Don't Sweat The Storm

And let's lift our Bibles up, as is our custom here, wave your Bibles and make Jesus glad and the devil mad.

Let's say this together Say Heavenly Father, I'm so glad for Wednesday night live stream.

I'm thirsty for more, more of the Holy Ghost, more of the glory, more of the Word.

Lord, I thank you tonight that the Holy Spirit shines light on the Word, illuminates my spirit, so that my faith will grow and I will have victory on every side.

In Jesus' name, amen.

All right, let's look at Mark, chapter 4, please, and we'll start reading with verse 35.

Mark 4 · chapter mention

And of course, the setup is that this is right.

After Jesus had spent the day preaching, the sower sows the word, and he expounded on that parable and talked to them about the four kinds of dirt, and three have a crop failure.

You know, the sower sows the word into their heart and there's four examples, and three, four of them, have a crop failure.

So that's important.

And then he's all through with that in verse 35.

And the same day, when evening was come, he said unto them let us pass over unto the other side.

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, and there arose a great storm of wind, a mega storm, and the waves beat into the ship so that it was now full, 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.

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, a mega calm.

And he said unto them why are you so fearful?

How is it that you have no faith?

And they feared exceedingly and said one to another what manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?

And so tonight I wanted to share a message entitled Don't Sweat the Storm.

Don't Sweat the Storm.

You know, the storms of life come to all.

You know, when Jesus was speaking about the firm foundation, he said when the storms of life beat on your house, if it's founded upon shifting sand, it's going to fall, but if it's founded upon the rock of the word, it will stand.

So he didn't say if the storms lie, he said when the storms of life.

He said, you know, he said another place that that you know in the world you shall have tribulation, you'll have trouble or storms, and so we all have them.

You're either coming into a storm, you're in one or you're coming out of one.

I mean, it's just kind of.

It's just kind of.

It comes with the territory of being a believer and you know faith.

Your faith won't stop all the storms from coming, but it will get you through the storm.

It will deliver you to the other side unharmed.

It will deliver you to the other side unharmed, and so your faith will cause God to invade the storm, as it were, and turn it and cause it to produce something good.

I mean, the storm itself is not for the purpose of good.

You know the devil, if we keep reading here in Mark, chapter 6, what happened right after they got over to the other side of the lake?

Mark 6 · chapter mention

He said let's pass over to the other side.

What was waiting for them on the other side was the country of the Gadarenes and the, the, the demoniac was there who had been terrorizing that entire region, and that legion of demons was in that one man who held that whole place captive.

And so the storm was designed to stop Jesus, if possible to kill him or to delay him or whatever.

I mean, that's what the reason for any kind of storm?

You don't ever have to ask about what but God, god didn't send it.

The devil sends a storm.

They come to kill you, they come to stop you, they come to delay you or they come to discredit you.

Those four things, I mean.

That's all you need to know about a storm.

It's never God's will for you to go through, to have the storm, but he will deliver you through it if you'll know how to handle it, which is what we're talking about tonight.

Don't sweat the storm, don't fear in the storm, you know.

And then the other thing I think about when we and we're going to use some examples here tonight but the storm is a dead giveaway that breakthrough and miracles are ahead.

That's another reason why the devil is attacking.

He's trying to prevent the next breakthrough, the next miracle, the next great thing.

Just think about the miracle of that demoniac.

I mean, here he was demon possessed and Jesus delivered him and he was clothed, sitting in his right mind.

You know his last picture of this man he wanted to follow Jesus and he went into the ten cities preaching about Jesus.

He went into the ministry.

So bottom line don't sweat the storm, praise God.

And then I think about.

When I think about storms, I think about Acts, chapter 27.

Acts 27 · chapter mention

I was just reading this recently Paul's storm that you know.

He perceived that this voyage is going to be, with much hurt, both of the lading of the ship and of our lives.

He tried to persuade the owner of the ship.

