#VictoryMonth DAY 8: MONDAY, 9TH JANUARY 2017

DAY 8:  MONDAY, 9TH JANUARY 2017

FOCUS:  GREAT GRACE FOR SAILING VICTORIOUSLY THROUGH THE STORMS OF LIFE

TEXTS:  Isa. 43:2, Ps. 55:8, Mk. 4:35-41, Matt.14:22-32

INSIGHT FOR EFFECTIVE AND FERVENT PRAYERS

You need the manifold grace of God to grow up and go forward in life. Life is not a bed of roses. Every one passes through unexpected storms as part of life experience. We all face storms from time to time. The fact is that no matter how prayerful and powerful you may be, you will have to pass through storms of life. It is inevitable. According to Isaiah 43:3. “When you pass through waters I will be with you; and when you pass through river, they will not sweep you, when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze” You will note that the phrase “when you pass through’’ is a language of certainty. Storms will surely come. But there are two options for us in the storms of life. It is either sailing triumphantly through the storms of life with Jesus or sinking without Jesus Christ.

Storms are coming. There are three different kinds of storms:

1. There are storms of correction This is the kind that God sends to the way of His disobedient children. God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh but he decided to go to Tarshish. And the Lord sent a storm to correct him.
2. There are storms of perfection The disciples of Jesus in Mark 4;35-41 were in the will of God when the storm came against them to perfect their faith. They were going to where Jesus sent them. It was to perfect their faith.
3. There are storms of destruction These are storms being empowered by Satan and his human agents. What Job experience was Satan induce a storm. It brought him from glory to zero. In Isaiah 28:2, the Bible describes Assyrians as a destroying storm. Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty one (the Assyrians; “like a temple of hail, a destroying storm, they are like flood of mighty overflowing waters’’ (Amp).

What is the destroying storm of your life? Who is that fellow that the kingdom of darkness has appointed to deform, defile, diminish or destroy you? Who is that destroying storm in your family that you are celebrating as your beloved or helper or friend of destiny. You need Great Grace to overcome certain storms of life. You can walk through every storm of life when God uses His power to help you even when you do not deserve it. He can and He will.

Storms of life are caused by natural factors, divine factors and diabolic factors. Storms of life arise suddenly without notification. They can be very destructive. They are terminators and tormentors. They are destroy and diminish. They are emptiers of good things of life. They are extinguishers of fire and faith. They are thieves’ of destiny. The disciples of Jesus lost their faith to the storm. Jesus querried the disciples; “How is it that you have no faith”.

Ideally, whatever steals your faith will sink your destiny.

Beloved, in the storm of life, you can be a causer of the storm like Jonah or a comforter in the storms like Paul the apostle. However, choose to be a comforter in the storms of life. Don’t allow storm to arise because of your wrong doing. Calvary friends, since we cannot avoid the storms of life in our journey of destiny, we therefore need divine help and wisdom to walk triumphantly over them. Every Storm of life has expiry date. You can decide that with your God.  Hannah through prevailing prayer conquered the storm of barrenness, that had afflicted her for long. You don’t need to surrender your life to any storm of life.

In acts 27:15, We read “The ship was caught by the storm and covered not head into the wind, so we gave way to it and were driven along’’ (NIV) That was the ship that Paul the apostle was travelling with on his way to Rome. That ship ran into a storm because the sailor, the owner of the ship, and co-travellers ignored the prophetic warning of Paul (Acts 27:9-11) Their ship was caught by a violent storm. And they left the ship to the storm. At a point, all hope was gone. Paul stood up and told the people that they would not have gained harm and loss if they had obeyed him (Acts 2:21).

What is your story? Has your ship of destiny been caught by one of the storms of life? Is it the storm of sickness, divorce, poverty, debt, failure, accident backsliding, affliction, rejection, loneness, abuse, loss, barrenness, delay in getting married, joblessness? Are you already sinking in any of the storm? Are you an accuser of the storm of life? Whatever the situation, you can conquer every raging storm. Every storm can be stopped by God using His power on your behalf, even when you don’t deserve it. Every storm bows to Jesus. Unless you confront the storms of life, they don’t bow out. If Jesus is in the boat of your destiny; all you need doing, is to draw strength from Him. Deal with invisible power or factor behind any storm before attacking the visible part of the storm. Act like Jesus who rebuked the invisible, and speak out your expectation to the visible. And you will surely conquer ‘You can sail triumphantly with Jesus in your boat over any storm of life.

LET US PRAY

1. Lord, grant me Your manifold grace to grow up and go forward in life.
2. Lord, deliver me from inviting storm into my life and family.
3. O Lord, have mercy upon me and my family, don’t allow any of us to sink in the storms of life.
4. Read psalm 55: 8 O Lord, hasten me to escape from every inevitable storm of life that comes on my way.
5. I decree and declare that I and my family will not drown in the storm of life.
6. O Lord, deliver me and my family from every destroying storm that is programmed for our destruction.
7. Every storm of life, blowing against my life and family; stop in Jesus name.
8. O Lord, destroy every power behind the storm that is waging war against my family.
9. O Lord, help me never to be a causer of storm but a comforter and conqueror of storm in my life, family and church.
10. Every violent storm raging against my life and family, stop now in Jesus Name.
11. O Lord, empower me to walk triumphantly over every storm of my life, singing but not sinking.
12. Every diabolical storm blowing against my life and family, I command double destruction upon you in Jesus Name.
13. O Lord, deliver my life and family from every mysterious storm in Jesus name.