Grab Your Sheild: The Key Element Of A Spiritual Warrior Series

As we allow for Christ to guide our boat, there will be times when he will lead us into stormy waters. We don’t always understand why, but he leads us there nonetheless and we need to anticipate these storms.

Jesus promised us that difficulties will come. In the Gospel of John, chapter 15, Jesus says to His followers: “Remember the words I spoke to you: ’No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.”

The apostle James says in the introduction to his epistle, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”

When I graduated from Bethany in April of 2007, I had to face a storm of my own. I left the school with a lot enthusiasm and expectancy, but what I didn’t realize was that His timing was not my timing. And because of that, I found myself unemployed with no prospects. Now for a guy who had just spend four years going through his schooling preparing for full-time ministry, this was not an easy task. I had to go and get a job in Fredericton to pay the bills and essentially wait. I would describe that summer as stormy. I was working, but felt unfulfilled. At times, I felt abandoned with $20,000 in student loans hanging over my head. I wondered if I would ever find a place to serve. At times, I questioned myself and my call.

But I came to a place in early fall. I had an epiphany, a eureka moment.

One day I thought to myself: self: maybe there’s a reason I’m here, at home. Maybe God wants me to accomplish things here. Maybe He just wants to see if I’m in this for Him or for myself. Did I want a church because it was where He was calling me or did I want a church because all my friends had churches? At that point, I made a choice. I said, “God, I don’t know how this is going to end. I don’t know what you’re doing through this, but God I’m going to allow you to guide me through this storm”. That point of surrender didn’t stop the storm, but in my weakness, Jesus showed His strength.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul shares a struggle through His own storm where Christ says to Him: “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

This morning, many of us, I’m sure, are going through storms, but we must continue to rely on Christ for His strength in our weakness. Oswald Chambers, in his devotional My Utmost for His Highest, shared in the August 12 devotional, “It is when a [these storms arise] that we instantly reveal upon whom we rely. If we have been learning to worship God and to trust Him, the [storm] will reveal that we will go to the breaking point and not break in our confidence in Him”.

As people of faith, we need to have the confidence that the storms will come, but that Christ will guide us through those storms.

Our final characteristic of a person of faith this morning is this: A person of faith believes Christ Will Bring Them Through the Storm Changed. A person of faith believes Christ will bring them through the storm changed.