Tag Archive: storm


Can Storms Last Forever?

Storms don’t last forever. It is scientifically proven that storms usually come to an end. The common idiom “after a storm comes a calm,” means that things will likely improve after a difficult and stressful season. Jesus did not promise that you will go through life on this earth without any difficulty. He reminded you that “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Therefore, if you are going through a difficult storm in your life right now, it will eventually come to an end. God is always on time, and He knows the right time for everything. For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under Heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Although it may appear that Jesus is sleeping during your storm, it is crucial for you to have faith and ride out your storm with Him; because at any moment He can calm your storm. Mark 4:35-41 recounts the moment that Jesus was in a boat on a lake with His disciples. But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. During the storm, Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat. The disciples woke Him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are going to drown?” When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.

When you are experiencing severe trials and tribulations, this is usually the time when you are at your weakest point in your life. You may have given up some sinful habits in the past; but because you are riding through a bad storm, you may have become weak again. As a result, this may have caused you to revert to some of those sinful habits that you gave up. Although this may be true, you can go before the throne of grace with confidence and receive grace and mercy in your time of weakness (Hebrews 4:16).

Whatever the situation is that may have caused you to feel broken, weak and alone, His grace and mercy will bring you through. When your spirit and heart is broken, that is when God is most present in your life (Psalm 51:17). When you are weak, His grace is sufficient for you, as His strength is made perfect in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). You may not feel Him, but you are not alone. He will never leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

“Your Grace And Mercy” (Courtesy: Mississippi Mass Choir)

Are you facing a chronic or terminal illness, a financial hardship, a marriage break-down, the death of a loved one, an addiction, or other personal or family turmoil? As you go through the storm right now, God promises you that He will be with you always to the end (Matthew 28:20). He will give you peace in the midst of the storm (Mark 4:39). Hold on to Jesus, and you can ride out your storm.

Ask God to grant you the courage, faith and strength to make it through the storm. You may not understand everything right now, as the Lord’s thoughts are not like your thoughts, and His ways are not like your ways (Isaiah 55:8). However, you are reminded that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opened a package.

“What food might this contain?” The mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”  The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The pig sympathized, but said, “I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it, but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”

The mouse turned to the cow and said, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The cow said, “Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”  So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake, whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient.

But his wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer’s wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, and the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn’t concern you, remember when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

Most importantly, today might be one person’s storm, but tomorrow might be yours. Therefore, do not ignore that person, as they go through their storm. In this world, no one is immune. We all must face tribulations at some point or another (John 16:33). However, when your storm begins, bear in mind, you will need some form of help and support as well.

 

God Has Great Plans For You

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, “Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.”

Then the second tree said, “Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.”

Finally, the third tree said, “I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill, and look up to my branches. They will then think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.”

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, “This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter,” and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree, a woodsman said, “This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard.” The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, “I don’t need anything special from my tree, so I’ll take this one,” and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and women came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose, and the tree didn’t think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said, “Peace,” and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the king of kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don’t seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined.

Source Unknown

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

May your day be blessed.

May your road rise to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warmly upon your face.

May the rain fall softly upon all that you plant.

May God cradle you in the palm of His hands.

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opened a package.

“What food might this contain?” The mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”  The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The pig sympathized, but said, “I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”

The mouse turned to the cow and said, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The cow said, “Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”  So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient.

But his wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer’s wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, and the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn’t concern you, remember when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

Most importantly, today might be one person’s storm, but tomorrow might be yours. Therefore, do not ignore that person, as they go through their storm. In this world, no one is immune. We all must face tribulations at some point or another (John 16:33). However, when your storm begins, bear in mind, you will need some form of help and support as well.

 

In this world, there is always some storm going on. Some people may have just passed through a storm, while others may be going through a storm, or preparing to face a storm. I know that every one of us, including myself, would like to avoid any storm whatsoever. Regardless of this, in this life, you cannot see a rainbow without rain. Granted, whatever your storm status is, you have to remember that you can ride out your storm.

Last night I had a vivid dream regarding a very severe storm. In this dream, I saw a group of people who appeared to be involved in a political movement. As they marched down the street, they invited me to join them, but I declined. Immediately following this encounter, there was a storm approaching. After turning down their offer, I found myself caught up in this approaching storm. Alternatively, this storm appeared to be very severe and threatening. I could hear the violent sounds of thunder and lightning. Concerned for my safety, I was looking for somewhere to hunker down; however, I found myself in the opening, exposed to the elements of the storm.

