Felix Ngunjiri Gichuri

Daily Devotional on Mark 4:35-41 KJV

Devote yourself to be reading each of the seven verses 35-41 of Mark chapter 4, one verse for each day, as spiritual food for your soul and you will realize that you don’t have to be anxious because God is reassuring you that He is in total control of your life.

DAY 1:

MARK 4:35 [KJV]: “And the same day, when the evening was come, Jesus said unto His disciples, ‘let us pass over unto the other side.”

In the scripture quoted above, Jesus invited His disciples and is inviting you to go with Him onto the other side of the lake using one of the ships and is today inviting you to join His ship, promising to take you to that other wonderful side that you know not. When God gives you that invitation, be willing to cross over to the other side with Him because you are crossing over with Him and He knows the way. He has been there before. “Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6) He is inviting us to a better place, better than this wicked world full of uncertainties. Jesus is inviting us to come out of our comfort zones and join Him cross over with Him to the other side that we know not. He is inviting us to come out of our comfort zones that we overstated in, leave the familiar, the beaten path, the boring, the monotonous, and abandon this frustrating, fruitless, barren zone. May be you are not progressing, not moving and have overstayed at the same place, position, rank or status. God is telling you now to get out of that comfort zone because you are doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Jesus is inviting you to go over with Him to the other side, the flip side of your life that you have never known but He knows because He has been there before. God promises to show you ‘great and hidden things that you have not known.’ (Jeremiah 33:3) He is promising to show you “Things which the eye has not seen and the ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, who obey Him, and who gratefully recognize the benefits that He has bestowed].” (1 Cor 2:9) “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the days of rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:15)

PRAYER: Heavenly Father in Jesus name, we come before you with humility in our hearts, praying that you deliver us from all our uncertainties and unproductiveness. We give all our worries and anxieties over to you O Lord, so that you set us free from those fears and traps. Lord, having set us free from our fears of the unknown, we now pray that you take us to the other side that you are inviting us to cross over with you. Lord, take us to the flip side of our lives that we do not know but which you know so well because you have been there before and you are the all-knowing God. Lord take us to yonder place so that you show us great and hidden things that you prepared for those of us who love you, wonderful things which we cannot even think or imagine. We pray all that trusting and believing in Jesus name. Amen.

DAY 2:

MARK 4:36: “and when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him even as He was in the ship.”

Note from the above text that it is the disciples who sent away the multitudes to separate themselves from them. To send away the multitude means that you ‘come out of them and be separate.’ Separate yourselves from the unbelievers, the ungodly and the wicked. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:14-18). You are not your own. You have you been bought with a price (1 Cor 6:20). “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Cor 7:1 NIV).

Separate yourself from the madding crowd and take Jesus with you to the other side. When going on a journey in a vessel, or boarding a vehicle, entering your new house, opening your computer or laptop, doing an exam, attending hospital or job, going about your business or entering a contract or a relationship or marriage. IN THAT JOURNEY, ALWAYS TAKE JESUS WITH YOU AS HE IS.

For Jesus is God

Isaiah prophesied that a virgin shall give birth to a son who shall be a Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, and the Everlasting Father. “For unto us a child is born (in the flesh by a virgin), unto us a son (of God) is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6 [KJV])

Thus Jesus is the only true God from eternity past who in time past took on a full human nature through Holy Spirit conception of the Virgin Mary so that He is now fully God and fully Man, so that God in our nature took our natural sinfulness and nailed it on the cross. God tells us that this divinity of Jesus is the reason why His name shall be Immanuel. “Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,’ which translated means, ‘God with us.”’” (Matthew 1:22-23)

Jesus is both Lord and God

People called Jesus God. When Thomas saw the scars on the hands of the risen Christ, he called Jesus ‘My Lord and my God.’ “Eight days later the disciples were again together in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me (that I was dead and now I am alive), thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:26-29 [KJV]) The one who could not believe anything until he touched finally touched and realized that he had touched God and he believed that Jesus is both Lord and God and he instantly exclaimed “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus is both Lord of lords and King of kings. After Jesus overcame the world for us, He is given the full title of “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS in Revelation 17:14 and 19:16.” “The 10 horns you saw are 10 kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” (Rev 17:12-14 [HCSB]) The title of “Lord of lords and King of kings” indicates someone who has the power to exercise absolute dominion over all His realm.

