difficult, of that we can be sure. Our human nature keeps getting in the way, and we make decisions on occasion that cause us great harm. We spoke last time about the ramifications of sin in our lives, but this message is focused on where we can turn to for protection before we make the mistakes that turn our lives upside down. The Lord is a safe harbor in the tempest of this life. When the storms are raging all around us, he can provide shelter to keep us safe. No matter how strong our faith is and how much we are abiding in Him who gives us hope, we are all vulnerable to falling if we take our eyes off of Him for even one second. Why is this? Because there is a spiritual battle that is raging in the unseen realms for our souls. This is a crucial battle and the forces are diametrically opposed. Galatians 5:17 says " For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with one another, so that you do not do what you want." Understanding that this battle is raging is the first step in helping to live a life safe from the consequences of not being able to defend ourselves. We need help and thank God that His Son is the Good Sheppard He sent to save us from the dark forces that work to destroy us. 1st Peter 5:8 says " We must be alert. Your adversary the devil, prowl around like a roaring Lion, seeking someone to devour." Each one of us is uniquely vulnerable and the devil knows are weaknesses. With me, it may be lust in my heart or a selfish need to gratify my flesh. With others it may be alcohol, drugs, anger or hatred. Whatever our challenges, we must realize how vulnerable we are. We are all sinners and must realize that apart from Christ, we can do nothing but sin. It is in Him that we find peace and the way to walk the straight path, but we like lost sheep, tend to wander and go astray quite easily. Praise God that the Good Sheppard cares about each one of His sheep and will do whatever it takes to bring us safely back to His flock. In this life, there is lots of temptations for us to submit to our sinful nature. We can fall quite easily. Thankfully, in Him, there is a harbor in the tempest, a safe place where we can go to get out of the storms of life and to be renewed and strengthened for the voyage ahead. In the Bible Verse of the Day above, we learn that what is happening us is common to man, and that God will always give us a way out. He will not let us be tempted beyond our ability to handle it. But that requires us to be shielded by Him.That requires us to spend time with Him and to be in His word. The more time we spend in His harbor, the safer we are. But eventually we must shove off and continue our journey, growing in our abilities to defend ourselves from the raging battle as we learn to trust in Him to lead our safe passage. Like a boat that has been through an Ocean storm, we will have some marks on us and be a little worn at the end, but we will feel a great sense of pride in knowing that we finished the race. I believe this life is one big learning experience to prepare us for eternity. It is like a pre-season game preparing a football team for the regular season. You make your mistakes and you learn from them as you continue to grow. You are working towards a goal to finish strong. Then, like Paul says in 2nd Timothy 4:7, we will be able to one day say " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."