Consequently, I noticed a few people gathered around me. These people were trying to cover me from the elements of the storm. However, as the storm got more severe, some of them ran away and left me. Instantly, I knew that they had removed their coverings, because I could feel the heavy rain pouring down on my bare head. Seeing that, I decided that I had to find shelter. As I prepared to move to a place of safety, I found out that there was only one man who had stayed with me during the storm. He then followed me through the storm to a shelter nearby. At this time, it appeared as if I were in another country. When I arrived at this shelter, I saw a woman who had been covering me during the storm at this place. Apparently, she ran away left me in the storm and sought shelter there. The man who was always with me, brought me to some people who gave me food and clean clothes to send me on my journey. As the storm subsided, I started out on my journey. Following this episode, I awoke from this dream.

This dream represents the typical events of our lives in reality. If you are not going with the politically correct crowd, because of your Christian beliefs and way of life, you can be forced to weather the elements of the storm in isolation. Believers are faced with various obstacles from time to time, as they trod on their Christian journey. This politically correctness can come from any people with whom you are associated with. These people could be your own church brethren, families, co-workers, business associates, friends, or people you meet along the way. This isolation can force you into the path of a storm. Conversely, some of the people who you thought will cover you throughout your storm, or have your back, so to speak, will likely run away while you are going through your storm.

Nonetheless, there will be one man standing, who will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). He will hunker down with you, cover you, and take you to a place of safety. At this place, He will provide you with all the necessities that you have been deprived of during the storm. He will restore you, bless you, and give you peace and deliverance. In any event, you will have to ride out your storm with Him. Do not follow the ones who run away from the storm, hoping that they will still be rewarded, if they did not endure the test of time. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to those who will endure to the end (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Just hold on to Jesus, and you can ride out your storm.

Listen to this inspirational song: “Ride Out Your Storm” in the video below.

God bless you.

You Can Ride Out Your Storm

In this world, there is always some storm going on. Some people may have just passed through a storm, while others may be going through a storm, or preparing to face a storm. I know that every one of us, including myself, would like to avoid any storm whatsoever. Regardless of this, in this life, you cannot see a rainbow without rain. Granted, whatever your storm status is, you have to remember that you can ride out your storm.

Last night I had a vivid dream regarding a very severe storm. In this dream, I saw a group of people who appeared to be involved in a political movement. As they marched down the street, they invited me to join them, but I declined. Immediately following this encounter, there was a storm approaching. After turning down their offer, I found myself caught up in this approaching storm. Alternatively, this storm appeared to be very severe and threatening. I could hear the violent sounds of thunder and lightning. Concerned for my safety, I was looking for somewhere to hunker down; however, I found myself in the opening, exposed to the elements of the storm.

Consequently, I noticed a few people gathered around me. These people were trying to cover me from the elements of the storm. However, as the storm got more severe, some of them ran away and left me. Instantly, I knew that they had removed their coverings, because I could feel the heavy rain pouring down on my bare head. Seeing that, I decided that I had to find shelter. As I prepared to move to a place of safety, I found out that there was only one man who had stayed with me during the storm. He then followed me through the storm to a shelter nearby. At this time, it appeared as if I were in another country. When I arrived at this shelter, I saw a woman who had been covering me during the storm at this place. Apparently, she ran away left me in the storm and sought shelter there. The man who was always with me, brought me to some people who gave me food and clean clothes to send me on my journey. As the storm subsided, I started out on my journey. Following this episode, I awoke from this dream.

This dream represents the typical events of our lives in reality. If you are not going with the politically correct crowd, because of your Christian beliefs and way of life, you can be forced to weather the elements of the storm in isolation. Believers are faced with various obstacles from time to time, as they trod on their Christian journey. This politically correctness can come from any people with whom you are associated with. These people could be your own church brethren, families, co-workers, business associates, friends, or people you meet along the way. This isolation can force you into the path of a storm. Conversely, some of the people who you thought will cover you throughout your storm, or have your back, so to speak, will likely run away while you are going through your storm.

