Intensify

Dear friends and family,

“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.'” — Mark 4:35

If we’re honest, many of us are walking through challenging days. There are pressures at work, concerns about family, financial uncertainty, health battles, and spiritual opposition that seems relentless. Some are facing storms they never expected. Others are carrying burdens that few people know about. Yet in the middle of every challenge, God is still speaking.

There is seldom, if ever, unchallenged ground in this life. But for every problem, there is a promise. For every opposition, there is an opportunity. For every demonic wind that rises against us, God has supernatural provision to carry us through.

In Mark chapter 4, Jesus had spent the day teaching the crowds. Instruction had been given. The disciples had heard the Word. Then Jesus said something that changed everything: “Let us cross over to the other side.”

Notice that the storm came after the Word.

The disciples were not in trouble because they were out of God’s will. They were in the storm because they were obeying God’s will. The same day they received a Word from the Lord, the wind began to blow and the waves began to beat against the boat.

Storms are no respecter of persons. They come to the wise and the unwise alike. A storm is anything that attempts to keep you from becoming what God has declared you can become. Storms distract, distort, deceive, and ultimately seek to destroy.

But here’s the good news: Jesus was in the boat.

The storm did not disturb Him. What concerned Him was the reaction of the disciples. Fear had replaced faith. They were looking at the waves instead of the Word.

Remember this: Jonah was in a storm because of disobedience. The disciples were in a storm because of obedience. Learn to identify the source of your storm. God does not rebuke Himself. If God told you to go, then He will provide the grace to get there.

Obedience is the place where God meets us. With obedience comes opposition, but opposition is often the qualification for your next level. Abraham discovered multiplication. Isaac discovered joy. Jacob discovered change. Each moved to a different level through challenges, not around them.

So kick it up a notch!

Remember what God has done. Remember what He has done for you. And remember that somebody’s deliverance may be waiting on the other side of your obedience.

Don’t let the storm define your future. Keep your eyes on the Word, trust the One in the boat, and let’s go higher.

Blessings,

Mikel