Stay in the Boat...

I just finished the Bible last week and have restarted in Genesis and it is AMAZING how God continues to speak fresh things through His word.  Especially after you know you have read it before.  With that being said, here we go.


Genesis chapter eight verse one, after Noah had been on the Ark 150 days it says, "God remembered Noah..."    


I am convinced the time on the Ark was long, dismal and emotionally exhausting.  If you and I had to sit on a boat and watch it rain for 40 days straight and then look at nothing but water after that?  I do not know about you but I would be exhausted of that situation.  But here is the kicker, total time on the Ark was one year two months and twenty seven days!!  Can you say a LONG process???


The first thing I love about this portion of the Bible is that it says, "God remembered Noah."  And for me that means that I may be in a situation that is long and dismal but I can be reassured that God sees me and He remembers me!  The same goes for you.  Be patient.  Don't freak out, endure the process God has you in knowing He is working for your good and for His glory.  


The next thing I see is at the year mark Noah sees the earth, and it was drying.  Can you say a feeling of relief!  Noah saw land!  But here is the interesting thing, Noah stayed on the Ark.  Verse fourteen says, "By the twenty seventh day of the second month (the following year) the earth was dry."  What speaks more to me is that the following sentence does not say that Noah and his family came out of the Ark.  I would have probably ran out once I saw it was dry! But the next sentence says, "Then God spoke to Noah, come out of the Ark..."


Noah waited until God spoke even though he could have gotten out of the Ark sooner on his own.  But He declared God's worth (he worshiped God) by waiting and listening.  Obedience. What an amazing picture of love for God.  It goes on to say the first thing Noah did upon exiting the Ark was he built an altar.  Another act of worship.  Then he took some of the animals and offered them as a sacrifice.  Everything Noah did, from waiting to hear when to get off the Ark to building the altar and sacrificing the animals was to honor God and declare Him worthy of all praise.  


I want to be transparent.  The Brown's are in a boat right now, our family has been in transition for over a year now.  I would love for God to speed up the process of getting our family moved to Chesapeake Virginia.  As most of you know we are on the eve of seeing Church at Hampton Roads being birthed in the Hampton Roads area.  But a solemn calmness and peace now fills my heart, because today God has reminded me that He remembers me.  And that I exist only to know Him and trust Him.  He is responsible for whatever He would like to do through me.  The Brown's will stay in the boat of transition as long as it takes.  God WILL speak soon.  Our job is not to move ahead of His plans or His will.


Conclusion:


Your boat (situation) in life might be dismal, it may be long and exhausting but remember this, GOD REMEMBERS YOU!  1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us that God WILL NOT put us in a situation that we can not handle.  Trust Him, do not try to jump out of the boat prematurely!  Wait for God to speak.  This is our ultimate worship (declaration of worth) to God, obedience.


Thank you Jesus You remember us!  You are King and You are sovereign.  There is NONE like You.  We wait on You.  We trust You. Take our lives and paint a beautiful picture of Your faithfulness.  YOU ARE OUR HOPE.


Joel

Morning of March 6th, 2012 "The Power of Agreement"

Michael Hiett (a member of our launch team for Church at Hampton Roads) and I have just make the 22 hour drive to Chesapeake.  We did this in order to look at lease locations for the church plant, meet with contacts and encourage the rest of the launch team that has already moved out here as of a couple of weeks ago.


I woke up this morning and was reading through Hebrews and was encouraged by the following thought in chapter 10 verses 35 and 36.  It says, 

"Do NOT throw away your confidence, which has great reward.  For you need endurance, so that after you have done God's will, you may receive what was promised."

I love the first words of this verse!  DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR CONFIDENCE!!!!!


Our confidence will wane when


        1)  our perspective of who God is becomes lost 
        2)  we loose sight of what He has said or has spoken to us


Today if you are reading this and have had your confidence stolen I want you to get angry!  Not at God but at the Devil because he has sucked the life out of you through his lies.  Satan has NO power over us, all he can do is LIE and then we are the ones that make that lie powerful by AGREEING with him!


Today you and I need to make a choice, to agree with God and what He has said.  Agreement is where the power lies.  Either to hold us in bondage or to enable us to overcome through faith.  It is not the lie or the Devil that has power, it is when we hear the lie and say, "Yea, that is true, I will never be any different....."  


You and I CAN access the power of God by refusing to believe the lies (which in order to do we MUST know the word of God....our Bible) and agree with God and His words which is faith and then and only then will we walk in more peace and in more power than we ever have before. Faith is believing God.  Hebrew's 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God."  He so earnestly desires us to know him and TRUST Him!  And it is through faith that God works on our behalf.


Today let's watch out and be vigilant in regards to who we are and who we are agreeing with. Let us definitely take note of what God is saying today,

"DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR CONFIDENCE."

Jesus, today I commit to remind myself of Your nature, Your character and Your word.  Thank You for reminding me today not to throw away my confidence.  You are the Creator of ALL I see, touch, taste and smell.  The earth is Yours and EVERYTHING in it.  I.  Will not.  Doubt You.

  

Joel