You don't always see the connection between your actions and the current storm. Sometimes there's a bit of time takes place before finally you start to reap the consequences of your actions and your inner storm, whether it be in your marriage, in your family, in your finances, in your personal life, in your work life and actually it's the result of neglect or the result of poor choices. You're going to have to not just pray about it and blame the devil on it. You've actually got to own and take full responsibility, you only have power over the storm if you own responsibility. The second kind of storm then is a God-directed storm, that kind of storm is to bring you to surrender. There's just some natural storms that come in life. There can be some storms which are just straight out demonic.
I want to share with you on: standing in the storms of life. How many know that storms come on us once in a while, a bit unexpected aye? Every one of us faces storms of some kind. Storms, sometimes we see them coming on the horizon, sometimes you don't see them, they just blow up, and they just come. I want to just talk about some storms, a particular storm that Jesus' disciples faced, and the Holy Spirit, in the word of God, separated out from everything that Jesus did, just some things that we need to hear about. So there's so many things, if you wrote them all down it would fill the books of the world, so the ones we see here that are written have really got something for us, so let's have a look.
On the same day when evening had come, Jesus said - Mark 4:35 - let's cross over to the other side. And when they left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was; no time to change, no time to get packed, hop in the boat and leave. And other little boats were also with Him, and a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat - it was already getting filled with water. But He was in the stern of the boat, asleep on a pillow. Isn't that wonderful aye? That's Jesus - and they awoke Him, and said to Him: teacher, don't You care we're about to die? We're perishing! And He arose, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea: peace, be still! The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Then He said to them: why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? And they were even more fearful. They feared exceedingly, and said: who can this be, even the wind and the sea obey Him!
So you notice this is a story of a storm, and how to handle a storm. Every one of us faces storms in life. This particular storm was a dramatic storm. Notice what Jesus says at the beginning. He says: let's cross over to the other side. In other words, He had an assignment for them. Jesus had in mind a territory to be reached. Jesus had a vision of a whole region of people He wanted to reach with the gospel; so when He said: let's cross over, what He's really saying is: I don't want to just stay preaching to those who've already heard the word of God. I want to go out to where people haven't heard the word of God. There's a whole territory out there, that I want to go to; and He said: let us cross over to the other side. So this is a tremendous picture for us, of God speaking about the need for us to break out of limitations, break out of comfort zones, to bring the gospel to people who never heard Him. People need to hear about Jesus Christ. The only way they're going to hear is if we bring the good news to them.
So notice the mandate they have, is to leave the comfort zone, and go out to where people haven't heard the gospel; and so they had to leave the crowd behind. It's great to be gathering and meeting like this. We have a great time, we enjoy the presence of God, but there are people around you every day that have never heard about the kingdom of God, they've never heard about a saviour who loves them. They're wrestling with storms in their life, unable to know what to do, and we've got something that can help them. It won't matter what stage you are at in your journey in your Christian life, you have something to help someone who doesn't know Christ - even if it's a simple act of kindness opens the door, but you have to cross over. You've got to cross over the great gap between: being with my friends; and being where people are who don't know Jesus. You've actually got to initiate it. Notice that Jesus said: you leave where you are, and go to where they are. It's always like that.