Now here he is a prisoner.

He's on his way to Rome and they're on their way and they're on this journey.

There's 286 people on board with him and they're stopped at this place to refresh and to refuel not refuel, but put more food probably in there and get ready for the next leg of the voyage.

And he had this witness that they shouldn't sail.

He tried to get them not to sail and so they ignored him and they went out there and they encountered a massive storm called your rock led on, and I mean the sun didn't shine for many days.

I mean they were out there being tossed and all hope that they should be saved was then taken away.

Who took it away?

The devil took it away, and but God invaded that storm.

I mean the storm actually, instead of sinking the ship, it drove them into the area of that island of Malta, where it ran aground just offshore in Malta, and then the waves finished the boat off.

The boat didn't sink, it was destroyed by the waves, but Paul and the other 286 people got off the boat and they rowed broken pieces of the ship to the shore and there they had a revival and there the governor of the island was healed and they had a tremendous move of God I just think about.

God invaded that storm.

In other words, he didn't stop the storm altogether, he got into the storm and made it accomplish a purpose, and one of the purposes was to punish the owner and the centurion for not listening to Paul.

But they didn't die, they lost all the cargo.

Though Somebody lost on that deal.

It always, you know, when you don't obey God, you lose.

But you know they saved their lives.

And then it was just like God told the devil.

I'll tell you what since you tried to kill my servant, I'm going to use him to bring revival on Malta and then I'm going to have him stand before Caesar.

So there you go.

No-transcript, you through them.

All right.

Number one remember God turns what the devil means for evil into good to good.

You know Romans 8, 28,.

You know it's an old verse.

It's been misquoted and misunderstood a lot, frankly, but let's look at it.

Romans 8, 28.

And this is my interpretation of the verse what the devil means for evil, god turns into good.

But Romans 8, 28 says it this way.

It says, and we know, that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the call according to his purpose.

So when you love God and you're obeying his call and we all are called, everybody's called to be a witness, everybody's called to talk about Jesus and tell people how good he is.

And so when you have that realization, you know, no matter what storm is going on, god is going to turn that thing around for good.

The devil meant it for evil.

I'm reminded too, of Joseph.

Joseph told his brothers when they were reunited after all those years.

You know he was sold into slavery and they lied to their father and said, oh, he was eaten by a lion.

They brought his bloody coat back.

They just lied and his poor father thought he was dead all those years.

Well, no, he survived and he became second in command to the prime minister of Egypt, of the Pharaoh of Egypt, and he was second in command.

And later, when they were reunited and they were very afraid and they didn't know how he'd react, he said oh listen, you know, I know you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.

And yeah, your heart wasn't right, but God invaded that situation and he turned it into something good.

And because you sold me here, then I was able to bring a great deliverance and save many lives, our whole family alive this day.

So see, god has got a way to turn evil into good.

That's why we shouldn't fear in the midst of the storm.

Don't sweat the storm, don't let the devil see you sweat.

And another example Paul and Silas.

You know they had a plan to go and preach the word in Bithynia and the Spirit wouldn't allow that and they were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia Minor.

So they had a plan and the Holy Ghost said no.

And so they waited for God's plan.

And God spoke by supernatural and spectacular means through a dream to Paul and a Macedonian man said come over here and help us.

And so they went to Macedonia and they wound up being evil and treated.

They wound up being whipped with many stripes and thrown into the inner prison.

And the Bible says in Acts 16 that at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises so loud that all the prisoners heard them.

And then there came a great earthquake.

And then all of a sudden, you know, god invaded the earthquake.

I mean, he caused the earthquake, not to do damage.

He caused the earthquake to break the chains and break them out of the stocks and unlock the prison doors, and all the prisoners were freed, so much so that the jailer was going to commit suicide.

He said oh, do yourself no harm, we're all here.

And and so the jailer said sir, what must I do to be saved?

And so the jailer and his whole family got saved and baptized.