Jesus is our Saviour

Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 about Jesus being the Messiah:  “Therefore Yehovah Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” God here through Isaiah tells us that not only will Jesus be Himself in the flesh, but that His becoming a man will be the result of conception of a virgin by the Holy Spirit of God, not by the seed of a man. The Angel said “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.” Thus the meaning of Jesus being born of a virgin meant that He was not conceived of by the seed of man, but by the seed of the Holy Spirit. Then the angel explains to Joseph what this Holy Spirit conception of the baby Jesus means in Matthew 1:21. The Angel explains, “‘And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.’” Here the angel and Matthew tells us that His name is to be “Jesus” which means “Yehovah is Savior.” He further tells us that Jesus will save us from our sins, thus telling us who Jesus is: Yehovah God in the flesh who will save us from our sinful flesh by His blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins. “For without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.” (Hebrews 9:22) “But now He has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of Himself.And just as it is appointed for people to die once and after this, judgment, so also the Messiah, having been offered as a sacrifice once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” (Hebrews 9:26-28)

Jesus is the Messiah

In 735 BC, prophet Isaiah again prophesied that “It shall come to pass in that day, that his (the devil’s) burden shall be taken away from off your shoulder and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” (Isaiah 10:27, KJV)

To fully appreciate just how good that news is, you must realize that Isaiah does not say that the yoke shall be broken because of the anointing. Many people read it that way, but that is not what it says. The verse says that the yoke shall be destroyed.

When you look it up in the Hebrew text, you will find that the word destroyed when translated means rendered absolutely useless. It is possible that a broken yoke can be repaired and put back where it was. But Isaiah said that this anointing would annihilate the devil’s yoke so completely that there would no longer be any evidence that it was ever around your neck.

Isaiah’s Prophesy was Fulfilled When Jesus Was Anointed to Destroy the Yoke of the Devil

The prophesy was fulfilled when Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit after He was Baptized in River Jordan. “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:” (Matt 3:16 [KJV]) Afterwards Jesus overcame temptations of the devil in the wilderness and He came back from the wilderness filled with the Holy Spirit. He announced to the shocked crowd in the synagogue as recorded in the book of Luke chapter 4 that He is the Anointed One who came to destroy the yoke of bondage clamped around our necks. “And He (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and as His custom was, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto Him the book of Esaias (Isaiah). And when He had opened the book He found the place where it is written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord’. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And He began to say unto them, ‘This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.’ (Luke 4:16-21)

According to these scriptures, the message Jesus preached was this: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me…’ That may not mean a lot to you right now, but if you keep reading for a few minutes, that verse will make you want to shout for joy.

The word ‘anointed’ actually means to pour on, smear all over or to rub into. So Jesus was telling the people of Nazareth that day that ‘God is poured on, smeared all over and rubbed into Me.’ He was telling them from the book of Isaiah that He is the anointed one prophesied in the book of Isaiah 10:27and that He had come with the yoke-destroying, burden removing power of the Almighty God all over Him and in Him. That is good news. The good news of the Kingdom of God here on earth.

He did not just make that statement either. He began to preach a sermon saying: ‘’Hey. I have good news for you! Poverty is a yoke around your neck and I am anointed to destroy it! Broken heartedness is a yoke and I am here to destroy it! Being a captive to sin is a yoke and I am here with the yoke-destroying power and presence of God. I am here to get the burden of oppressions and afflictions imposed on humanity as a result of your sins removed from off your back! I am here to set you free!”

That is the gospel Jesus preached. It is the good news of the anointing! Most Christians today would be shocked by that fact. They know nothing about the anointing because when the Bible was translated into English, the translators failed to translate the Greek word extensively as Christ the Messiah except in only one instance in the entire Bible in the book of John 1:40-41 [KJV] where it is written that “One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first finds his own brother Simon, and said unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”  And because of it, the devil was able to steal a major revelation from the church. People began to use the word Christ as a title. Some even used it as if it was Jesus’ last name. But it is not. The word Christ is the English version of the Greek word Christos that is a translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. Translated into English, Christ or Messiah means Anointed or the Anointed One. It also refers to His Anointing. The anointing is God’s presence. His essence. It is the thing that makes God be God. The anointing is God on the flesh enabling flesh to do those things that are impossible for flesh to do. That is why Jesus being fully God became fully man so that when His Holy Spirit comes upon us, the anointing of God is rubbed onto our flesh and we also become anointed like Him.

Thus when the New Testament refers to the gospel of Christ, it is talking about the gospel of the anointing, the good news of the sin-annihilating, sickness-crushing, poverty-pulverizing, bondage-removing, yoke destroying power of God on human flesh. Jesus brought that anointing into our midst because He was anointed by the Holy Spirit at the beginning of His ministry to do it. “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he (John the Baptist) saw (witnessed) the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt 3:16-17 [KJV])

 The good news are that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit to launch him in the ministry of preaching the power of God on humanity and it is the reason it is called The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! Simon son of Jonah was given a new name Peter by the Lord for confessing to the other disciples that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God, the Anointing of God.

