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Acts 27

Paul was being transported as a prisoner even though he was about to be set free.

Paul warns of bad weather, (hurricane season) to stop sailing but the crew didn’t listen to him.
He warned them of there being possible

1. Shipwreck

2. Losing of Cargo
3. Losing of lives

They set sail anyways ignoring his warning. Remember he was just “a prisoner”.

An angel appeared to him letting him know that no lives will be lost in this storm but the boat and cargo will be lost. The angel also told him that they’ll shipwreck on an island.

Acts 27:29

Points out that the crew was “Afraid so they tried to abandon ship” even though God promised safety to them.

Point #1. When things look SCARY but the Lord gave you a promise, don’t look to the circumstances but hold tight to the promise, be obedient even if afraid.

The sailors were going to abandon ship and get on the lifeboat that was much smaller, thinking it was a better option.

Point #2. When things in life/circumstances look scary, don’t settle for something that “looks” like the only option to safety, stand on God’s promise, because that “lifeboat” (safe option) may infact be the very boat that takes out your life.

Paul told them not to go on it, that they will surely die. They needed to ride out the storm in the ship that God promised them safety in.

When it was the right time, they were instructed to JUMP out of the boat and swim to safety, leaving everything behind in the crashing waves as the ship sank.

Point #3
There IS a time to take that leap of Faith in our obedience, and when we do, it will look scary. But in God’s perfect timing, we are to take that leap, but then we have work to do, we have to SWIM. We aren’t to jump in and sink or float. We are to swim to the island, swim to the land of safety that the Lord promised us.

As I read this chapter the Lord really highlighted these things to me.

1. Stand on God’s Promises – despite circumstances.
2. Don’t settle for what looks safe or comfortable. The enemy is a deceiver!
3. There is a time to act, and in that perfect timing we are to be quick to listen and obey the Lord’s leading, and work hard. We will reap the safety – blessing of it.

This is such a strong example that faith isn’t believing nothing bad will happen to you. It’s believing that we serve a God who is loving and cares for us. Who will protect us through trials and even if we have to go through the trials we will not be alone. This was my belief during the beginning of covid outbreak back in 2020. I believed that no weapon formed against our household would prosper. I believed that we wouldn’t get covid. But I also said, but even if we did, I believe the Lord will see us through it. I had such strong faith during that season. That year. Is every year and season such a strong level of faith in my big God? Not necessarily. I too struggle with fear at times, but one thing I know is that my heavenly Father is a good and loving one. He is with me no matter what I face. There was other circumstances in the past that I prayed for, believed for, and had faith for, but in my prayer I would tell the Lord even if he doesn’t change the circumstances, even if things didn’t go my way, I would still serve him. I would never blame him. I pray for his will to be done and not mine. I would declare his word over the situation. I would speak life. Faith is more then just never speaking negatively, it’s believing in the one true God and trusting your life into his hands, no matter what the outcome is!

Daniel 3:16‭-‬18 NLT says,

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Child birth and recovery can look different for every mother and it can be different with every birth. Here is my recent experience with baby boy #4 that I don’t remember experiencing with my others.

