Looking Up to Heaven

"He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him."

— Psalm 91:15

 

A hardened old sea captain who was quite vocal about his atheism was swept overboard one night during a storm. His men actually heard him crying out to God for help, so after they rescued him, they asked him about it.

The captain answered, "Well, if there isn't a God, there ought to be at times like this."

The good news is that even when we have messed things up, if we call out to God, He will hear us. How easily God could tell us, "That is your problem. You deal with it." But when people cry out to Him, He is always ready to answer. God says, "He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him" (Psalm 91:15).

Help in the Storm

"Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep."

— Psalm 121:4

 

The Bible talks about a literal storm that came into the lives of the disciples. It was so bad, in fact, they despaired of their lives. The disciples had been following Jesus. And they followed Him right into a storm.

Sometimes when hardships come into our lives, we may think it is because we are doing something wrong. But these disciples were in the will of God. The storm came because they obeyed the Lord, not because they disobeyed Him. So sometimes those calamities come because of our obedience, not our disobedience.

Facing the Storms

For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

— Matthew 5:45

 

Have you ever been caught an unexpected storm? When a big storm is approaching, the meteorologists usually will tell us about it. And if it is really building, if it is at hurricane strength, it might even be given a name because of its significance.

There are times when we know storms are brewing and building. And there are other times when they come out of nowhere. But one thing we need to know about life is that we will have storms—storms of hardship, tragedy, difficulty, and worst-case scenarios. Some of these storms can be life-altering: the death of someone you love, an illness, a disability, a conflict at home or work, being laid off, or even a rebellious child.

A Spiritual Checkup

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.

— 2 Corinthians 13:5

 

I don't look forward to getting my physical. They do a lot of tests, and they always check my blood pressure. The last time I went, they told me, "You know, your blood pressure is a little high." I told them it was high because I knew they were going to take it.

So I told my doctor, "You walk into the room, and my blood pressure goes up. It is your fault. You need to sneak up sometime when I am not looking and then take it. I bet it will be lower." We kind of joke back and forth a little. But we know it is an exam. I fill out a questionnaire, and he asks a lot of questions: Are there any lumps? Are there any growths? Are there any things out of the ordinary? It is an exam to determine my physical state.

How to Win the Spiritual Battle

Like it or not, the moment you commit your life to Jesus Christ you are engaged in a spiritual battle. The believer may be known by his inward warfare as well as by his inward peace.

This battle is not with flesh and blood, but with a very real opponent called the devil.

We have looked at the various pieces of armor we are to wear as we face our opponent, including the utility belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and, of course, the gospel shoes.

Those are all primarily defensive weapons. In other words, you don't attack your enemy with your sandal, breastplate, or helmet. You need another weapon for that.

Paul calls the one piece of offensive weaponry that God has given us "the sword of the Spirit," or the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

Many believers have all their armor in place, but they never use their sword. They leave it in the sheath. They talk about it, and brag about how sharp it is, but they never actually utilize the sword in spiritual battle.

The devil knows all too well the power and authority of the Bible and he will try to keep you from it at all costs.