Why Some Storms Just Won’t Quit (Part 1)

 

Matthew 7:24-27 CEV “Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock. Anyone who hears my teachings and doesn't obey them is like a foolish person who built a house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Finally, it fell with a crash.”

You have conquered your fear of the storms that have been troubling you, but things don’t seem to be any different. You may say, “Pastor, something must still be wrong with my life or things would really begin to change. My storm just keeps getting worse and worse and seems to have no conclusion”

That thought leads many people to the mistaken conclusion that the Word of God isn’t working in their life. They evaluate how well they are dong the Word only in the one area of life in which they are having trouble. In other words, if the storm is in the area of finances, they only check their obedience to the Word in matters such as tithing or giving. The problem is a failure to obey the Word in just one area of your life can leave you open you to storms in another.

Don’t make the mistake of deciding whether or not you are doing the Word by just evaluating the area in which the crisis has come. Be honest with yourself. You know God’s Word is true. Realize that if a storm is shaking you, it isn’t anybody else’s fault. God says, "If you do the Word, you’ll pass through this adversity without even being shaken." Ask God to simply show you where you are not doing the Word and He will.

At this point I need to address those of you who might be saying to yourselves, "I don’t know all of the Word yet. I’ve only been saved a short time. I haven’t even read all of the Word, much less know it. How am I ever going to make it?"

You’re not responsible for every truth and principle in the Word. You are responsible for the Word you’ve heard. Obviously, you can’t walk in the light you don’t have or do the Word you haven’t heard. However, you can’t avoid hearing the Word just to remain unaccountable personally for it.

Storms are going to affect us all in our lifetime. But some storms just don’t ever seem to quit. They last and last and last! So what does the Bible have to say about this?
-Some storms won’t quit because of disobedience. Disobedience is probably a close second to fear in creating continuous storms that affect us in all areas of our lives! Some storms come simply because of disobedience.

Please don’t misunderstand God doesn’t bring storms to punish you. But disobedience is another way of saying a failure to do the Word will open you to a storm you might otherwise have barely even noticed.

Jonah could have stopped his storm (not to mention three days in the belly of a great fish), if he hadn’t disobeyed God.

Jonah 1:1-4 CEV “One day the LORD told Jonah, the son of Amittai, to go to the great city of Nineveh and say to the people, "The LORD has seen your terrible sins. You are doomed!" Instead, Jonah ran from the LORD. He went to the seaport of Joppa and bought a ticket on a ship that was going to Spain. Then he got on the ship and sailed away to escape. But the LORD made a strong wind blow, and such a bad storm came up that the ship was about to be broken to pieces.”

Verses 13-17 “The sailors tried their best to row to the shore. But they could not do it, and the storm kept getting worse every minute. So they prayed to the LORD, "Please don't let us drown for taking this man's life. Don't hold us guilty for killing an innocent man. All of this happened because you wanted it to." Then they threw Jonah overboard, and the sea calmed down. The sailors were so terrified that they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made all kinds of promises. The LORD sent a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.”

Chapter 2:2-10 The Message “Then Jonah prayed to his God from the belly of the fish. He prayed: "In trouble, deep trouble, I prayed to God. He answered me. From the belly of the grave I cried, 'Help!' You heard my cry. You threw me into ocean's depths, into a watery grave, with ocean waves, ocean breakers crashing over me. I said, 'I've been thrown away, thrown out, out of your sight. I'll never again lay eyes on your Holy Temple. The ocean gripped me by the throat. The ancient Abyss grabbed me and held tight. My head was all tangled in seaweed at the bottom of the sea where the mountains take root. I was as far down as a body can go, and the gates were slamming shut behind me forever-Yet you pulled me up from that grave alive, O God, my God! When my life was slipping away, I remembered God, and my prayer got through to you, made it all the way to your Holy Temple. Those who worship hollow gods, god-frauds, walk away from their only true love. But I'm worshiping you, God, calling out in thanksgiving! And I'll do what I promised I'd do! Salvation belongs to God!" Then God spoke to the fish, and it vomited up Jonah on the seashore.”