Nonetheless, there will be one man standing, who will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). He will hunker down with you, cover you, and take you to a place of safety. At this place, He will provide you with all the necessities that you have been deprived of during the storm. He will restore you, bless you, and give you peace and deliverance. In any event, you will have to ride out your storm with Him. Do not follow the ones who run away from the storm, hoping that they will still be rewarded, if they did not endure the test of time. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to those who will endure to the end (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Just hold on to Jesus, and you can ride out your storm.

Listen to this inspirational song: “Ride Out Your Storm” in the video below.

God bless you.

In Matthew 13:3-6, Jesus told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” One point Jesus makes in this parable is that people without deep roots in God will fall away from faith whenever persecution or trials come on account of the word (see Matthew 13:20-21).

Similarly, Jesus encourages his followers to build their house (i.e. their life) on “the rock” (see Matthew 7:24-27). Even though the wind and storms beat against that house, it did not crumble because it was founded on the rock. If you have deep roots in God, your life will be built on the Rock—Christ. As one hymn says, “On Christ alone I stand, all else is sinking sand.”

It is no surprise, then, that Paul encourages believers to be rooted and built up in Christ, strengthened in the faith (Colossians 2:6-7). If you are strengthened in faith, then you won’t crack under the pressure of difficult situations because you will be able to dig deeply into the word of God on which you are firmly grounded. Unfortunately, too many Christians have a cracked foundation.

Make it a priority to have deep roots in God so that you will not wither under the heat of life. Invest time into reading and memorizing God’s word, praying, and communing with God. Be rooted in God.

Contributed: Christ Notes

You Can Ride Out Your Storm

In this world, there is always some storm going on. Some people may have just passed through a storm, while others may be going through a storm, or preparing to face a storm. I know that every one of us, including myself, would like to avoid any storm whatsoever. Regardless of this, in this life, you cannot see a rainbow without rain. Granted, whatever your storm status is, you have to remember that you can ride out your storm.

Last night I had a vivid dream regarding a very severe storm. In this dream, I saw a group of people who appeared to be involved in a political movement. As they marched down the street, they invited me to join them, but I declined. Immediately following this encounter, there was a storm approaching. After turning down their offer, I found myself caught up in this approaching storm. Alternatively, this storm appeared to be very severe and threatening. I could hear the violent sounds of thunder and lightning. Concerned for my safety, I was looking for somewhere to hunker down; however, I found myself in the opening, exposed to the elements of the storm.

Consequently, I noticed a few people gathered around me. These people were trying to cover me from the elements of the storm. However, as the storm got more severe, some of them ran away and left me. Instantly, I knew that they had removed their coverings, because I could feel the heavy rain pouring down on my bare head. Seeing that, I decided that I had to find shelter. As I prepared to move to a place of safety, I found out that there was only one man who had stayed with me during the storm. He then followed me through the storm to a shelter nearby. At this time, it appeared as if I were in another country. When I arrived at this shelter, I saw a woman who had been covering me during the storm at this place. Apparently, she ran away left me in the storm and sought shelter there. The man who was always with me, brought me to some people who gave me food and clean clothes to send me on my journey. As the storm subsided, I started out on my journey. Following this episode, I awoke from this dream.

This dream represents the typical events of our lives in reality. If you are not going with the politically correct crowd, because of your Christian beliefs and way of life, you can be forced to weather the elements of the storm in isolation. Believers are faced with various obstacles from time to time, as they trod on their Christian journey. This politically correctness can come from any people with whom you are associated with. These people could be your own church brethren, families, co-workers, business associates, friends, or people you meet along the way. This isolation can force you into the path of a storm. Conversely, some of the people who you thought will cover you throughout your storm, or have your back, so to speak, will likely run away while you are going through your storm.

Nonetheless, there will be one man standing, who will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). He will hunker down with you, cover you, and take you to a place of safety. At this place, He will provide you with all the necessities that you have been deprived of during the storm. He will restore you, bless you, and give you peace and deliverance. In any event, you will have to ride out your storm with Him. Do not follow the ones who run away from the storm, hoping that they will still be rewarded, if they did not endure the test of time. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to those who will endure to the end (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Just hold on to Jesus, and you can ride out your storm.

Listen to this inspirational song: “Ride Out Your Storm” in the video below.

God bless you.

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