Baby blues. I’ve heard of post Parfums depression before, I even experienced it to some degree with my first child. But I never heard of baby blues until the hospital with my 4th son. They briefly mentioned it and gave me a booklet with info to take home. I actually read this very helpful post child birth care book (more like a large panflit) and it was extremely informative. What is baby blues? Well apparently it differs from ppd with the timing of it. It often sets in on the 3rd or 4th day (4th day for me once I got home from the hospital) where all of a sudden I started experiencing weepiness. Like not a tearful moment but boohoo weeping for what felt like no reason at all. It also shouldn’t last more then a week of two. It’s your hormones adjusting. I loved my baby, I loved my other children. I wasn’t even overwhelmed. I just would have sudden moments of weepiness and sadness come over me. I wasn’t alone but I felt lonely. It didn’t help that I am also a physical touch person and well my husband was trying to give me space to heal but what I really needed was extra touch, hugs, affection. Mind you I had my 4th csection so my husband was trying to be respectful to my recovery and not be too much to me. I didn’t communicate I was going thru this for 2 days. So now im 6 days post birth, and 2 days of weepiness. I told my husband I needed more affection and I was all over the place with emotions. He listened and tried to help. But it wasn’t til I told him how much I was crying and was real about how sad I was. He then encouraged me and prayed with me. He started to increase my hugs (so needed for me) and be more intentional with checking how I was doing and not being left alone so much. I understand how hard it is for husband’s who aren’t experiencing physical healing to their bodies to just stay home and help out with the kids and just “be there” but husband’s, that’s so necessary to your wife’s healing. Emotionally and physically. Its not the time to do big home projects or be doing outdoor chores. It’s the time to sit on the couch with your wife and talk to her, hold her, hold the baby, tend to the hungry, thirsty, and messy older siblings. It’s the time to see a mess and clean it up so mom doesn’t have to look at what she can’t clean up herself because she is healing. It’s the time to just be there for your family. Even if you’re bored scrolling on your phone or watching TV. It’s the time to change the diaper of the toddler without your wife having to ask you. It’s not the time to make a bunch of commitments to events and other people. It’s the time to simply “be there”. Your wife may say she is fine, and she may be fine, but she will be great if she knows you’re choosing to set aside your agenda and plans to just be there for her and your family. Show her that you care. If you can set aside time to minister to a friend in the middle of your work day, you can set aside time to take her to her and babies Dr. Appointments.

If you know me, you know that I homeschool our children. We are blessed to be having our 4th boy in the end of July 2022!

With boys comes all things boyish, and dinosaurs are one of those things that fascinate them! I do a variety of homeschool curriculum per child, as I find one curriculum doesn’t seem to serve every child nor does it serve every subject to every child well. We do need to mix it up every now and again and we decided to use Gatherround Curriculum by Rebecca Spooner. We are using the Dinosaur unit. After looking at it, I feel as though there is a lot of good in it, I don’t personally feel that it is enough to be the curriculum as a whole. In order to meet where my children are at. So we decided to do it on our “fun fridays” as our schooling and we add reading (all about reading) and math (the good and the beautiful). This is what I’m doing for my second grader. My kindergartener isn’t as into that style of learning as he instead loves doing abeka and coloring (where as my oldest son didn’t like to color at that age nor did he enjoy abeka!) So we are doing the fun aspects of the dinosaur unit for him. It’s important to remember that every child is different. They learn differently and they enjoy doing things differently. My oldest loved and currently loves free hand drawing, cutting, and only coloring his creations. My second son loves coloring already drawn pictures, and trying to get him to try to draw is like pulling teeth. He doesn’t enjoy cutting. And he rather sit and have me read to him and him to I.

Anyways, all that said to say here is lesson 1, day 1 of our dinosaur unit study from Gatherround.

It was a good day but honestly I found it more work and exhausting doing school this way! Lol

 

    The Lord wants to give you a responsive heart. He is cutting away the dead and bringing to life things in you that he put in you that has been long hidden away by the dead things that no longer are sustaining you. Allow and trust him in this process.

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. Ezekiel 36:26 NLT

As I was worshipping Jesus the other night, the Lord graciously reminded me of a word that he spoke to me 3 years prior. “God does not just mend the broken hearted but he gives us a new heart.” I heard him speaking to my spirit the words “scars and scabs”, you see everyone has them. Whether it be physical scars or emotional scars. We all have them.

When I reflect on my past, it’s like reopening old wounds by picking at a scab. It feels as though I’m reopening all the pain and hurt from before. The Holy spirit spoke to me, “NO MARY. I don’t leave scabs or scars. I heal, as in made completely new.” He throws the old completely out. He makes us a new creation in Christ Jesus. The only reason we have scars is because on earth we allow ourselves to have them by never surrendering it all to him and no longer thinking on it. A scar differs from a scab in that once healed, it no longer causes pain.