Simon Peter Confessed That Jesus is the Christ. “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16). Christ is the English name for the Greek word Kristos, which bring interpreted from the Hebrew word Messias or Messiah. Messiah means the Anointed One, or His Anointing who was prophesied by Isaiah would come 600 years before the birth of Jesus.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace

Isaiah prophesied that a virgin shall give birth to a son who shall be a Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God and a Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6 [KJV]). Isaiah gave many prophecies about the Messiah bringing peace to the world. Isaiah tells us that not only will the Messiah save Israel, but people from among all nations would be drawn to his kingdom. Many people will desire to live according to God’s righteousness, to receive God’s judgments, and to live at peace with one another (Isaiah 2:1-5). There is no greater peace than the one provided bu Our Lord Jesus, for it is the peace of God that surpasses human understanding, for it permeates the whole body, soul and mind. Paul wished the Phillipian church, telling them that may “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:7, [KJV])

Do not dare go out on your journey without Jesus

Do not dare to go on that journey without Jesus for there are great dangers ahead- storms, accidents, temptations, failures, losses, diseases, difficulties, challenges, demons, powers of the air.

Leave the crowd behind. Do not follow the majority because God does not follow the majority because He is not a democrat. Furthermore, maybe all the fools are on one side. God told Gideon to be left with only 300 soldiers out of a mighty army of 32,000 and send the fearful ones home because with God, even one person and God become the majority. “The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ (Judg 7:2 [ESV2011]) Take Jesus the way He is as Lord God Almighty. Tell Him that if He does not go with you, then you are not going anywhere. Many people leave God out of their activities, claiming that God has nothing to do with it. Take Jesus along with you wherever you go. Always ensure that God is on board before embarking on a journey. If God is on your side, who can stand against you?

Being with Jesus is not a guarantee that there will be no storms

Do not ever imagine that because you have Jesus with you or in you that you will not experience storms. Do not ever think that saved people are saved from storms. The difference between you who has Jesus on board and others is that Jesus is comfortably sleeping in the hinder part of you. Jesus as a man was sleeping in the hinder part of their ship. Jesus as man is sleeping in the hinder part of your heart. Jesus as God was watching over them and over your safety. He is listening to your complaints, your worries, your thanksgiving to Him, your praises and if you happen to cry for help, he is all ears waiting for you to call Him. “Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not.” (Jer 33:3 [KJV])

“And there were also with Him other little ships.”

 He is inside your ship, not in the other ships which are recorded as little ones. In the eyes of God you are special, the apple of His eye. The apple of the eye is the eyeball, or globe of the eye, with pupil in center, called “apple” from its round shape. Its great value and careful protection by the eyelids automatically closing when there is the least possibility of danger making it the emblem of that which is most precious and jealously protected. “For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory has He sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that touches you touches the apple of his eye” (Zech 2:8 [KJV]) Another version says it slightly differently. “For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says to me that for his own glory he has sent me to the nations that plundered you – for anyone who touches you touches the pupil of his eye.” (Zech 2:8 [NET2])

PRAYER: Heavenly Father in Jesus name we come humbling ourselves before you, praying that you walk with us in this journey. Lord we cannot go out without you. Lord, we need you to carry us in this journey because we know that you are our Lord God Almighty, Our King and Our Saviour and Our Redeemer, the Messiah who will destroy all the yokes and traps that the evil one is placing ahead of us. Travel with us by covering us with yourself. Cover us Lord with the blood of you Son Jesus Christ so that no evil shall come upon us on the way because you are our Way. We pray and ask all that in Jesus name. Amen.

DAY 3:

MARK 4:37, KJV: “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it it was now full (of water, almost sinking)”

And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was full of water. Storms will attack your ship to drown you so furiously that you will greatly fear that you are dying. Storms of life, accidents, diseases and disorders, misfortunes, poverty, barrenness, stagnation, shame, demons, forces of darkness. They disciples were very busy trying to remove the water out of the ship. The disciples were very busy trying to save themselves from dying. How many times do we go out of our way to save ourselves, believing medicines will heal us, witchdoctors will heal us, money will save us from diseases, but we soon realize that all is vanity. Fate seems to be against us as we come face to face with the reality of impending death. When the attacks became unbearable and too much to bear, that was when they remembered that Jesus was inside the sinking ship. One of them who had panicked to death rushed to wake up Jesus.