And then they washed, and his whole family got saved and baptized, and then they washed Paul and Silas' stripes and ministered to them.

I mean how God just turns evil things into good.

And let's know that no matter what you're going through, god turns what the devil means for evil into good.

Second thing to remember is that storms are a revelation of good days ahead.

I've already used the example of what happened, you know, to Paul on the Isle of Malta.

But notice, you must not fear, see.

I mean, you know, when you know that there's good days ahead, you won't be so heavy with fear.

Jesus said there in Mark 440, why are you so fearful?

How is it that you have no faith?

See, when the storm comes, there's your chance to turn your faith loose.

There's your chance to speak against that storm.

There's your chance to stand up.

There's your chance to speak against that storm.

There's your chance to stand up.

And even in that, in that Eurocladon, when Paul was on that ship and it was being tossed and it said, all hope that they could be saved was then taken away.

Then Paul stood up because an angel appeared to him and said fear not, paul, for God has given all of them that sail with thee.

He's given them to you.

You must stand before Caesar.

Fear not Paul, for God has given all of them that sail with thee.

He's given them to you.

You must stand before Caesar.

Fear not Paul.

See, right in the middle of the storm, god is telling you don't fear.

You know faith and fear can't coexist.

Don't let the fierceness of the attack, don't let the fierceness of the wind and the waves persuade you to start sweating.

Don't sweat the storm, because it is a revelation of better days ahead.

God is going to get you through that and there's going to be something good happen.

And absolutely don't fear.

Just rejoice, you know.

And if you don't, if you don't do that, then the devil thinks he's winning.

He's just going to turn up the heat.

You start having a pity party, you start crying, you start speaking wrong in the midst of the storm.

Well, the devil knows he's winning.

So guess what?

He's going to prolong it.

He's going to do everything he can to do harm.

So remember there's good days ahead, all right.

And then the last one remember to rise up with the word of God and the name of Jesus and rebuke the storm.

Are you that kind of person?

You know they ask.

When Jesus did that?

He rose up out of a sleep.

I mean, he's exhausted from all day ministering.

He's back there.

He would have slept all the way through the storm.

Why?

Because he expected them to use what they had learned all day.

He expected them to speak to the storm.

He expected them to take some authority, because he had gave them a word.

He said let's pass over to the other side.

He didn't say let's go out here in the middle of the lake and sink and die.

So they had a word from Jesus.

They just didn't utilize it.

Now, thank God, they woke up the word, though, and when they did, he rebuked the storm.

So what are you going to do in the storm?

Well, remember, rise up.

Rise up in faith and with the word of God, the name of Jesus, and rebuke that storm.

That's what manner of person you are.

The disciples said what manner of man is this that even the wind and the seas obey him?

Well, he showed you how to do it, and he showed us how to do it.

We're that kind of people.

We're the kind of people that rebuke storms.

We're the kind of people that pray against and rebuke hurricanes.

You know we.

You know, sometimes they sneak up on us, like Burrell.

You know, I rebuked it, though from the day I heard about it, I kept rebuking it.

So it it could have been a lot worse, but it was a category one.

That's bad enough.

A lot of us lost power for days.

We had loss of power here at the church, didn't have electricity, and that's bad.

But you know, these kind of things are going to start happening with more and more frequency, and we need to be comfortable with the idea that we've got authority to rebuke storms, like Jesus did.

We don't have to put up with the effects of all these things, whether they're natural storms or whether there's some other kind of storm a storm in your marriage, a storm in your children's lives, a storm in your finances.

Whatever the storm is, we have the authority to rebuke it.

And so stand up, see what manner of person are you.

Are you the one that just you know melts when trouble comes and you're afraid?

No, we're not fearful and we're not going to put up with what the devil is dishing out.

No, we're going to rise up in the name of Jesus and rebuke the storm and say peace, be still to the waves.

And so you know, I remember many years ago, when I started getting a hold of the word of faith, I hadn't been saved that long.

