Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.
Acts 27:20 (TPT).
In Acts chapter 27, Paul describes in great detail the account of being caught in the eye of the storm while traveling the high seas. In verse 13, he talks about how the south winds blew softly over the waters, giving the ship captain the go-ahead to set sail. But shortly after setting sail out of nowhere, a violent northeasterly storm known as a Euroclydon appeared, and the ship was caught in the eye of the storm. With no light from either sun or stars, this violent storm tossed Paul and the crew around the ship in complete darkness. The winds howled, and the waves beat against the ship with a violent force so fierce that it felt like the ship would break apart. At that point Paul said, “all hope of getting out of this storm alive was lost.”
Back in the 70’s, a violent tornado destroyed most of our small town of 12,000 people. I was still a rebellious teenager lost in sin and doing everything I could to destroy my future. It was a normal weekday around 6:30 in the evening, and everybody was home from school. My oldest sister was on the phone, my two younger sisters were in the bedroom doing homework, and I was in the living room with my three brothers watching TV. All of a sudden, the atmospheric pressure in the house became still and motionless. Seconds later, my Dad burst into the house and yelled, “everybody get in the hallway NOW, and get down”. All seven children made a V-line into the hallway and hit the floor. None of us knew what was going on at the time, but we knew that if Dad said jump, we jumped then and asked questions later. The next three minutes seem like an eternity, and that’s because they were. My mom covered us with her body, and my dad covered my mom with his body, while trying to protect her and us too.
Then, out of nowhere, the house began to shake, and we heard what sounded like a freight train blasting its horn directly over us, ready to smash us to pieces. Then I heard a sound that I never heard before; this sound pierced through my heart and touched the inner part of my soul. My 275 lbs., 6 feet 3 “man’s man” dad cried out to God with tears in his eyes, “JESUS, Have Mercy Lord! Please Jesus!” Hearing my Dad call on the name of Jesus, rang out louder than the noise of the storm, and immediately, there was still and calm. The winds ceased, and the noise became quiet. That day, God harken to the voice of a man and sent the storm around our house, without a broken window or even a missing shingle.
God can work in hopeless situation. That day, I witnessed my dad get his house in order. This was visually demonstrated by the husband covering the wife; the wife covering the children, and thereby God delivered the family. No storm or work of the enemy can stop God’s plan for your life when you put your house in divine order. The storms of life are coming. We must all ask ourselves if our life is in order, to endure the storms until we see the deliverance of God.
And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Acts 27: 22-24
Published on Jan 05 @ 3:10 AM EDT
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By Loretta Shelton and Pastor Marlin Harris
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7
The Apostle Paul uses an illustration in 2 Timothy 4:7 reminiscent of competing in the Roman Olympic games in order to demonstrate the Christian believer’s life of faithfulness. He says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
What is remarkable is that Paul makes these comments while imprisoned in a Roman jail knowing he is at the end of his life, and consequently at the end of his God-given mission. Throughout Paul’s Christian journey, he remained steadfast and loyal to his calling, despite the unimaginable obstacles and perils that he faced. Paul remained faithful to his ministry for the sake of Christ by fighting what he called “the good fight of faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). This means he maintained a godly character, lived by Biblical principles, and was unwavering in his faith and trust in God. This characterized Paul’s life regardless of the unpleasant circumstances that he was often attacked with. He did not rely on his past service, but he persevered and served God until crossing the finish line at the end of his ministry on earth.
Like the Apostle Paul, we must live this Christian life with the same convictions and fortitude as the athletes who were competing in the Roman games. Christians must run the race, fight the good fight, and endure hardships valiantly, in order to receive the prize of an incorruptible crown that never fades away. The qualifications required to receive this coveted prize are to run lawfully and diligently until we finish. Running this race means honoring God with our hearts and bodies, developing a character that looks more and more like Christ each day, and living a life that pleases our Father, and is worthy of the great redemption that we have been graced to receive. We must start, run, and then finish the race. We will finish, because no believer ever runs the race of his life alone. The Lord Jesus Christ runs with us, and He will get us to the finish line, if we stay the course and “finish well and finish strong”.
When you are running the race of life there are a few things you want to be sure to do. First of all, you must be spiritually prepared for the journey. This spiritual preparation is impossible without being filled with the Holy Spirit, for which there is no substitute. The scripture is clear that we are to be empowered by the Holy Spirit if we hope to accomplish anything in this life that brings glory to God. The Spirit of God empowers us with wisdom, strength, and godliness that causes the blessings of God to rest upon our journey. He alone conditions our hearts to endure the pain of the race, and to not turn back or give up before we reach the finish line.
