Love Works Faith
Love, the key to Victory.
By: (Your loving) Brother Mike
Before we Start, lets get some spring board scripture if you will.
Mar 4:38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
Mar 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Mar 4:40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
Mar 4:41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
I won't be going into Jesus telling them that it is not OK to have fear, and it's not OK to have no faith. That is not what this is about. I want you to notice the Power of the Words of Jesus, and What Jesus was doing.
What is going on here? Well, Jesus just had a long day of Preaching and teaching, and had some other place to be, so he and the disciples got onto a boat to get to the other side. Jesus him self said. "lets go to the other side" (Luke 8:24) Which was more than enough to get them there safely because Jesus already said it.
Yet, on the way over, a storm came up, and the waves were so large, that Water started to get in the boat with the disciples. Luke's account says they were filled with Water and in Jeopardy. (Not the game show and looks like I should have used Luke's account about now.)
Now, the disciples were starting to get concerned about this, well, very afraid, yet Jesus was down in the boat asleep on a pillow. Not a care in the Word. To the disciples this looked as if Jesus did not really care that they were going to drown that day. (Master, carest thou not that we perish?)
Jesus got up, and rebuked the Storm, and everything became calm. Now that is Power, to stop a storm...........
How could Jesus stop a storm though. With great faith of course!!!!! Those disciples were in doubt and unbelief.
Or could there be something more to the story?????? Was it really all faith Jesus used?
I am a Word of Faith person!!!!!
Storms must obey us, right? If they don't, then you have no faith................I was about to get a lesson that took several years to learn.
What happened to me:
I was in my semi truck just coming out of Atlanta, there were tornado watches and warnings all over, and I was advised to just stay at the truck stop and wait. No, need for a faith person to wait, right? Besides, I had to get to Alabama then head home. It was lots of driving, and I wanted all the Home time I could get.
I started out, and just got out of the Loop in Atlanta headed west, when the wind started to pick up. As I kept driving, I noticed several semis laying on their side off the edge of the interstate. A empty semi and trailer makes a great wind catcher, enough to blow them over. I keep my CB off because I don't need to know where the Next available Lot Lizards where spotted and don't need any meth to keep awake. I decided to keep driving, despite all the semi's on their side. I counted 3 or 4 of them, and I had over 60,000 pounds in back.
Well, it was not long, I was having a hard time getting speed. The best I could reach was about 45 MPH and my truck was shaking violently. It was hard just to keep it on the road. No problem, just go slow.......... I had to get home. That was a good plan, until the hail started. We are talking about golf ball size hail, and hitting very hard. Now I was looking at a broken windshield situation, and lots of Paint damage if I continued on. Just as I was deciding to pull over, I came to a long line of Semi's that have pulled over on both sides of the interstate. The wind was really something.
So, I took my place on the side of the road behind the last semi, and others started to pull over behind me. It looked like we were going to have to wait this one out. I kicked back and got on the phone with my wife. My truck felt like I was in a boat going over small waves. Shaking back and forth.
After talking with the wife for a bit, The wind picked up. My truck was now feeling as if we were going over some very large waves. Curious, I turned on my CB to hear if some truckers who were up ahead saw anything. I continued to talk to my wife, until I heard truckers crying out over the CB........... I guess several of the Truckers spotted a actual tornado, and it was making it's way right down the middle of the interstate. I could not see anything back where I was, it was dark, and hail was just pounding my truck.
I went to talk with my wife some more, when I heard crying over the CB..........Then I heard a trucker making a comment about trying to call home for the last time. Another panicked comment said it's going to hit us, it's going to hit us !!! These grown men where scared.
Ummm. Something on the inside of me felt compassion for these men. I was not very happy with their fear and unbelief, but yet, I felt for them. Some of these men felt they were going to die and not see the wife and kids again. They really believed that.
I told the wife I had to go, I told her I had to take care of something. I hung up and said. "Tornado, I command you in the name of the Lord Jesus, that you will go around us, you will not touch any truck, or harm anyone. You will pass, and do no harm."
SUDDENLY, it all stopped!!!! I mean the hail, the wind, and the dark clouds vanished. It was calm, and the sun out. I was kinda shocked myself.......... WoW!!!!! The CB came alive again, they said it just vanished. they saw it, then it was gone. I never did see it, but the truckers noticed it, and now I was hearing how strange that is. They had no clue Jesus just saved them, but they were astonished as I myself at the result.
A few Years latter.................................
Now, I have tried to get small rain storms to stop, (Don't want my fishing trip ruined) and tried several times to no avail......... It is frustrating, that you can have no fear, and the faith to stop a tornado, but bless God it won't work when it's time to fish............... This has always baffled me, Why is not my faith working. I mean did I loose any faith? This has bothered me for a long time.
Just recently I asked God again............ about this and the Lord finally spoke to me. He told me I would not receive the answer before. He said........."It worked for the Tornado because your faith was working a lot stronger, you have no working faith to stop these small rain storms."
How could that be??? I have great faith. (at least I fooled myself in to thinking that.) The Lord spoke again. "Why did you command that tornado to stop in my name? Was it because some faith you had? or was it because of something else.?"
Thank God for the Help of the Holy Spirit.........I still would have missed it, if not for him. The compassion I had for those truckers, it was the love of God for them!!!! That is why I responded to that Tornado. Not because I could with some faith, but it was the Love of God.
Paul said though he has the faith to move a mountain, without love, that mountain ain't going nowhere.
Looking back at Jesus and the Boat, Jesus was not happy with their unbelief and fear. He was still moved by compassion. Jesus was asleep, He was not worried about any storm. In fact, he could have slept though the whole thing, and made it over safely, Storm and all. Yet, because of Love, He stopped the storm for them!!!!
Children of God, walk in love!!!! Love being so much greater than faith, and without it. Faith will not work.
Jesus Is Lord
