Prepare for the Storm; Expect the Rainbow Part 2

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” 

Accepting Jesus opens the door for some awesome changes in our life.  Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 

The foundation of that change is a change of mind.  Proverbs 23:7 “for as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” What are we thinking? What is our self talk about?  

The Word of the Lord in Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”  The operative word here is “let”.  We must allow; we must choose to have the mind of Christ.   

Not only can we choose the mind of Christ, we can walk in the mind of Christ.  2 Corinthians10:5: “cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 

Yes, we can control what we think.  Yes, we must be willing to do it.   

To walk in the mind of Christ, we must grow in our knowledge of God.  We must know, truly know, down in the depths of our being that God is good and that He wants the best for us.  God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to Israel.  Romans 11:24 tells us that we as Christians have been crafted into the olive tree of Israel. What God spoke then to Israel, He is speaking to us today.  Jeremiah 29:11” For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” 

In Him, we can have peace, a future and a hope.  Before the storm, during the storm and after the storm. 

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.''   When we are walking in the mind of Christ, in the midst of the storm, God will quiet us in HIs love. He will sing heavenly lullabies over us.  

A deep understanding of the Father love of God for His children is a provision that we must put into our storehouse in preparation for the storms. Fear is a major storm.  Fear is likewise a sin.  God is love and perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18) 

Provision for the casting out of fear, anguish, doubt and unbelief is found in Psalm 119:11: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” 

How do we hide His word in our hearts? 

Romans 10:17: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” 

We need to hear the Word.  We hear what we listen to.  We can listen in church, on the radio, on podcasts, in Bible study.  I found that one of the best ways for me to hear the Word is for me to listen when I speak the Word.  

The Word of God contains over 7000 promises.  Choose the promises that touch you and hide them in your heart.  Those promises will sustain you through the storms that surround you.  Faith in the promises of God, diminishes the fear of the moment and the dread of the unknown. 

Paul was in a dungeon when he wrote “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.” 

Horatio Spafford wrote “It Is Well with My Soul” after his four daughters had drowned when their ocean liner sank in the middle of the Atlantic. 

Thomas A. Dorsey wrote “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” after his wife had died in childbirth. 

Along with the Word of God, we must hide in our hearts precious memories.  The more we remember and are thankful for our blessings, the less impact the storms will have on our lives.  The more we embrace the good, the more we can endure the not so good.  Misery loves company, but it is unproductive. 

Storms have come, are coming, and will continue to come because we live in a fallen world.  If we have gathered and placed provisions in the ark of our relationship with the Lord, we can ride out the storm.  I am sure that Noah’s ride on the ark was uncomfortable at best, but he was looking beyond the flood to the rainbow.  

 Prepare for the Storm; Expect the Rainbow  Part 1

By Reverend Lonnie C. Crowe 

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come before You eager to hear, eager to learn and eager to grow.  We thank you, Father, for You are eager to speak, eager to teach and eager to nurture.  Hallelujah.  We have come together.  Amen and amen. 

The path we take through the storm determines our appreciation of the rainbow. Our path through the storm is a matter of free will.  Robert Frost chose the less traveled path, and that made all the difference. Walking that less traveled path requires some effort on our part.  John 16:33 says, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.'' 

In this world we will have tribulation.  We will walk through some storms.  When we know storms are coming in the natural world, we are wise to make some preparations.  A few years ago, a major storm had been forecast for our area.  As I was fueling my vehicle, I was watching people coming out of Thriftway with storm provisions such as bread, milk and eggs.  One gentleman came out with 2 cases of beer and a carton of cigarettes.  Some of us are trying to get through the storms of life with the spiritual equivalent of 2 cases of beer and a carton of cigarettes. 