Secondly, we must endure the necessary disciplines needed to prepare us for the rigor of the race we are to run. When runners prepare for lengthy marathons they will often spend months preparing themselves physically for that one race. They will attempt smaller races and work their legs and test their endurance with exercise regimens. They do this so that when they are in the ‘big’ race, they will have the strength to finish. Finishing our Christian race is more about the strength of our spirit than it is about the desire we may have in our hearts. Many people start out with Christ, and they desire greatly to finish, but they have not developed the spiritual strength to endure the trials and tests that befall them along their journey and they, sadly, fall away.
Jesus speaks about this reality in Matthew 13:1-9 when He shares the Parable of the Sower, where he outlines four different scenarios of seed-planting. One of his 4 scenarios involves a farmer who sowed his seeds in soil that was cluttered with rocks. He says that the soil received the seed quickly, but because the ground had not been tilled and prepared, the rocks were too numerous in the soil and made the soil depth shallow. Soon the seed died in the soil because there was no depth created by tilling. This is what happens to any of us who set out to run this Christian race, and we have not had the hard, stony rocks in our hearts, minds, and habits broken up and tilled away. Without the discipline of dedicated study of the Word of God, the daily practice of prayer, and regular worship and thanksgiving to God, we will not be able to break those hard rocks that have settled into our hearts and have made them resistant and impervious to the convictions and truths of the Word of God.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, every sincere believer must have an ardent and passionate desire to finish their race well. God placed that desire in your heart when you gave your hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way to satisfy that aching and longing in your soul to finish well is to daily discipline your life with the Spiritual practices of prayer, worship, and time in the Word. As you attend to the things of God, He will attend to the cares and desires of your heart. Let’s lay aside the weights and the many distractions, and run this race with all we have so that when we are finished, we will feel our Master’s embrace and hear him say, “Well done”.
PRAYER
Holy Father, we all have our own individual race to run. May You grant us the strength and the conviction to run our race well. Remove the hindrances from our path, and unchain our feet from the heavy weights and burdens that have weighed us down. Lord, grant us the freedom to run and not get weary, and to walk and not faint. In Jesus’ Strong Name, I pray. Amen.
SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE
Spend today surveying your life to determine what are those weights and distractions that make it difficult for you to finish your race well. Consider those challenges, temptations, and tests that you are engaged in daily, and actively name them before the Lord, and make the decision to do whatever is necessary to lay them aside. Seek the Lord for His strength and lean upon the Holy Spirit for His guidance.
Published on Jan 31 @ 12:38 AM EDT
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Barbara Love
Excellent ~ Analogy Of The Word Of God
Posted on Tue, Jan 5, 2021 @ 5:53 AM CST
Brenda Madison
Good Morning Rev. Pharr.....beautiful lesson and you saw first hand how your father prayed and his faith in God to protect his family from the storm. Even at a young age, God was working in your life. Thank you for that devotion and I continue to pray for you and your family God's many blessings. Take care and be safe.
Posted on Tue, Jan 5, 2021 @ 7:46 AM CST
Rebecca Lamar
PRAISE GOD!! Such a Powerful testimony! God IS our protection. Psalm 91
Posted on Tue, Jan 5, 2021 @ 7:48 AM CST
Brenda Robinson
What a blessing to read these words. God is Able. I will continue to trust and believe his words. Faith over fear Amen.
Posted on Tue, Jan 5, 2021 @ 7:57 AM CST
Rebecca
Awesome word, Minister Farr. Thank you and God bless New Life Church!
Posted on Tue, Jan 5, 2021 @ 10:07 AM CST
Brenda Callaway
This is a clear reminder of how God takes care of us when we trust him.
Thank you Rev. Farr
Posted on Tue, Jan 5, 2021 @ 10:12 AM CST
Redia Bullups
Blessed to God be the glory
Posted on Tue, Jan 5, 2021 @ 2:44 PM CST
Renee Scalzo
Thank you Minister Farr, I am truly being blessed by these devotionals.
Posted on Tue, Jan 5, 2021 @ 7:12 PM CST
Contessa
Thank You Pastor Farr for your continue your testimony and your reminder of God's covering and protection over us through good time and bad. We must have faith and trust in his word!!!!
Posted on Tue, Jan 5, 2021 @ 7:34 PM CST
Chryston
So beautiful. Thanks Rev Farr. An awesome storyteller?????
Posted on Wed, Jan 6, 2021 @ 9:11 AM CST