Dr. Dianne Coflin
Co-Pastor, River of Life Church
We all know that storms in our weather can be quite threatening. Sometimes things that happen in life can feel like a storm has come.
In the following story, Paul actually faced a huge storm of hurricane proportions. Let’s see if there were some things that Paul learned in the midst of his circumstances.
Acts 27:18 (NLT): “The next day, as galeforce winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo and the ship’s gear overboard.”
This terrible hurricane raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until all hope was gone! Paul had warned this ship’s captain ahead of time that this storm was coming and no one would listen to him. Because Paul was a prisoner, he had to sail anyway.
Now, he finds himself hearing a word from the Lord in the midst of this upheaval. He encourages them to not be afraid, to take courage, and that because of the goodness of God, there would be no loss of life and safety would be granted to everyone.
Maybe you feel you are in the midst of a storm in life. It might seem as though there too, is a “blotting out of the sun and stars” so to speak, and you feel you’ve lost direction. This could have been through no fault of your own. As it was with Paul, you may have been dragged into an uproar, and it’s been going on for so long that you too, have given up hope!!
I am here to tell you today that first, do not be afraid. Don’t allow fear to so cloud your thinking that you forget WHO God is. You CAN control your thought life and what you allow your mind to meditate on. 2 Cor. 10:4-5.
Secondly, take courage. This implies you have to SEIZE courage yourself. It means to be infused with fresh ability to be determined to persevere with the promise of God’s help. We obtain that grace through coming boldly to him (Hebrews 4:16).
Thirdly, I hear the Lord saying there will be no loss of life and safety will be granted to all! Whatever you feel is dying in the midst of your storm, the resurrection life is coming back into it, and hope is being restored! Praise God!! It is not time to give up! It’s time to praise him for his goodness and his promise! Blessings!!
Our services begin 10:30am on Sundays. We would love to have you come!!
Dr. Dianne Coflin
Co-Pastor of River of Life Church.
410 Chapman Rd. East,
Lutz, FL 33549
(813) 949-9931
www.roltampa.org