Good Morning Friday...
Our Father Who Art In Heaven, please take Your day and use us, Your humble servants, for Your Good and Perfect Will. Father give us the Grace and Peace Only found in You and in Your Son Yeshua, Jesus Christ, Our King and Messiah. We ask this in Yeshua, Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen. Good morning Brothers and Sister. It seems the Matthew 24 devotion will have to wait as it needs a little more polishing. Not our will, but His. Thank You Father! Being that we did a “Heart Check” yesterday, today let’s look into how we can put ourselves in a better position if we are feeling “the weight of the world.” Have a wonderful Yeshua-Filled Day everyone. May Our Father, God Almighty, Bless your preparation day, your Sabbath, and your home this weekend. Ahava V’Shalom (Love and Peace) everyone! - Is It That Time Yet? Overboard! Life can be tough. Storms will come. When we get weighted down, tossed about like a ship at sea, and maybe even fearful because a storm is raging in our lives... What do we do? Well, first we pray. Next we look at Scripture. Finally, we walk in THE WAY Our Father Is Leading Us With His Word. We are Our Heavenly Father's "Vessels" or "Ships" while we are in this world. We bear His Light, Yeshua, Jesus Christ's Spirit, while we are here in this temporary reality. As we sail through this life, as we encounter storms, we as believers must learn how to "steer our ship" in THE WAY Our Father Shows Us. We opened in prayer, now let's take a look in God's Word and see what Paul encounters during one particular storm in his life. As we look in The Book of Acts this morning, let's see if Our Father Has A Message that may help us out in our storms. This servant is betting He Does. Let's take a look: “And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands.” Acts 27:18-19 Very interesting. Here we see Our Father and Savior's Servant Paul in the middle of a storm, his ship being "tempest-tossed" or tossed about by the storm, and what does he and those with him do? They "lighten the ship." Notice how in verse nineteen Paul notes how they lightened the ship... "with our own hands." Sometimes our spiritual "storms" in Life can be difficult. Sometimes these storms can be so loud and violent that it is difficult to hear anything else. Here in Acts Our Father Has Planted An Important Spiritual Truth In This Physical Illustration. Paul was in a bad storm, his ship was in danger of sinking because of this storm, so he and those with him decided it was best to lighten the load and eliminate the risk of sinking in the waters. Our lives, storms, and "ships" in this Life are really no different. As the storms in our lives are raging, if our ships are in danger of sinking, what should we do? "Lighten the ship." How do we do this? Well, first we must evaluate any unnecessary baggage that we may be carrying around in our lives. While this baggage may not be a sin, it does weigh us down. If our ships are weighed down too much when headed into the storm... we risk sinking our ship. If any of us is facing a storm, if we are being tossed about by negative feelings, negative relationships, negative habits or negative thoughts, it may be time to throw those things weighing us down overboard. Struggling with negative feelings? Maybe it is time to evaluate why we are having those feelings. Struggling with negative relationships? Maybe it is time to evaluate those relationships. Struggling with negative habits or thoughts? Maybe it is time to evaluate those habits, and also evaluate what is causing us negative thoughts. Some negative feelings need to be cut loose. Forgiveness is usually where we can unload this extra weight. Some negative relationships need to be cut loose because they are weighing us down and holding us back in our walk with Our Father and Our Savior. Some bad habits can cause negative thoughts and eliminating one can can lighten our load on both. For example, maybe the bad habit of "binge watching" TV is weighing you down, and because this can definitely be a hindrance to hearing from Our Father and Savior, it is causing negative thoughts. As the storms in our lives are raging, as our ships are in danger of sinking, maybe it is time we evaluated those things in our life that are weighing us down, and maybe it is time, "with our own hands," to take them and yell... OVERBOARD! Yeshua, Jesus Christ, walked on water. He obviously kept His Ship light and eliminated things that would weigh Him down. He spent much time in prayer with Our Father. He followed the commandments, and did good to others. We know Peter tried to get out of the boat and walk on water also, and he did as long as his focus was on Yeshua, but as soon as he looked around at the raging waters and became fearful, he started to sink. Our Savior tells us that Peter's problem was faith. His lack of faith was causing negative feelings and he began to sink. “Immediately,” Our Savior reached down and saved Peter, but Peter first had to "step off the boat." Peter had to "unload his unbelief," and metaphorically, "with his own hands," make that choice to unload his unbelief, throw it overboard, and take the first step. Once Peter made that choice to "lighten his load," even though the storm scared him into picking that weight back up, that choice, that decision to lighten the ship and take a step towards Christ, made all the difference. Even though Peter's ship got weighed back down, Our Savior was there to lighten Peter's ship again. Peter's decision to take a step towards Christ, lighten his load, throw his doubts to Our Father and follow Our Savior, is what kept him from drowning in the water. We all want to hear from God Our Father, and we all want to have steady ships even in the storms of life. Maybe it is time to throw some things overboard, so when storms come in our lives we aren't too weighted down with burdens. May we all "with own own hands" lighten our spiritual ships. If we make that choice to lighten our load, give our problems up to Our Father, then we don't risk capsizing during our storms. The best part... Because we have made the choice to throw those unneeded things overboard, give it up to Our Father, and decide to take a step in the direction of Our Savior, even if we pick that extra weight up again, because we have taken that first step off the boat... Our Savior, Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, Jesus Christ, The King of All Kings, will be there to lift us up, lighten our load, and put us back on the course to peaceful, smooth waters. In a storm? Feeling heavy? Feeling like your ship may sink? Maybe it is time to lighten your load. Maybe it is time to yell... OVERBOARD! God Bless Everybody and have a Great Yeshua-Saving Filled Weekend! The Word Our Father, The One True and Living God: “Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His Hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are The Son of God.” Matthew 14:25-33 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My Word, and have not denied My Name.” Revelation 3:8 “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.” Luke 19:17 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make The Way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” I Corinthians 10:13 “Come to Me, all of you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My Yoke on you and learn from Me, for I Am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My Yoke is easy to carry and My Burden is Light.” Matthew 11:28-30
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
SERVANT OF YESHUA 7
Archives
May 2024
|