 

Where as a scab remains in pain. A scab is still in the process of healing and can be easily hurt or reopened with pressure. Once fully healed, a scar serves as a reminder of past events without causing any pain. It leaves a mark. When we go through life and have pain, physical or emotional pain, we go through a healing process. The duration of this healing process can vary significantly, depending on the depth of the wound. The good news is, there’s a way to experience accelerated healing without any scabs or scars. A healing that allows you to move forward without constant reminders of the past. There is a solution. There is an answer, His name is Jesus Christ.

You don’t have to revisit the old pain or the person you used to be. You can leave behind those reminders of your past pain and move forward. You can live in total and complete freedom in Jesus! One moment in God’s presence can make you whole and healed. He will transform you from the inside out. Don’t waste any more time, and let the transformation happen within you through His precious healing touch. Embrace the new heart you’re being given. You’re no longer defined by being broken, wounded, or scared; you’re made new. That is what the bible speaks of when it says to be born again!

[5] Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. [6] Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. [7] So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ John 3:5-7 NLT

In Christ Jesus you can be BORN AGAIN & SPIRIT FILLED! Receive the Holy Spirit, repent of your sins. Ask Jesus to fill you with his Spirit. Believe in Him that he died and rose again 3 days later to bare our sins. He did this so we can live freely for Him. We get to dedicated our lives to him and serve him as our Lord and Master. In doing this, we are given a new heart, His Spirit, and our sins are forgiven. We are reborn, born Again!

 

“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
Luke 8:11‭-‬15 NKJV

Jesus is telling us how some people are “Christ followers” or “Christians”, when asked if they know Jesus they’ll answer yes. However, in these verses the Lord is telling us and showing us how some will receive him in which it will take deep root and grow. Without the growth of the harvest, to my understanding, it sounds to me as they are not even followers of Jesus. The bible refers to us believers being known by our fruit, however if we never fully mature to grow fruit (bare it) then are we not actually a Christ follower?

You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Matthew 7:16-18 NKJV

➡️Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.⬅️
Matthew 7:19-20 NKJV

By these scriptures it sounds to me, that in a believers life, there should be growth. If there is no growth and no harvest, that they will be “cut down”. Just as in pruning dead branches off of a tree, to keep the health of the tree well and growing. These scriptures talk about the entire tree being bad though, not just pruning branches! So if we aren’t growing in our faith walk, we could be cut off. This is super eye opening and what an awakening!!!

To be a Christ follower requires action. You see you must follower Jesus, that means there is movement. So if you’re dead your not moving or growing.

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Luke 8:4‭-‬8 NKJV

These are really important scriptures to study and pray about. Allow God to prune away any dead branches in your heart so that your heart can revived and awakened to follow Jesus whole heartedly once again! We don’t want to be cut off from the Father for our lack of discipleship and faithfulness.

This isn’t to say that all immature believers won’t inherit the kingdom of God, because we all start from being a baby and drinking milk. However, as in a healthy baby, there is growth and development. When a baby isn’t healthy there isn’t growth or development. So it’s totally ok to start off as a undeveloped believer because it takes time to develop. However there should be some development over time.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Hebrews 5:12‭-‬14 NKJV

Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?
1 Corinthians 3:1‭-‬4 NLT

You decide for yourself after studying the Word. To me, with my understanding, if you aren’t actively pursuing Jesus then you aren’t a follower of him. It’s that simple.

Jesus speaking

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
Matthew 7:21 NKJV

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?”
Luke 6:46 NKJV

Jesus is addressing those who call Him Lord but don’t actually make him their Lord. He is addressing those who call on his name but don’t actually love him by following his teachings.

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
John 14:21 NKJV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22

He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
John 14:24 NKJV

The word can’t be more straight forward then that.

