If you’ve spent a few years on this Christian journey, you know that storms in life will rise. I have often wondered how the unbelieving world copes with them, because they don’t have faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They don’t know him, but when we look at the world around us and how separated it is from God, we can clearly see that turning their backs on Him has had terrible effects on the unbelieving world. People of every religion, race, and background are struggling with deep issues: addictions of every kind, emotional distress, huge financial burdens, and very troubled relationships. Increasingly we’re hearing of individuals that are not able to cope. Some of them think that suicide is the only option, and others are tricked into believing that a substance or drug can take away their pain. They don’t know that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the answer for their pain.
In Hosea 4:6, God tells us that His people are destroyed because they lack and reject knowledge. This is still very true today. People have an attitude that says, “I know what I know, and I don’t want to know any more.” Without obtaining new knowledge, and learning more today than we knew yesterday, we will stop growing. This is one of the reasons we value education so highly, because we understand that the right knowledge is power. The right knowledge can transport an individual from poverty to wealth, from illness to wellness, from darkness to light! This holds true in every aspect of our existences. So, when it comes to the storms in life, the right knowledge will empower us to handle them.
Why must we endure storms in life?
In arming yourself with right knowledge, one of the questions you might ask is why must we endure storms in life. To answer this question, we need to take a trip to Genesis, to the beginning. Adam was the first man, and his wife, Eve, was the first woman. They were created to be perfect in every way, and within their perfection was the gift of free-will that God had bestowed on them. He didn’t want robots. God wanted a family; He wanted children, and He created the first man and woman (and all of us) in His image. Adam and Eve made a conscious decision to believe the word of the devil over the Word of God. This is sin! This is disobedience because it goes against the truth, and God’s Word is true. When they took the word of the enemy over the Word of God, this act changed the course of life on earth for all time.
You and I can start playing the blame game against Brother Adam and Sister Eve, but guess what? If we had been in their shoes, we would have done exactly the same thing or worse. They demonstrated for us the propensity of human nature, and what happens when we don’t reign ourselves in with the truth. We are born into a sinful world, and sin-nature is baked into our makeup. It’s up to us to put it in check and choose to honor and obey God. Many of the storms we face are a result of us not choosing to put God first, but instead, we put our own agendas and desires first. This wrong choice can allow the devil just the opening he needs to hinder us even more.
How do we handle the storm?
In John 10:10 (NLT), Jesus Christ tells us, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” Jesus Christ gave us a stark contrast in this verse. He tells us the mission of the devil, and more importantly, he tells us exactly why he came. He settles the matter entirely in this verse. He came to give us a more than abundant life. We had absolutely no chance of having it without him leaving the throne, and coming to earth to save us. We were in terrible shape after Adam’s and Eve’s exorbitantly, costly debacle; but Jesus Christ rescued us and restored our broken connection to God.
When we face a storm in life, not only is anchoring ourselves in the right knowledge of God’s Word paramount, but arming ourselves with faith is extremely crucial as well. They both go hand in hand, because Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by the Word of God. In order to grow in faith, a person must know and activate the Word of God in their lives. They must know it, and begin to live what they know. We have received the faith of Jesus Christ as a result of our new-birth reality. Our responsibility is to increase in this faith as we continue to grow in our knowledge of Christ. If we fail to do this, the enemy will find us vulnerable, because we haven’t put on the armor we need to stand strong.
Again, the way to face a storm is to arm ourselves with the knowledge of God’s Word. This increases our faith. It will also require that we pray to receive a greater revelation regarding the work of Christ. You can’t be grateful for something you don’t understand. When it comes to the redeeming work of Christ, we must have a deep well of gratitude of where the state of humanity would be if Jesus had never come to the earth. We would have been continually oppressed by the devil. There’s not a doubt in my mind that none of us would be here today, because the enemy would have destroyed all there is.
God is greater than the storm
God spared not His only begotten Son for us. He redeemed what the enemy stole from us. Now, we can walk with the authority of Christ. As God’s sons and daughters, we should never let fear rule us. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT), tells us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Our God is greater than any storm we might face, and He has given us everything we need through Jesus Christ to stand strong when we face the storms of life. He’s given us a spirit of power, love, and self-control. We need to wear them like a second skin.
The most logical thing to do in a storm is to take cover. Our God will provide this cover for us if we’ll trust in Him. In Isaiah 41:10 (NLT), God told His people, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Things may be challenging, but we must continue to hold on to God’s hand as He holds us up. This is how we handle a storm; we hold tight to God, study His Word, and keep the faith. He will not fail us, but will bring us through the storm, and we’ll be stronger spiritually than we ever thought we would be.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“Facing the Storms of Life”, written by JMack. 4theChristianMan.Com© 2018. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.