Look for the promise

"One of those days He and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, Let us go across to the other side of the lake. So they put out to sea. But as they were sailing, He fell off to sleep. And a whirlwind revolving from below upwards swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in great danger. And the disciples came and woke Him, saying, Master, Master, we are perishing! And He, being thoroughly awakened, censured and blamed and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; and they ceased, and there came a calm. And He said to them, [Why are you so fearful?] Where is your faith (your trust, your confidence in Me–in My veracity and My integrity)? And they were seized with alarm and profound and reverent dread, and they marveled, saying to one another, Who then is this, that He commands even wind and sea, and they obey Him?”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:22-25‬ ‭AMP‬‬

This scripture is a story of promise. Jesus states the promise in the very beginning of the scripture but either the disciples didn't catch it or they weren't listening. It is in the first line of the scripture above, "let us go across to the other side of the lake". Pretty much what Jesus had intended was to make it to the other side of the lake. However a storm comes up the disciples are scared they may perish because of the severity of the storm. At this point it's hard for the disciples to remember that Jesus has promised they are going to other side of the lake. Where is the trust?

Aren't we this way? Hasn't the Lord given us numerous promises. Promises from His Word and even promises He's whispered to us at different times. When we are on our way to the promise and a difficult storm appears, we get caught up in the storm, we abandon what we know and the promise the Lord has spoken. We get distracted, we take our eyes off the promise and forget that the Lord plans to make it to the other side of the lake.

You are either in the middle of a storm, fixing to come up on a storm, or you just came through a storm. Storms will come but when they do we must fight to stand on the promises of God and trust Him while we are waiting in the storm. Michael and I are in the waiting phase. It's one of the hardest things to do. Especially for me as I want a road map. I want to check it off my list and move to the next step. But during this season of waiting it is crucial that we trust God, His plan, and stand on His promises. <--- This of course is easier said than done. But this is when my faith is tested. Do we really trust God?

Regardless of what stage in the storm you find yourself in, really trust God, write down the promises you know God has spoken and those promises written in His Word, and hold on, do not be shaken because He intends to make it to the other side of the lake with you in His boat.

*Thanks to Beth Stephens Ministries for her obedience in preaching God's Word and for laying it out in such a relatable way. It was a Word in due season. #trustGod #inthemidstofyourstorm

The Past...

Everyone has something in their past they aren't proud to announce. We have all made mistakes. With this in mind let's remember this:

Regardless if I remove everything in my past out of my sight, my past still remains. No different than the history of those before us. Suddenly it seems that if you remove symbols, flags, words, etc then what happened in the past goes away, however it doesn't. The Past is still there as a reminder of where we came from and how we are thankful we are no longer there. Even in removing all the above, the offense lives in the person being offended.

The answer? We need to forgive. Forgive those that made bad choices generations before, forgive those that have hurt us, and don't take the bait of offense.

Once the offense is rooted in someone's heart, only forgiveness can remove the offense. So instead of taking everything down from our past, let's stand against being offended and offer grace. Grace to those who didn't know any better, grace to those who knew better and grace to just let it go.

I refuse to live in the state of offense and I will not take the bait to be offended. Terrible things throughout history have happened but let's look at how we have overcome, let's celebrate that we are overcomers. Let's not play a victim role and move on. Let's focus on how to improve what is within our reach and make a difference so our children's children can learn to do the same.