“But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t Be Afraid" A Comforting Christ and A Fearful Follower Matthew 14:27 Intro: On this Christian journey there will be times where we as disciples of the Lord JESUS Christ will cry out in fear. Solely because we allow our flesh to override our spirit in the midst of dark and dreary situations. Most of us would rather avoid this disposition and skip to the next phase of our life. We cannot avoid fearful situations, circumstances, problems, heartaches and persecution but in an attempt to overcome our fear we can look to JESUS who is the author and finisher of our faith. Knowing that for every crisis there is a Christ, for every situation there is a Savior, for every problem there is a problem solver. JESUS, is his name! The scripture opens it up for us: 1. Take Courage vs. 27. Here in this passage of scripture the disciples of our Lord and savior JESUS are in the midst of a fearful storm and they are having to endure it without the physical presence of the master. While he is not with them physically, the disciples have not left his sight. As JESUS allows the disciples to travel through this fierce storm he begins to move towards them by walking on the water. They cry out in fear because of the storm and because they are under the impression that it was not JESUS walking on water but rather a ghost. JESUS begins to speak to their fear by saying take courage. What I like about this is when JESUS shows up, he shows up intentionally and with a word. He tells them to take courage. What He is literally saying is change your attitude towards this situation because I’m infusing strength and courage into you even now. Go forward looking at this stormy situation with a boldness and great confidence knowing that I am with you. By them being told to Show unflinching unwavering courage in God would suggest that their faith should be far much greater than their fear. Realizing God is a very present help in the time of storm. 2. It Is I vs. 27 The scripture says that in the second phase of JESUS speaking to the disciple’s fear, he gives them the reason why they should take courage. He tells them to take courage because his identity is revealed. He lets them know that “It Is I” in other words he is say be not fearful because it’s nobody but me. We need to know and understand that when we are in a fear for our life that it is He that orchestrates the storm, walks on the storm, speaks in the storm, calms the storm, and bring us out of the storm. His presence alone should give us assurance that God is in control and he can reveal himself even through a storm. We must never forget his promise in which he told us that he would never leave us nor forsake us. The storms of life are included in this promise. 3. Don’t Be Afraid vs. 27 JESUS finishes this verse of comfort to the fearful disciples by giving them the second command which is Don't Be Afraid. What JESUS is telling the disciples is don’t allow fear to take over your being. Because if you allow fear to take over, it will. Many times this is the case for many of us in the faith we are consumed by our fear. Let us walk forward not being consumed by fear but embodying faith in our God. Jesus by giving this word of comfort begins to literally start exemplifying and displaying harmony between he and the Holy Spirit. It’s good to know that even in a disastrous situation God almighty delivers comfort to us as fearful followed. Devotional Prayer: Lord God, Thank you for being with me in midst of fearful situations. Your presence and your word makes all of the difference within my life. Help me to confront my fear with unwavering faith. Keep me in your sight and allow me to weather each of life’s storms with godly confidence. Amen CDJ
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5/10/2016 0 Comments Devotional: Just Ask! “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”
James 1:5 NLT Just Ask! James 1:5 Intro: It's amazing to see that no matter who you are, where you work, what you drive, or even where you live, we all can come to one general conclusion and that is we all have needs. Whether they be spiritual, social, or even financial we all have them. Some of the greatest needs are sometimes the ones we overlook and have to seek out from others. This scripture opens it up for us. 1. The need of Wisdom is not all inclusive. The scripture says "IF YOU Need" meaning it's a personal evaluation that has to happen. There comes a time in every person's life where they have to do a self-assessment of your life and seek out things that will help direct you on your path. This scripture suggest that you have to be receptive and transparent with yourself to start the process of receiving. Hearing wisdom and receiving wisdom are two totally different processes. -It's Personal, -Its prepared, -Its Progressive and purposeful. "If You Need" that's a factor only you can determine. This phrase is all about progress within the individual. 2. ASK! This is a verb! Meaning that we as Christian believers have to do something to get something. We have to take the first initiative to asking for the desires of our heart. So in other words our heart and our mind has to be linked up in order to move the hand of God! The scripture says that if by chance you need wisdom all you have to do is ask. Many times in life a lot of things are withheld from us simply because we choose not to ask. Maybe fear, pride, even status gets in the way of us asking. But we must realize that this scripture about wisdom is literally telling us to remove all fear and just ask! Why ask? 1. It's not off limits to ask 2. You have that right to talk and visit with your father in prayer about matters that trouble you 3. You have a need. 4. If you don't ask for the wisdom of God you be subject to the wisdom of man or continually remain stuck 5. You have a relationship with God use it There are benefits with asking! 3. Our Generous God He is a generous God, he gives freely! Not only does he give freely he gives cheerfully. For instance he gave only begotten son! That's generosity to the extreme power. He gave us eternal life. Life doesn't end for us on earth but as believers in Christ we begin to live anew in the eternal heavens. He gave us salvation, grace, mercy, and most of all another chance. He is so generous that when we fall he picks us up, that when we disobey him he still loves us, when we forget him he remembers us! He is a generous God! That's why you can't beat God's giving no matter who you try! He gave us the world to manage, our jobs create revenue, he gave us our mind to maximize, and our mouth to motivate. He is generous! 4. There are No Penalties, Just promises This scripture ends concludes on a joyous note. It also lets us know that there is certainty in asking! This is confirmed when its says "He will give it to you! So in essence Just ask and receive the wisdom of God. Ask and expect God to give! For this is a promise from our Generous God! And the awesome thing about this text is that's God will not rebuke you! If your request is genuine, Purpose driven, spirit led, and bible based out God will not rebuke you! What a mighty God we Serve! Devotional Prayer: Father God, thank you for the ability to ask in your name. Thank you for the outpouring of wisdom and understanding that you give so generously. God, we thank you for the relationship that we hold with you for it makes a difference in our lives. God we ask now that you grant us the wisdom of your choice and the guidance of your hand. So that we might be able to make full development and progression as Christian believers. Amen. CDJ
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