Understanding before Undertaking
We all are familiar with this passage in the bible ; Jesus and the disciples in the ship; Mark 4; 35-38; 35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
I am sure the disciples would have never thought that ;
- While Jesus was in the boat with them that there would be a storm. they thought they will enjoy the ride with Jesus, but unimaginably storm happen
- The disciples forget that since Jesus is in the boat, there is no cause for alarm,
- Disciples allowed fear to overtake them.
As children of God today, we are not any different from the disciples. when we are faced with challenges of life ;
- You forget that while on earth and enjoying the good things of life, sometimes, there will be challenges, storm of life, difficulties may occur
- You allow fear consume your faith in God.
In the battles of life there are only two sides- the winning side and loser's lane. The winning side is where you find the dependable and unconquerable captain (Jesus). align yourself with him today and leave it all to Jesus. Be rest assured that the lord can carry all our burden because he is our burden bearer.
I pray we will align ourselves with Jesus from today in Jesus's name, amen.
ALL KIND OF PRAYER
We can simplify prayer as having conversation with God, just like we talk with friends, family, colleague daily. It has never been hard for us to start a conversation. We are delighted to have conversations with friends and family, especially when we have good news to share even when we are burdened with situations/ battles of life, we do not hesitate but run to family and share.
The only difference between our family and God is, family console you but they cannot solve. God is our burden bearer. Prayer is one free ride to God’s supernatural help. without God, we cannot survive the raging battles of life, neither can we live the abundant life ordained by God for us. Philippians 4; 6 Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Prayer is
- Gods gift to man
- Powerful spiritual weapon that overcome the enemy and storm of life
- Moves Gods hands to grant us victory in all unpleasant situation we find ourselves
Praying to God does not have to be stereotyped, it does not always have to be same pattern. There are all kinds of prayer
- Prayer of thanksgiving/ praise and worship; Giving thanks to God for all that he has done in your life Psalm 103;1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
- Prayer for Petition ; Matthew 7; 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
- Prayer of warfare and intercession; 2 Corinthian 10; 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
Although everyone can pray but we need to know that only the prayer of the righteous avails much. Therefore, before anyone can fully enjoy the benefit from this gift, there must be a repentance from sin and accepting Jesus as their lord and personal Savior. Then consistent walk with Jesus, so that when you pray, God hears and answer your request.
Remember these bible verses while praying, Hebrew 11;1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Ephesian 3; 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. according to the power that worketh in us, your prayer should be in faith that God is able to fulfill all he has promise.
Understanding Life’s Battle Challenges are part of human existence, every mortal will have a fair share irrespective of age, religion, background, financial status, educational qualifications, or race. It could be in the form of diverse health challenges, addictions, delay in childbirth, unemployment, marital issues, fear of misfortune and so on.
The story posted above shows conversation between Beauty and Linda. Beauty is overwhelmed by different challenges of life. She has concluded that she will stop coming to church because it feels pointless to her. Her first son in police custody for crime he is innocent, third child terminally ill, her salary is not enough to run the home, she has health issues as well. After listening to Beauty, Linda was able to encourage her that God still loves her, he has not turned his back away from her, and that God is right there with her even though her situation looks pathetic.
Linda encourages Beauty to come back to God and start afresh, Beauty was led back to Christ and at that moment she felt a ray of hope through her heart. As Christian, we need to understand that there are battle raging and we are in the middle of it. Christians should also not believe that all challenges come from the devil even though many challenges have root in Satan. Luke 13;11-13 Example is the women bound by the devil for many years and Jesus loosed her from her infirmity.
When Christians are faced with challenges, in other to overcome these challenges, there should be adequate understanding of the rules of engagement and the strategic principles for winning life’s battle
- Do not give room for internal and external forces such as fear, discouragement, self-pity, disappointment. Engage your mind in pushing, resisting and rejecting those forces.
- Exercise due diligence to understand the nature, source, or reason of the problem behind the situation,
- Listen others who have gone through an passed the similar challenge, learn from them, and make necessary adjustment
- undertaking and winning the battle through prayer ; to win the battle of life, a sinner need Jesus
- Put on the whole amour of God; the whole amour of God us your battledress which covers you from head to your feet during battle
- Helmet of salvation
- Breastplate of righteousness,
- Helmet of truth,
- Shield of faith, sword of the spirit and
- The Gospel of peace
As Jesus was in the boat with the disciples during the storm in mark 4; 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
I pray that in our journey here on earth, we will not walk alone but hold on to God’s word in faith and there will be a great calm in our life in Jesus's name, amen. .jpg)
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