If you say you love Jesus but your life doesn’t show that you’re following in his ways, you haven’t really made him Lord of your life. Sure, maybe a friend of yours, that you sometimes think about and sometimes check in on. You may even ask a favor from him  from time to time. But if you haven’t surrendered your entire being to him, if you haven’t given him your all which includes your actions, then he isn’t truly your Lord. He is your friend. However, Jesus came to be so much more then just your friend that you occasionally have a chat with. He came to be your reason for breathing. Your reason for waking up in the morning. The hard reality is, if we don’t follow him and how he lived, and lives, (through his Spirit and word) then we don’t actually love him. We like the idea of him. There is a difference of tending to a marriage day in and day out, and then just enjoying the idea of marriage. You like the idea of having someone to love, and cuddle whenever you want to, someone to lean on when you’re struggling with something, but when you have a disagreement, and things get hard, you no longer want to submit to his authority. You no longer want to seek his counsel. Your opinion overrides what you know you ought to do. You allow your feelings to dictate your choices rather then his words.

I don’t know why I’m sharing this other then the simple fact of me having this revelation as I read his word this morning. Jesus is supposed to be our spouse. The bible calls him the bridegroom to the church. What that means is that we are his bride. We are to marry Jesus. If he is our spouse,  we are to spend time with him everyday, let him know he is loved by us. Just as investing into a real life marriage it takes time (even years!) Before we see a change. Things may even feel a little dull and you don’t want to, but you keep seeking his attention while giving him yours. You never stop working it out and working together. Just like in marriage, you keep on working at it. What you receive in the next season is a result in what you sow into this season.

What will you be harvesting next season?

Is Jesus just a friend? Or is he your lover and Lord?

If he is infact in the friend zone and you haven’t made him Lord over your Life, it’s not too late. Repent of your sins, turn to him, and chase after everything that he says and who he is. I promise you that you do not have to have everything perfect or be totally cleaned up. Just run after him, the more you seek him, the more you will find him. He will help clean you up along the journey.

It’s time to cling to Jesus as you should your spouse. If you are no longer married, or never been, then it should be even easier to give your everything to Jesus. It’s time to get intimate with Jesus again by seeking his attention and giving him yours.

“For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!
Jeremiah 2:13 NLT

What is a cistern?

A cistern was a pit cut in limestone rock, lined with plaster to prevent collected rainwater from seeping out.

Broken cisterns that cannot hold water, describe what the Israelites have created apart from God.

We can be like the Israelites in this story.
When we try to do things on our own merit and our own strength we are doing things apart from God. When we do things apart from God, we are making other things idols. In doing this our cistern becomes dry because we are no longer seeking the Living water (him!). The longer it remains dry, the easier it will become cracked, when it rains, the water seeps out of the cracks. The living water doesn’t remain in a cracked and broken cistern. We need to ask the Lord to mend and heal our broken hearts (cisterns) so that the living water (Jesus) can overflow from our hearts. Fill us with your living water Lord. We want more of you and your presence.

The beauty in this analogy is that a cistern is easily accessed to drink out of with a cup or your hands cupped.

You can drink from it anytime, with drinking the Living Water daily it never dries out It keeps filling up as long as you keep drinking from it.

We will remain thirsty as long as we don’t take a fresh sip of Jesus daily. We can’t live off of yesterday’s drink. Everyday we need water, everyday we need the living water (Jesus).

Thirst no more. Drink from the overflowing living water, drink up, he is the only one that will satisfy your thirst.

Our cisterns should run deep, don’t let it go dry.

If our cisterns are dried up and cracked, it won’t refill properly and instead will just become muddy and unclear.

In Jeremiah 38 he talks about how Jeremiah had a word from the Lord, it was to surrender to their enemies because the Lord was going to deliver them, but the officials thought he was a trader so they threw him in an empty cistern. Basically they threw him in a pit. This cistern was empty so the ground was muddy.

So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it.
Jeremiah 38:6 NLT

Did you catch that? There was a thick layer of mud on the bottom and Jeremiah sank down into it.

