“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.”
– Psalm 107:28-29

The ancient words of this psalm speak not only to God’s faithfulness in dangerous circumstances, but they reveal the true nature of Jesus. Hundreds of years after this psalm was written, Jesus and His disciples were journeying across the Sea of Galilee when a terrible storm arose and the disciples cried out to Jesus to help them. Jesus did what God did in this psalm – stilling the winds and calming the sea. In that moment, His disciples began to recognize that Jesus was truly God among them – Immanuel.

In life, we will experience storms, some years more than others. For followers of Jesus, we should always remember Who it is that promised He would never leave us nor forsake us: it is the God who calms storms. As you navigate the storms of life, never hesitate to cry out to God. Sometimes Christ will calm the storm. Other times, He will calm you amidst the ongoing storm. Either way, know and take comfort in Who is with you until the age of this age.

“And the Lord said:
‘Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.’”
– Isaiah 29:13-14

God always wants our heart. He isn’t particularly interested in our rituals, ceremonies, traditions, or forms of devotion, though these are often our highest priorities and the things we get most upset about. God cares that our hearts are near Him and desiring to draw nearer still.

In a year that’s focused on changing forms, traditions, and structures for public worship, too little attention has been paid to deepening our personal heart devotion to the Lord when we worship. The heart is far more important than the form when it comes to worship! We need to turn to the Lord with our hearts.

In ancient days, God saw this situation and promised Israel new wonders to draw their hearts to Him. He promised wonders that would confound the so-called earthly wisdom that dominated the marketplace of ideas. Lord, we need this today!!!

Lord, pull us away from the foolish wisdom of the world. Draw us nearer to you. Help us to overcome the idolatry of empty worship with our lips and into deep worship from our heart!

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.‘“ – 2 Corinthians 12:8-9a

Quite often the best answer God gives to our prayers isn’t to give us what we want, but to give us more of Him! We often treat God like a cosmic Santa Claus who gives us whatever we ask for. He is not. He is far better!

For those who love and pursue Him in Christ, He teaches us that there’s nothing better or more precious than a closer and deeper relationship with Him. Often the struggles we face in this life aren’t simply obstacles To overcome, but invitations to experience God’s grace more richly and fully every moment of every day.

As we continue to slog through 2020, remember that one of God’s greatest apostles was denied what he desperately prayed for. Nonetheless, Paul had the wisdom to understand that what God gave him instead was infinitely better.

Seek the grace, love, and power of God every day. Pursue Him daily by reading and meditating on His Word, praying, and worshiping (both publicly and privately). Cry out to Him honestly and find your true strength and satisfaction not in physical health or material wealth, but in the person, presence, and power of Christ in you!

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 11:30

Paul’s boast would have been just as shocking and countercultural 2000 years ago as it is today! Humans have always valued strength and accomplishment. To admit weakness, much less celebrate it, has generally been socially unacceptable. Yet Christians are called to celebrate our weakness because it reveals God’s strength!

As Christians, we need to be honest with ourselves and others. We need to be authentic about our struggles, failures, and weaknesses. By so doing, we’re able to see the times in our lives when God met us in our weakness, strengthening and carrying us to a better future in Him.

As a follower of Christ, if you haven’t yet had this experience, then perhaps you haven’t yet come to terms with all that you can’t do by your own smarts, skills, savings, or strength. Nonetheless, that day will likely come! When it does, it will be painful. However, there will also be power and grace in it. There is beauty when we finally come to the end of ourselves and surrender our hopeless situation to the God Who was already ready to carry its weight.

As we reflect on these difficult seasons, we grow to understand why Paul was so eager to boast in his weaknesses. What are the weaknesses you want to boast about???

“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” – 2 Corinthians 11:14-15

We live in such a confusing time! There are so many conflicting voices on just about every issue we face, and many of these voices claim to speak for Christ and Christians. How can this be possible? Some are legitimately in disagreement over difficult issues, but some of these Christian voices are actually serving Satan, whether they realize it or not! They do so by subtly drawing us away from Christ, away from the cross, and toward finding authority, fulfillment, and satisfaction in something or someone else. That is Adversary’s work!

How can we be discerning as followers of Jesus? Should we simply be persuaded by the loudest, most relentless, most pleasant, most persuasive, most popular, or most controversial voices? No! We must look deeper, seeing past the disguises.

We must first look at what’s being taught – is it Scriptural and consistent with the entirety of the Bible? We know Satan can quote Scripture, which is why many deceivers draw in the faithful with a few twisted verses. Is what’s being taught consistent with the entirety of the Bible, the nature of God, and the work of Christ? We must each know and grow in what we know of God’s Word, every single day.

Then we must look at the life and character of the one doing the teaching. Is it godly? Is the Fruit of the Spirit prominently on display in his or her life? Many so-called Christian leaders who’ve been revealed for their falseness could have been detected by simply asking where was their love? Their joy? Their peace? Their patience? Their kindness? Their goodness? Their faithfulness? Their gentleness? Their self-control?

If a loud and plausible sounding “Christian” leader is missing these qualities, he or she is probably not a servant of righteousness. Stay alert, for these days are evil!