Jesus arose and rebuked the wind that was causing the storm and He wondered where their faith was. The disciples had forgotten that Jesus was in the ship and they struggled to save themselves from the engulfing storm. God is telling you today to relax so that He can take charge. Instead of relaxing and letting Jesus battle with your storms, we struggle to help ourselves. The disciples were busy trying to save themselves when the Savior was relaxing in the stern. You either carry the burden and Jesus relaxes or Jesus carries your burden as you relax. The two of you cannot carry the same burden. If you notice that the storms in your life are not getting away, find out whether you are struggling with the challenge alone or whether you are involving him minimally or occasionally. The more storms you have, the more involved should Jesus be in your life. Relax, for God is in control.

DAY 4:

MARK 4:38, KJV: “And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awoke Him, and said to Him, Master, don’t you care that we perish?”

And Jesus was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow (relaxed). He was not at the front of the ship where the captain stays to see ahead as he controls the ship with the helm (a kind of steering wheel for controlling direction the ship will take), but He was within praying distance.

All He needs is that you wake Him up and give Him your problem. Just call Him because He is just a call away and He will come and talk to the problem. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (Jer 33:3 [KJV) You need a revelation to realize that when Jesus is in you, you need not worry. “When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your deliverer. I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price, Ethiopia and Seba in place of you. Since you are precious and special in my sight, and I love you, I will hand over people in place of you, nations in place of your life.” (Isa 43:2-4 [NET2])

What an awesome sight we can have of Jesus if we fix our eyes of faith on Him who created everything in heaven and on earth, and who is mighty to save. “The LORD your God is among you; He is mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17, Berean Standard Bible)

Jesus is the visible God representing the invisible God who is our Father Almighty. Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, who is seated at the right hand of God in heaven. “Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Heb 1:1-3 [HCSB])

Paul explained to the believers in Colossians that “Jesus is the all in all” (Col. 3:11) who created everything in heaven and on earth: “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us qualified to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation  (the firstborn of all creation means that He is above all creation; that He is God’s beloved), for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him. He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him. He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross – through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” (Col 1:12-20 [NET])

The Gospel of John reveals to us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4) “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 [KJV]) (Begotten means one and only) “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:10-12 [KJV])

God confirmed His Son as the Lord who laid the foundation of the earth. “And God said unto His Son, ‘Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:’” (Heb 1:8,10 [KJV])

When He is on board in you as a vessel of God, He is unsinkable. How can He be drowned by the very waters He created? And because He is unsinkable, you are also unsinkable. If He can walk on water, you can. If He can ride on storms, you can if you keep your eyes on Jesus and believe that you can walk on water like Him.

If Jesus can rebuke the storm, you can. If He can still the sea, you can. If the sea can obey Jesus, it should also obey your command because “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”  “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1John 4:4 [KJV])

DAY 5:

MARK 4:39, KJV: “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.”

If you have cried to Him to help you, the Creator of the universe will do what He does best of commanding the elements of the air and the sea to obey Him and will then calm your storm and save you from that danger. “May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross — whether things on earth or things in heaven.” (Col 1:11-20 [HCSB])

Jesus rebuked the wind that was causing the storm. Jesus did not rebuke the stormy sea but He rebuked the force of evil that was moving the water to a tumultuous storm. In the garden of Eden, man was given power over everything that moves on the face of the earth. “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Gen 1:26 [ESV2011]) God knows that things only move if there is a force pushing or pulling them in the direction of the force. That is why we should be rebuking the wind or the spirit or demon that is behind any activity by stopping, cancelling or binding the spirit or demon behind the activity. Don’t rebuke the evil or the offending person. Instead rebuke the evil one forcing the person to cause evil. Rebuke the spirit or wind that is causing the storm, sickness, disease, curse, evil words, misfortune or danger. When one speaks, he or she releases words packed with a positive force of life or words packed with negative force that lead to death. Jesus said, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63) Words give life or death. When words are spoken by someone filled with the Holy Spirit, they release life and blessings. Words spoken by an evil person release death and curses. Words that carry curses and death should be resisted word of mouth in Jesus name by first “Submitting yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Behind every storm there is a wind or spirit that is causing the storm. Behind every storm there is a demon that is engineering the storm and that demon should be rebuked and cast out in Jesus name. Jesus rebuked that spirit that was causing the storm and then spoke only three words to the sea, Peace, be still. God has delegated to His believers that power of rebuking the evil spirit that is behind the storm facing you so that you overcome your storms that are against you. To rebuke means to speak angrily to someone because you disapprove of what they have said or done. After rebuking the enemy, you will then face the sea and silence the storm: the dangers, sicknesses, demons by telling them three power-packed words of “Peace, be still.” The Hebrew definition of ‘still’ is to stop striving, to let go, surrender. Some people ignorantly rebuke the offending person, or cancer disease, and even invoking the name of Jesus, but I am telling them that it is wrong to do that. You don’t rebuke, stop, cancel, disconnect, nullify, silence, bind or cast out the enemy, sickness or problem. You rebuke the demon that is engineering that offensive enemy and then you talk to the problem and tell it ‘peace, be still.’ When the demon that was whirling the wind heard the rebuke from Jesus who was by then fully God and fully man, the wind submitted to Him and ceased, and there was a great calm. The other smaller ships were by then drowned because the storm was very severe and it was not sparing anyone or anything. The only person the storm feared was Jesus, the creator of heaven and earth. The storm also greatly feared those followers who had taken Jesus on board because it was not able to consume them because they had Jesus. They were untouchable, unsinkable, unshakable.  Others who will be in the other small ships will be drowned by the severe storm as you watch if they do not have Jesus but your will conquer the storm and ride the storm which will take you to the other side and to your destiny.