The most severe storm in creation is detailed in Genesis 6:13-22 “And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing of the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. and you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and for them. Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” 

First of all, Noah had to build the ark, the place of safety.  Noah had the ark.  We have the cross.  Jesus is our ark.  Because of His sacrifice on the cross, when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, Jesus has cleared the pathway so that we can come boldly to the throne of grace. Hebrews 4:16: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” 

Then Noah had to load provisions not only for 8 people but also for all those animals.  He didn’t know exactly how long he and his family would be on that ark, but he loaded provisions in faith that God would see him through. 

Our provisions for the storms of life are found in God’s instructions, in His Holy Word. 

Our first provision is in our relationship with Him through the sacrifice of Jesus.  Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  

Let’s inventory our first provision:  Do we understand that sin has separated us from God?  Do we know that that God the Father offered His beloved Son to pay the price for our sin?  Do we believe, without a doubt, that Jesus died, rose again and is coming back to receive His own? 

Have we accepted God’s gift of grace?  Are we choosing to enter our Ark? 

• Jo John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me ha has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” 

Accepting Jesus opens the door for some awesome changes in our life.  Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 

The foundation of that change is a change of mind.  Proverbs 23:7 “for as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” What are we thinking? What is our self talk about?  

 Encouragement in the Midst of Whatever

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Because of the circumstances surrounding us on the national and international levels, Christians must fervently seek to overcome discouragement.  The word literally means to deprive of courage, hope, or confidence.  Discouragement is a weapon of the enemy meant to weaken the army of God.

Several years ago, I was ministering in the Philippines. Part of our ministry took us on a catamaran to a nearby island. When we left, the tide was in, and we easily stepped from the dock onto the boat and sailed away. When we returned in the evening, the tide was out, and our boat sat about ten feet below the dock. Our only egress was a rickety ladder sitting precariously in the rocking boat. I don’t normally like to climb short, firmly grounded ladders, so I definitely was not comfortable with the thought of climbing that ladder.  

Discouragement settled over me. However, suddenly, through my spirit and out of my mouth came “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). One of the men holding the ladder gave me a hand, and I went up that ladder like a seasoned sailor. Courage came when I knew that I didn’t have to do it in my own strength. 

In our difficult world, we are surrounded, bombarded and often overwhelmed with discouragement. Negativity fills the airwaves, the newspapers and the coffee klatches. A spirit of discouragement has attached itself to many people, even believers.

The spirit of discouragement can be so oppressive that we may neglect to cry out to the Lord for encouragement. We may also be so distraught that we do not recognize the encouragement when it comes. 

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines encourage as: to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident; to make (something) more appealing or more likely to happen; to make (someone) more likely to do something: to tell or advise (someone) to do something. 

These definitions are all about doing something. They miss the mark by not telling us what we need in our lives in order to do something. In order to chop down the tree of discouragement, we need to lay the axe to the root. 

The root word of “encourage” is “courage.” In other words, if we want to be encouraged, we must be filled with courage. The Lord spoke to Joshua as he was stepping into the role of leadership after the death of Moses: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9). 

God does not want us to be afraid. Fear robs us of courage, and we must lay the axe to the root of fear. We fear tomorrow. We fear the unknown. We fear because we lack understanding. We fear because we feel that God has distanced Himself from us. 

Believers, however, are called to be Joshuas in this world. God has commanded us to be strong and of good courage. The word translated as courage has many synonyms. In the Hebrew, to be courageous is to be strengthened, established, strong, fortified, and obstinate.

   
Courage is the strength to overcome in spite of fear. Courage means being established in the truth of the Word of God. Courage produces strength and fortification. Courage enables us to stand firmly for the Lord. We need encouragement. 

In the Word of God, we will find hope that dispels fear and fills us with courage. Speaking forth the Word causes courage to resonate on the air waves. Declaring the Word allows us to anoint ourselves and others with courage. Meditating on the Word—allowing that truth to become part of our spiritual DNA—enables us to move forward in boldness. 

Make a list of encouraging scriptures and hide them in your heart through memorization and meditation. The Holy Spirit will call them to your remembrance in the midst of discouragement. 
Consider these words: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). 

