Do Not Fear The Storm

I have a message to share with you Today. This story begins in the Book of Acts, chapter 26, when the Apostle Paul is standing trial for his Faith in God. He is accused of being a troublemaker and stands before Festus and then before King Agrippa, testifying about how Christ has changed him. Paul appeals to stand before Caesar, the emperor of Rome. But in order to get to Rome, they will need to set sail.

But on this journey, they will encounter a great storm. Paul recognized this early on and warned the guards, but they refused to listen to him. 

Acts 27:10-11-  "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also." 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 

Despite warnings and wrong circumstances, God will still go ahead of them and make a way. Did you hear me? Despite the warnings, the wrong circumstances, and the wrong decisions, God will still go ahead of them and make a way. Praise GOD!

It's not about the circumstances you face or your current state. It's about the fact that there is a God who knows all this and is willing to go to the dark places with you. I want you to see that he steps into the time you have yet to enter. He is already there in the places you have not even walked into because he knows the beginning from the end and what you will face ahead. He will even go as far as to prepare his servants with the right message and instructions for the very purpose of knowing where you will be Today. God extends his GRACE to you so you can know that he is the one who sustains you when things seem overwhelming. 

You are still part of a perfect plan; it is not over. He wants to lead you.

Now, there in the storm, the word of God said it was a storm of hurricane force called the Northeastern, and they had to give in to the storm.  

Acts 27:15 The storm hit the ship very powerfully. It was not possible for the sailors to sail the ship straight into the wind. So they did not try to do that anymore. Instead, they let the wind blow the ship along. "

Sometimes, you have to face the storm, meaning there is nothing that you can do but ride it out. What you are going through is not dependent on whether you are strong enough to go through it. But this storm, or anything else in your life, depends on God's strength and on how you trust him. See, sisters, the storm is not what defines you; it reveals who you really are and what you trust. You can feel sorry for yourself and be driven by your past, or you can look ahead and be driven by the future. 

What are things that you can do differently?

You can say to yourself, what future?  There is always a tomorrow that is called TODAY! Tomorrow is promised to no one, but if you are here, it is your TODAY, and you have a choice about how you want to show up. Sisters, this has nothing to do with how strong or tough you are; it is about letting God heal life's brokenness and realign your steps.

The Lord is telling you your past cannot catch up to your future; your past is there for you to grow and learn from it. This was a ship of men with prisoners aboard, setting sail for ROME; they had no idea what lay ahead when the storm hit, but it did not look good. BUT GOD! 

Acts27:21-26

After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night, an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar, and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have Faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."

My point - Take courage!

Paul said you should have listened, but you did not; if you had, you would have spared yourself the damage and the loss. But look, the God that I serve sent an angel to tell me that not one of you will lose your life now the ship is going to break apart.

But you are going to live; you will not die.

Listen, take courage; you may have suffered some damage and loss, but you are going to make it; it may seem that everything fell apart, but that foundation was not good anyway; it needed to break; now you can build the right foundation with me says the Lord, for I am the firm foundation that you need to stand upon I am the one that helps you to build so that when storms in life come for you. You remain immovable, unshakable. You are the one who can make a difference in the atmosphere and circumstances around you through how you respond; even if you say you can't, you can make a difference in yourself. That is what Christ does. He makes a difference in you.

Daughters, the Lord will tell you Let me be the Lord and Leader of your life. Rise up, and declare your rightful position.  See, when you live for God, he not only restores you but will begin to restore what is broken in your family as well, but you have to remain steady and stay the course through praying and Faith.

When Jesus hung on that cross, two thieves hung next to him; one believed, and the other mocked him. He said to the one who believed, "Today you will be with me in paradise.

We will all stand before him one glorious day. 

If you are unsure of who you serve or what rules your heart

I would like you to repeat this prayer with me

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Help me to do this daily. Teach me your ways, and come live in me. It is in your name that I pray. AMEN

Prayer: God, thank you for being in the storm with us; each storm serves a purpose for our growth in Faith in you. I will declare with my mouth that I will live and not die, but will declare in the land of the living that you are my God and that you have made a way for me. In Jesus' Name, Amen                         

Rev. Brenda Ortiz.

Then He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in Peace.”  Luke 8:48 (NIV)