TGN: DO YOU TRUST JESUS?

Daily Prayer: Order my steps in Your Word, dear LORD. Order my tongue, guide my feet, wash my heart in your word. Show me how to walk, show me how to talk, in Your Word. Show me how to let Your praises ring in Your Word. For Your Word is everything. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen

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Mark 4:35-41 (NLT)
Jesus Calms the Storm

35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake." 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?"
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. "Even the wind and waves obey him!"

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Most of the disciples spent their time in the water, if you remember- a majority of them were fishermen. But these men panicked during this squall. They panicked because the storm threatened to destroy them all, and Jesus seemed unaware and unconcerned. Theirs was a physical storm, but the Bible speaks to us figuratively, symbolically and literally. In this instance, we can relate this to the storms of life circumstances that blow in and out of our lives. Sometimes with a mission to destroy; but what is out to destroy us, God is always able to turn it to our good. Do you know this? Do you believe this? Do you live on this?

Get this, the disciples lived with Jesus, but they underestimated Him. They did not see that His power applied to their very own situation. Jesus is with us, and yet many, like the disciples, underestimate His power to handle crises in our lives. The disciples did not yet know enough about Jesus. We do not have the same excuse...

Think about the storms in your life-the situations that cause you great anxiety Whatever your difficulty, you have 2 options: (1) You can worry and assume that Jesus no longer cares, or (2) you can resist fear, putting your trust in Him. It's natural for us to panic when life seems like it is unraveling, flooded with issues, blown in every direction. To you, Jesus may seem unaware and unconcerned, because He isn't moving fast enough for you. But this is a lie! When you feel like panicking, confess your need for God and then trust Him to care for you. When you confess it, live in that trust. Don't go back to worrying about that storm, because when you do- that does not equate to TRUST in God. Does it? --- NO!

I wanted to share some of my personal notes taken from my journal this week of things I know without a doubt, after reading these verses: (1) God has no intentions to harm me. (2) Even when I can't perceive it, God is with me and taking care of everything.

And therefore, I stand upon this and not what may be turned upside down before me. For it really is only for a moment. Greatness is on the other side, when I just live in that trust. And what peace we have when we live in this trust. We make the storm worse when we don't just trust in Him.

DO YOU TRUST JESUS?

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Personal Prayer: LORD, you have declared that you know the plans You have for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future. Thank You Father. I trust You. Where You see any lack in my trust, gently guide me in the right direction of Whom all of my help comes from, in everything. In Your Name Jesus, I pray and believe. Amen (Jeremiah 29:11).

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United We Serve: January 18th - The deadline to sign up for the opportunity at Belvedere Middle School (Los Angeles, Ca) with me, has been extended to January 13th at 8a. Please reply to this email if you're down to commit. Confirmations will now be sent January 14th.

For other opportunities: www.volunteermatch.org
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/index?name=Give-A-Day-Get-A-Disney-Day

1 Peter 4:10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace...
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Resources: biblegateway.com, NIV Women's Devotional Bible- Classic Edition, Life Application Study Bible, "Order My Steps," by GMWA Women of Worship (prayer).

Spread The Good News: www.thegoodnews4yourlife.blogspot.com "Providing you with what you already have access to in the most convenient way. So that we all can continue to grow in wisdom & understanding of God." LT

What makes us special is... The signature of God on our lives. To the new beginnings of 2010.