Encouragement comes in realizing that the spirit of fear, the discouragement that we feel, has not come from God. Instead, God has given us the strength in Himself to overcome that fear. We don’t have to face it alone. We face it in the power and love of God. Our relationship with Him brings us into a sound mind. 

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). God has instructed us to guard ourselves against trouble and fear.  Encouragement is  a choice.  Let’s open our hearts to the encouragement of the Lord, so that we may encourage ourselves and others.

Civilla D. Martin said it well:

“Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”

 Jesus died on Passover as the Passover sacrifices were being offered. He rose again on the Feast of First Fruits.

1 Corinthians 15:20: "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."

Jesus is both the Passover Lamb and the first fruit of resurrection to eternal life.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

 More than Leprechauns and Green Beer

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe   

St. Patrick’s Day, like many Christian Holy Days, is celebrated more with the pagan customs the Church has hoped to overcome than with Christianity.  The Easter bunny often overshadows the Resurrection; Santa Claus and reindeer are more politically correct than the Advent.  In the same way, on St. Patrick’s Day, many eat corned beef and cabbage, wear green, drink beer and give no thought to the sacrifices and sufferings of the one who brought Christianity to Ireland.

St. Patrick was a missionary to Ireland during the latter part of the fifth century.  According to his Confessio, when he was in his teens, Irish pirates kidnapped him from his home in Britain and took him to Ireland.  After six years of enforced servitude among the pagans and druids, he escaped and returned to his family home.  After becoming a priest, he returned to Ireland to bring the gospel to the land of his captors. He was later ordained as bishop.  March 17 is thought to be the day of his death. 

What do we learn from St. Patrick?  First of all, we learn forgiveness.  In a prophetic dream, he received a call to return to Ireland.  In the dream, the people of Ireland were calling out to him "We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more." In forgiveness, he returned to Ireland to bring the light of Christ to those who were living in the darkness of paganism.  He preached in Ireland for 40 years. 

We also learn the truth of Romans 1:19-20, “because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse (NKJV)."   St. Patrick used the simple 3-leaf clover, the shamrock, to illustrate the Trinity, the God-head, Three-in-One.  

The sad truth, a truth that would break the heart of St. Patrick as it breaks the heart of Jesus, is that Ireland, for centuries, has been embroiled in a political war that has become identified as a religious war.  May, not only the Church in Ireland, but the Church universal, lay down our political and religious animosities toward one another.   May we walk in the reality of Psalm 133:1-3 (NKJV): ^“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!  It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing-- Life forevermore. “

In this world today, we need to pray the following taken from the Lorica of St. Patrick.  (A lorica is a prayer for protection.)

“Christ shield me today
Against wounding
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.”

It is all about Jesus.

 Do Not Be Dismayed 

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe 

We have all walked through stressful times and seasons. Often our faith has faltered in the fiery face of fear. Most of us are familiar with Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  

The Glossary of the One New Man Bible shares in depth clarity to the phrase “Do not in any way be awed! Do not be dismayed.” "The Hebrew negative command is very powerful, with no direct English equivalent. It is even stronger than saying, “Do not even dare to think about...! Know that faith in God is what you need to replace the fear and dismay. Although usually translated as “fear not", the Hebrew means to revere, to hold in awe. There is only One Whom we are to revere, to hold in awe and we are not to be in terror of Him, but to give the respect and honor to which He is due. Do not be awed by the size and strength of the enemy, but respect and revere the awesome God we serve.” 

 Are You Tired, Weak and Worn?

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Are you doing things the way you have always done them and are still disappointed in the outcome? Have you reached the end of your rope and there is no knot to hold on to? Have you come to the end of yourself? Are you willing to admit that your way hasn't been successful so that God can bring the blessings of His Kingdom into your life? Allow the following to be your prayer: “Lord, I am so weary of my way. In humility and with a submissive heart, I desire to live my life Your way.”

“Precious Lord, take my hand,

Lead me on, let me stand,

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;

Through the storm, through the night,

Lead me on to the light.

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.”

---Thomas A. Dorsey