Faith

     Jesus had several disciples that walked with Him daily for around 3 years, they ate what He ate, they traveled everywhere with Him, listened to His teaching, watched Him interact with people, watched Him heal people, watched Him when He was exhausted and slept...but they still didn't quite get it. 

     Have you walked with Jesus for years, 5 maybe 10? maybe 20 or more and still not quite gotten it? Do you walk in the words of His teachings? Do you love with His love? Do you think and speak with the faith He taught us to have?

     I challenge you to consider the faith He taught us to walk in. He told us that if we had a small amount of faith that we could move mountains, have you moved any mountains lately? He told a woman that by her faith her daughter was healed, has your faith brought healing to another? On the healing example, I can tell you that I see many people pray and ask God to heal others, but that is not what Jesus taught, He told us to heal them! If the Holy Spirit lives in you then the power that raised Jesus from the dead is in you! That is the same power that heals! Why do you turn around and ask God to do it when He has already put you in place and equipped you for the job?

   And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Matthew 10:7-8

     And I see many people fearful when storms enter their lives, right now we're dealing with a virus that is changing our world in a way we could not have foreseen, I ask you, are you walking in faith or in fear? Are you choosing to believe the Lord or the enemy? The Lord has taught us to not fear, the enemy whispers all kinds of things in your ear to be fearful of, which do you choose to listen to? You have the power to take every thought captive, the scriptures tell us that we can and they wouldn't if it wasn't true!

   For although we do live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way; because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, they have God’s power for demolishing strongholds. We demolish arguments and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah. 

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

     In our state we're entering the season we became known as tornado alley for, but I want to challenge you here also! This challenge is based on an example of Jesus with His first disciples, I say first because we are His disciples also, aren't we? Ok then, His first disciples were in a boat with Him and a fierce storm came upon them, they woke Him up telling Him they were about to die....this is the scripture~

   On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they *took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mark 4:35-41

     Notice here that He asked them why they were afraid! They were afraid of the storm then very much afraid of Jesus! What would have been your reaction in this situation? Would you fear? Would you think you were about to die? Would You wake Jesus to calm the storm? Would you tell the Storm/Tornados to "Hush, be still" in your own situation? I can share my personal witness that when you step out and tell the storm to be at peace in Jesus' name, it has to obey! I have heard many forecasts of damage expected in our area and stepped out on the deck and told the skies to be at peace, for the storm to rise back up and evaporate...I do encourage you to use your own words though! I try to not interfere with rain, but I do interfere with any damage the storm may be packing with it! I don't send it to another area of our country, I don't want others to encounter damage either. 

     You have the authority where you are placed to bring the Kingdom there! Think about this, you are a disciple of Jesus, He has empowered you, given you armor to operate in, the Holy Spirit lives in you, He has defeated the enemy! Now we need to walk in the victory that He won! We are the conquering army, the enemy is not! That is the foundation of your faith, now suit up and walk it out! Walk in faith! Bring Kingdom! Calm the storms, whether they be viruses or tornados! You can do this, You were made for such a time as this! 

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. Matthew 15:28 ESV