So the king told Ebed-melech, “Take thirty of my men with you, and pull Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies.”
Jeremiah 38:10 NLT

You need to let the Lord pull you out of this place of disparity before you keep sinking deeper into the mud. Don’t die in the empty muddy cistern. Don’t die in the wallowing of disparity. Allow him to pull you out, and then fill yourself up with his word and worship him! When you do this your cistern will fill up and you can start drinking again from it daily. However to fill it up again once you’ve allowed it to become so empty, you need to submerge yourself into the things of God, into all His glory and His presence. The quickest way to get full again is total submergtion. Then you can drink easily from his living water, you can drink off the top of it. You can enjoy each day going from his Glory to his Glory.

On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.” Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same.
Mark 14:27‭-‬31 NLT

Never think, never you.

Peter, a lover of Jesus, one of Jesus’ disciples and bff’s swore he would never deny Jesus, and yet he did. When we have this “never me” mentality we are being full of pride, in which pride comes before a great fall. We would like to think “never me, Lord” but truth be told, we all can stray. We all can get caught up with sin. Some may seem worse then others in the eyes of man, but all are equal in the eyes of the Lord. So instead of saying never me, let’s seek first his kingdom, stripping away anything that Holds us down and run this race towards Jesus. Not looking back, not saying never me, but just humbly staying close to the intimacy of Jesus, ready to repent when we start to stray.

In the moments we feel like we are so strong and unbreakable are the very moments Satan will try to cause strife and division. He will try to get in any cracks we leave open, so make sure we stand guard and keep our 🪔 oil lamps full, (keep ourselves full of the word) so that we will be ready to recognize anything that isn’t God.
Remember Satan is a deceiver and father of all lies. And he is really good at his job. He knows how to entice christians, he may even use false teachers, and prophets, and teachings, so stay alert. If you can’t back it with the word of God, if you can’t find it in the bible, it’s not God.

Jesus is the same today, yesterday, and forever.

Every single one of the disciples deserted Jesus when the time came that it mattered. Even if you think never you, be alert, it may be you. Stay close to the feet of Jesus, don’t stray at all, because it’s a slippery slope.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.

🤦‍♀️ For apart from me you can do nothing. 👌🏼

Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers.
Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 🔥

💙 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
John 15:4‭-‬8 NLT

Jesus uses parables often in scripture when teaching. You may be wondering why that is, as did I. Here is what I found…

When the disciples asked him this very question in Matthew this was Jesus’ response:

He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.”
Matthew 13:11‭-‬13 NLT read on thru verses 14 and 15.

The reason Jesus uses parables are simply because he wants us to hunger and thirst for him. To better know him and understand him the closer we need to follow him. If you want understanding, keep listening to his word. Dive deeper into his word and teachings to better know his heart. He wants all of us. All of our hearts and surrenderance. Does this mean we will be perfect little Christian’s? Absolutely not! But what this does mean, is the more we grow closer to the heart of Jesus the more his desires become ours. He should be our greatest influencer.

Something the Lord has been reminding me is to show myself approved. Now this isnt to show myself “better than” anybody, this isn’t to show myself worthy of salvation, salvation is a free gift, no amount of our effort can take that away or change that. However the bible says this:

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus. They have left the path of truth, claiming that the resurrection of the dead has already occurred; in this way, they have turned some people away from the faith. –

(Can we just take a moment and read that last sentence again ☝🏻, we can turn some people away from the faith with our gossiping words)

– But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”
2 Timothy 2:15‭-‬19 NLT

We can’t do this turning away from evil on our own. The sooner we understand that the better. We have to ask the Lord to give us the strength to do so, we have to ask fellow believers for encouragement, prayer and accountability. We have to humble ourselves before the Lord and own our crap before him. Confessing our sins. Repenting to him. With a changed heart. A heart that no longer wants to serve ourselves over serving him. It won’t be easy and it isn’t about us trying harder. Its simply turning to Jesus and being real with him. And honestly being real with a friend helps a lot too.