HOLD THE WORD BEFORE IT

07/21/2023

"When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:39).

The believer is never disadvantaged irrespective of the prevailing circumstances they may face. This was the case with Jesus, who was unfazed by circumstances that defied human ability. In Mark 4, Jesus said to His disciples, "Let us go to the other side." As they journeyed, suddenly, there was a great storm, so much so that the boat was flooded with water. Upon seeing this and the raging sea, the disciples ran to the basement of the boat where Jesus had his pillow clutched tight, snoozing away, and they screamed, "Master, do you not care that we perish?" In other words, "How can you be sleeping in this situation when we are about to die?" 

You would think that when Jesus woke up He too would be overwhelmed by the storm. But He wasn't. Mark 4:39 says, "When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm." What did Jesus do here? He held the Word before the storm until the storm collapsed before the Word.  

The disciples likely tried to address the storm before waking up the Master from His sleep. But their words produced no result because they were afraid. Jesus alluded to this after He calmed the storm. In Mark 4:40, He said, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" By these words, Jesus implied that the disciples didn't have to wake Him up. They should have stood on the word He gave when He said, "Let us go to the other side." I believe what Jesus wanted the disciples to do was to say to the storm, "Thus says the word of the Lord, 'we are going to the other side and nothing, not even you, storm, can stop us." Had they done this, the storm would have had no choice but to dissipate under the weight and authority of the Word. 

Today, I urge you to bring the Word before any contrary situation. Declare what God has said concerning you in His Word. And when you do, refuse to fear the adversity, irrespective of its size, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Be rest assured that God's Word in you will not fail. No Word of God uttered from your lips in faith will return without accomplishing what it was sent to do. Like Jesus, hold forth the Word in every situation and expect a great calm.

Hallelujah! 

Faith-Filled Confession:

No matter what comes my way today, Christ in me is the hope of glory. My faith prevails over adversity, in Jesus' name. Amen.

One-Year Reading Plan: Psalm 31-33; Acts 21:15-40

Prayer Point for Today

Pray for our brethren, that an indescribable hunger for souls is stirred in them continually causing them to preach the word everywhere with boldness, resulting in the salvation of more souls.

Pray that the Word of the Lord may increase and bear more fruits in them (Acts 4:29-31).

Declare that our brethren are guided by the wisdom of God in their associations, jobs, business ventures, and partnerships. They are constantly led by the Spirit of God and guided away from error and poor/bad decisions that may incur losses or negative effects ( Isa 30:21; Isa 58:11, 1 Cor 1:30).