So when I started getting a hold of the word of faith, I hadn't been saved that long and we lived in a in a neighborhood close in here in spring, just off of Louetta Road, and and I was also building homes in that same neighborhood and other places out here, and I was in one of my homes that I had built and Gladys and I had moved in there with our family and in the bedroom Our bedroom was in the front of the house, on the second floor and so we went to bed one night and, and I mean, you know, in the middle of the night we were awakened and it was loud thunder and loud wind and it was I mean, it was shaking, the house was shaking.

It was such a violent thunderstorm and both of us turned the light on and got up and I had front leaded glass windows in the front of the house so I couldn't see clearly because they're frosted leaded glass and so I couldn't really see detail.

But I could tell the trees were moving and the wind was blowing horizontal and it was loud and the lightning was continuous.

And then, as I was looking out the front windows trying to find out what was going on, I heard what sounded like a freight train, which instantly I knew was a tornado.

Now, I had never in my life been in a tornado.

I'd never heard one with my ears, I'd never been in one, but that was what I knew we had.

We had a tornado coming at our house and you know, I didn't have time to be afraid, I'm telling you such a rage and an anger rose up in me.

I mean, you know, here we are on the second floor and I mean you don't want to be in a two-story house on the second floor when a tornado hits.

You know, and I've got a daughter in one bedroom and a son in a bedroom and Gladys and I in our bedroom, and man, I mean, you know, I just I didn't have time to be afraid.

I got angry and I lifted my voice and I began to rebuke that storm.

I screamed at the top of my lungs in the name of Jesus, I rebuke this storm, I command it to go right now.

And I mean, as God is my witness, the loud noise, that freight train noise, instantly stopped.

Now there was still lightning, there was still some wind outside, but that freight train noise just went.

It was gone instantly.

And I looked at Gladys, she looked at me, we both kind of bleeped and I mean, you know, our authority worked and it started dying down and we went back to bed, slept, you know, till the next morning.

About six thirty in the morning I heard the sound of chainsaws and so I quickly got dressed and went outside and looked at my street and there were trees blown down.

One house had a tree blown into the roof and they were sawing the tree out and had some people out there even at that early hour.

I looked at my house.

The only thing damage we had was some ridge row.

I had, uh, wood shingles and the ridge had blown off on my garage about about 10 foot of it.

And uh, and so I even had ridge in the garage.

Didn't even cost me anything to fix it.

My roofer didn't even charge me to come over and fix the damage the storm gave.

I had a few lit, you know small limbs in the yard, but no major damage.

We had a bunch of trees in the yard.

Our house was built in the middle of a pecan tree grove and we suffered no damage.

And then I went in my car.

I thought, well, I better go check my houses.

And just south of where I live there was the next two streets over and I drove down my street.

Not any damage, I could tell.

On Luetta, across from our subdivision, it looked like someone had taken a lawnmower and mowed all the pine trees off about 12 foot tall and they were broken off about 12 foot off the ground and if they had stayed at that level it would have wiped out my house, it would have killed us in our home.

I mean, there's no way to survive a tornado when it hits you right dead center.

And so later on we found out from the weather people we had 18 tornadoes that came through that neighborhood and when they hit Luetta Road, when we prayed, they just went way up and they skipped over our whole subdivision and landed over in an area in Cypress Creek where it wasn't populated.

And so you know, we got a chance early on to realize what kind of authority we have.

We don't have any right to sweat the storm.

We don't have any need to sweat the storm.

All we have to do is rise up in faith.

Don't let yourself doubt, don't let yourself fear.

Just show the devil what manner of person you are.

You are a believer.

Come on, lift your hands and receive Hallelujah.

Glory to God.

Thank you, jesus, for that authority that you've given us in your name.

Thank you that we have the authority of the word of God.

We thank you that we've got the greater one living on the inside of us.

Amen, praise the Lord.