The next time you are fearful of the storms raging in your body and in your life and around you and the anxious thoughts that are raging in your mind, do as Jesus did. Silence those thoughts by rebuking them, telling them to be at “Peace, be still and tell them to shut up.” Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain (or this storm), Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” (Mark 11:23 [KJV]) When you need strength and help, just let go and rest in God, your refuge.

DAY 6:

MARK 4:40, KJV: “And He said unto them, why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

But then after all is over, Jesus Christ will ask you why you are fearful when He is around. Fear is a form of bondage where the victim is enslaved and gripped by anticipation of an impending danger. In his letters to the Romans, Paul told them that “…you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Jesus addressed them concerning the twin issues of fear and faith. Fear is diametrically opposed to faith. When you do not have faith in a chair that you want to sit on, you will start fearing and doubting that it will not support your weight and it will make you fall down when you sit on it.

The faith that we have for chairs or people or God was given to us by God. God installed in us all the spiritual ingredients that are required for us to have faith in Him. God created in man the spiritual infrastructure that will enable us to have faith in God. He has created in us a thirst for Him, a vacuum in our hearts that can only be filled by a superior being whom all human beings relate to that we refer to as God. He created in us the thirst for God so that we are able to seek and trust in Him.

“As the deer panteth after the water brooks so as to break the scent that its pursuers are following to catch it and kill it, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?” (Ps 42:1-2 [KJV])

The more faith we have in God, the more we believe and love Him. That is the role of the faith infrastructure installed in our hearts. God has faith in us and that is why He gave each one of us a measure of faith so that we can also have faith in Him. Paul urged his fellow brethren in Rome to “think of themselves with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given them” (Romans 12:3). His faith in us is eternal.

 “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them”. (Mark 11:24 [KJV]) Be of good cheer because the creator of the universe is in your ship: unsinkable, unconquerable and unbeatable. You only need to call Him and He will come and answer your prayer.

DAY 7:

MARK 4:41, KJV: “And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

They were wondering who Jesus was. They needed to be reminded of who Jesus was. Jesus cursed the fig tree and it dried to its roots within hours. He commanded the five loaves of bread and the two little fish to break into meals that fed five thousand people beside women and children, commanded demons to come out of many and healed them, walked on the water in the Sea of Galilee, raised the dead and many more. Jesus, being fully man and being fully God is the same who created the heaven and earth. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4 [KJV]) “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14 [KJV])

Jesus, having taken a body like ours when He was made man to be same level with us so as to relate with us as equals, because we were all under the penalty of death, He gave his body up to death in our place, offering it to the Father. He did this out of love, so that we who are counted as having died in Him might be freed from the law that meant our ruin. (The power of this law was completely spent in the Lord’s body, and so has no foothold left against us)

All demons and powers and principalities bow before Him. Paul revealed to the Ephesians how “God demonstrated  the immeasurable greatness of Jesus power to us who believe in Him as the Messiah by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens, far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put everything under His feet and appointed Him as head over everything for the church.” (Eph 1:20-22 [HCSB])

“Therefore God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:9-11 [KJV])

You will be amazed at the unimaginable and wonderful things that God can do for you. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinth 2:9) God has now reconciled man to Himself through His dear Son Jesus Christ who is the visible image of Himself and the best we can do is to give thanks always to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ our lord and Saviour. “Giving thanks unto the Father, which has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:” (Col 1:12-22 [KJV])

Amen.