being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)
We are going through a devotional series titled, "The two types of Storms." These are storms - times of testing - that we will all face in our lives. Even though there are many ways that these storms can be manifested they will all fall into one of two categories, and they are:
We've been looking at, 12-Ways to deal with a "Storm." In our last devotional, we looked at our 7th way, so let's continue with number eight.
8. We need to anchor into "The Sovereignty of God."
In our last 2-devotionals we looked at being anchored into the "Presence of God," and into the "Promises of God." And now we need to be anchored into the "Sovereignty of God."
Q: What is the Sovereignty of God?
A: The supreme authority of God to work all things after the counsel of His own will.
God is working in everything - He knows everything that is going on in our life, and of the events that the future holds for each of us. Adam was created with the ability not to sin in the Garden of Eden, but God allowed Adam the freedom to choose (Freewill). God knew that Adam would sin, and He knew the result of this sin would leave Adam in a state where he was now unable to say "No" to sins temptation.
That is the nature of sin - it puts us in bondage. God in His "Sovereignty" had already planned a way of escape from that bondage; and that way was Jesus Christ.
Because God knows what every one of our choices will be, He sovereignly works His Will in our life in conjunction with our choices to accomplish His benevolent and redemptive purposes. This means that He is working everything for good - even the bad stuff that happens to us.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
God loves us so much that He will use everything that we have done or experienced in our life for good - knowing this should draw us nearer to Him. I find this is the very foundation of my prayer life - as I can come to my Heavenly Father and confess my inabilities and know that He is working in His "Sovereignty" to continue to change me - using these very experiences as a part of that changing process.
Being grounded in God's Sovereignty allows me to know that I am not a pinball being bounced around aimlessly in life - but that I am being drawn close to the Lord, and being transformed to be like Him, and that He will finish what He started when I became a believer. He is faithful to finish transformation in each of us, and we have been given a guarantee of this (See Phil. 1:6).
Hey Christian, I want to encourage you today to think about these things when you are going through trials and tribulations - when you are going through the "Storms" of life. Remember that God is in control, and that we, as Christian believers, have been given a great helper in the Holy Spirit to enable us, and guide us through the difficult times.
If you are experiencing a "Storm" today, seek God, and keep your mind on Him, and His Word. Trust Him! This is the recipe to being given a perfect peace while walking in the midst of the "Storm" (See Isaiah 26:3).
STUDY QUESTION: What can we learn from the Scriptures contained within this devotional with respect to walking through the trials and tribulations of a "Storm?"
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you continuously keeping your mind on God, and the things of God including His Word?
APPLICATION: Seek the Lord daily, keep reading the Word of God; fill your mind with the scriptures and share all that you read with others.
We are going through a devotional series titled, "The two types of Storms." These are storms - times of testing - that we will all face in our lives. Even though there are many ways that these storms can be manifested they will all fall into one of two categories, and they are:
- Storms of Correction These are the tough times where we go through trials and tests because we have unconfessed sin in our life - and we are going in a way that is not in the will of God.
- Storms of Perfection These are those times where we go through trials and tests because God loves us and He is transforming us to be more like Jesus.
We've been looking at, 12-Ways to deal with a "Storm." In our last devotional, we looked at our 7th way, so let's continue with number eight.
8. We need to anchor into "The Sovereignty of God."
In our last 2-devotionals we looked at being anchored into the "Presence of God," and into the "Promises of God." And now we need to be anchored into the "Sovereignty of God."
Q: What is the Sovereignty of God?
A: The supreme authority of God to work all things after the counsel of His own will.
God is working in everything - He knows everything that is going on in our life, and of the events that the future holds for each of us. Adam was created with the ability not to sin in the Garden of Eden, but God allowed Adam the freedom to choose (Freewill). God knew that Adam would sin, and He knew the result of this sin would leave Adam in a state where he was now unable to say "No" to sins temptation.
That is the nature of sin - it puts us in bondage. God in His "Sovereignty" had already planned a way of escape from that bondage; and that way was Jesus Christ.
Because God knows what every one of our choices will be, He sovereignly works His Will in our life in conjunction with our choices to accomplish His benevolent and redemptive purposes. This means that He is working everything for good - even the bad stuff that happens to us.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
God loves us so much that He will use everything that we have done or experienced in our life for good - knowing this should draw us nearer to Him. I find this is the very foundation of my prayer life - as I can come to my Heavenly Father and confess my inabilities and know that He is working in His "Sovereignty" to continue to change me - using these very experiences as a part of that changing process.
Being grounded in God's Sovereignty allows me to know that I am not a pinball being bounced around aimlessly in life - but that I am being drawn close to the Lord, and being transformed to be like Him, and that He will finish what He started when I became a believer. He is faithful to finish transformation in each of us, and we have been given a guarantee of this (See Phil. 1:6).
Hey Christian, I want to encourage you today to think about these things when you are going through trials and tribulations - when you are going through the "Storms" of life. Remember that God is in control, and that we, as Christian believers, have been given a great helper in the Holy Spirit to enable us, and guide us through the difficult times.
If you are experiencing a "Storm" today, seek God, and keep your mind on Him, and His Word. Trust Him! This is the recipe to being given a perfect peace while walking in the midst of the "Storm" (See Isaiah 26:3).
STUDY QUESTION: What can we learn from the Scriptures contained within this devotional with respect to walking through the trials and tribulations of a "Storm?"
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you continuously keeping your mind on God, and the things of God including His Word?
APPLICATION: Seek the Lord daily, keep reading the Word of God; fill your mind with the scriptures and share all that you read with others.
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