Phase 9 "Devilish Storms, Unshakable Faith"

I've been thinking a lot about kids and how they react when things aren't going they're way. I have a lot of experience working with kids and teenagers, many of whom have emotional and behavioral issues. Through jobs I've had in the past, I've had the privilege of observing some of the best temper tantrums in history. I've had my kids throw things, spit on people, curse, scream, cry, run away, break things, climb onto things, pee/poop on things, etc all in the name of getting the attention of an adult they feel has wronged them or hasn't heard them in some way. As a mental health professional, I hear a lot of the terms other professional use to describe these kids. Words and phrases like "disturbed", "suffering from oppositional defiance", "depressed", "bi-polar" and a wide array of other technical terms that only serve as an excuse to medicate them and make them unaccountable for their behavior. DO NOT get me wrong, I fully believe in (and support) the notion that traumatic events and inadequate parenting make for a lot of suffering in the life of a child. I also fully believe in the spirit world and in the healing power of the True Living God. The Word of the Lord says that there is nothing too hard for Him. What kind of Christian would I be if I limited God's authority by saying that He didn't have the power to free anyone from anything? This isn't what I wanted to write about, so let me get back on track.

In thinking about some of the kids I've worked with, I got to thinking about how we as children of God react to when God does something that we don't like or doesn't do something we feel He should. Here we criminalize and medicate some kids for their behavior in the natural while making excuses for our own in the Spirit. How many times have we gotten angry with God or impatient with His timing or simply lost faith and acted out in an embarrassing, regretful manner? Sure, maybe we don't physically throw things but we find a way to make our pleasure known and felt to others. Like the children of Israel, we complain, get discouraged,  get mad at God, revert to our old ways, and end up spending whatever length of 40 years wandering in our own self-made desert. At least with some of the kids I've worked with, they have the excuse of not being taught any better. Many of us know better and still go through this ebb and flow. 

So, given that the old way isn't working, how should we act when things get rough and how can you tell who's behind the drama? Those of you that have been following this blog for a little while know I'm about to go to the Word. In answer to the first question, just do the exact opposite of just about everything the children of Israel did in the wilderness. Finding yourself lost in the "woods" is not the time to panic, get frustrated, or waste time assigning blame. Often times, we get lost because God has given us a tool or a way to handle an upcoming situation but when we try it, the results are not what we expected so we stop. HUGE RED FLAG people! If God told you to do something, do it until He tells you to do something else. If things get worse, use the tools He gave that much more. Often times, we don't act with enough fervor to have a real impact on the situation. With God, it's always "go hard or go home".

That leads us to "how you can tell who's behind the drama?" The one thing to keep in mind is, God is ALWAYS in control. Yes, there is an enemy but, according to the book of Job, his "power" is under the control of the Lord as well. That being said, some storms we go through are what I heard one Pastor call "devilish storms" and it's important as a believer to know which ones are which. For that knowledge, Matthew 8:24-26 is helpful. Using the NIV version it says: 24 Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. Taking this line by line, we discover several clues. First, the Word says that the storm came up "without warning". The Lord will send sign after sign before He does something in your life. If everything suddenly changes from calm to chaos, it's a good indication that the storm is of the enemy. Second clue, the waves swept over the boat but the Lord was still asleep. Check in with your spirit. It is SO important to have built up an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. If everything around you is totally falling apart yet the Spirit inside you is unaffected, it's another pretty good indicator that the enemy is trying to mess with you. Satan has no control over you but he will use the things and people around you to get to you. Thirdly, the disciples went and disturbed Jesus. When the storm comes and you start going out of your way to disrupt the peace of others, you're in a devilish storm. Everyone around you should not have to suffer just because you're in a bad place. Period. Finally, Jesus was able to rebuke the storm and it immediately calmed. The only time Jesus rebukes anything is when it's of the devil. Jesus would have gladly endured the waves and the winds had they been sent from the Lord. As believers, when we rebuke the waves and winds that come to shake our lives and they DO NOT die down immediately, that storm is of the Lord and He will take it away when He feels like you've learned whatever lesson He's trying to teach you. The Lord WILL have His way and He WILL get your attention one way or the other. Look back over your life when you find yourself sinking in rough waters. Have there been red flags along the way that you ignored? Has your Spirit been at peace in spite of the shakiness around you?  Have you been wreaking havoc in other people's lives due to your own drama? Be honest with yourself because the answers to these questions will indicate what type of storm you're in. 

In either case, the answer to each situation is prayer, worship and fasting. Whatever the mess you're in, and whatever the reason for it, God is one to handle it. Remain faithful at all costs and trust that God would never bring you to something He didn't also intend to bring you out of and go through with you. I realize that I'm making this advice seem like the easiest thing possible to follow but trust me, I know how hard it is believe God sometimes. How great are the consequences of not believing Him though? 

That's all for now, folks.