Staying Afloat

[36] And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. [37] And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. (Mark4:36-37)

Only seafarers can carefully with details explain the concept of sea storms to us in a way to lay down an adequate and concise illustration of what happened in the above verses. And more so it states that it was not just a storm, but a "great" storm. The striking thing about the story was that waves didn't just rock or toss the ship around, the intent of the waves was clearly defined... The waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. Meaning that storms are not just lurking around to give one a tickle or just a shake up, storms are meant to sink any ship. But is it not interesting that despite the fact that the waves filled the ship...... It still did not SINK!

God's plan for us is an unsinkable plan. He has built us up to stay afloat no matter the level of the storms we face. Make no mistake about it, storms must come.... But the master ensures that our ship stays afloat.

"I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me." ps69,2

Sinking occurs when there's no underlying resistance to the weight applied. This is why the psalmist clearly states that when there's no standing, Sinking occurs. In simple explanation, when the load is greater than the support, it collapses.

In my small experience as a structural engineer, a structure sinks or collapses based on some few factors which we will summarily study below....

SELF WEIGHT
Every structure has its own weight. Whether one is heavyweight, featherweight or lightweight, it doesn't matter. Our individual weights adds to the load applied on the bases under us. If you don't keep shape as a Christian it may slow you down in the race of life. Junk food can damage your health and put one out of shape. Paul said... "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (1cor9,27) Spiritual exercise as a believer helps to deal with the self weights on us. We must learn to fast, feed on the right words, be diligent to observe all relevant disciplines of the faith.

IMPOSED LOADS
In structures, imposed loads are the additional loads put on the structure. Eg if in a building, we refer to the furniture and the occupants of the house as imposed loads. Spiritually we call these extra baggage. Abraham took lot with him on his quest and he later turned out to be an extra load. The service life of any structure depends on the adherence to the specified number of users required. If this is abused, failure of the the structure is inevitable. It may be "spiritual" lots. It may range from a wrong relationship/associations, bad habits, presumptuous sins, wrong ambition/ career/vision. Etc. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us (heb12,1)

WIND LOADS
This is the type of load that the pressure that comes from the wind imposes on structures. It was the same type of load that came against the ship that Jesus was in. Both self and imposed loads are most likely to be determined by our state of living but wind loads are external. Regardless of how we live it must surely come. It's an environmental hazard. Naturally speaking, one may have little or no control over it. This is where the enemy capitalises on. He brings the wind. And the winds can affect the waters. One can face the winds of adversity, pressures from different quarters. Problems not envisaged. How do you handle this? Exactly the way Jesus handled it..... "and he arose and REBUKED the wind and said unto the sea, PEACE, BE STILL. And the wind ceased, and the was a great calm. vs39.
You don't pamper the wind, or toggle alongside it to find out what happens in the end, one must arise and rebuke it. Staying afloat will be determined majorly by how vocally aggressive we are to satanic winds. For peace and calmness to return in certain troubled parts of our life,  we must take this stand or else the end might be a disaster. When the devil shows up, we must put him where he belongs. Quit complaining about what you are going through or who wronged you or failed to help you and arise as Jesus did.

Staying afloat is a choice we all must make. Yes, God puts an adequate underlying base under us to support us, but when we don't deal with these loads we may buckle. How are the weights on you threatening God's support? He has promised a safe arrival but we must ensure we don't take his presence as a leverage for complacency.
..... "He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places." ps18,33
The calf feet is made in a way that doesn't allow it to fall over under weight when it climbs the hills. David knew this and he said that God has given him that kind of feet. No matter wot the enemy throws at us, we will not fall over. We must stay afloat in Jesus name, Amen.

Which Holyghost baptism did you receive?

Which Holyghost baptism did you receive?

We live in a time where nobody wants to follow the manual of the spirit. Where we seek for quick fixes rather than him who is the way. The Holyghost baptism experience is no longer genuine in our time, and for believers to be convinced that something is still happening another pattern is introduced that negates the original pattern as was laid down from d beginning. The type of baptism we see in most churches nowadays is a classroom teaching of alphabets, vowels and consonants of a strange language. Where the believer is taught to speak and not to receive something tangible from heaven. No wonder the church is weak, timid, tired, and busted. The average believer can't win a single soul, carry the burden of the church on his knees in prayer, operate in never-say-die faith, talkless of casting out a single demon. We speak abrakadabra yet flee at the sight of coakroaches. We copy the manifestation but lacks the impartation.

The early disciples got an infilling of the holy spirit, and He gave them utterance. An utterance means vocal expression or manner of speaking. The Holy spirit "gave" them utterance (Acts2:4). There was a filling before the speaking. And the speaking was directed and  orchestrated by the Holy ghost. But what do we have nowadays, "classroom lecturers" that believe they can engineer the methodology of the invisible one and a pure fire laden heavenly language. Some even collect offering after such charade. Even unbelievers are conscripted and taught to speak without a single iota of consideration that these are dark lost souls in need to salvation. The house of prayers has turned into a den of thieves. Charlatans marauding d temples and luring away gullible ones all in the name of power and miracles.

........."Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; They set up their ensigns for signs".....(ps74,4)

This is a clear indication that most of the roarings we hear in our churches today are not that of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Where is the shout of the king amongst us? Our case has become the case of the psalmist lamenting with deep burden saying....

We see not our signs; there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long. (Ps74,9)

But the truth is that the Holy spirit remains the only custodian and administrator of power in the body of Christ. If the church will place the Speaking before the infilling,  they would have only relegated the heavenly pattern and the Holy spirit to the background, and automatically become prey to demonic interferences and manifestations in the body of Christ. Speaking in tongues is a powerful tool for navigating the spirit realm. The devil doesn't understand its mystery and is overly weakened when  it's operation is accurately and divinely applied.

The church must seek him earnestly to be genuinely filled and empowered. He still waits for a companion, a weary and longing soul,  a pilgrim's heart so tasty for waters... Waters so divine that it springs from the rock of ages.

..... "O my dove,  that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice,  and thy countenance is comely"... Sos2:14

Finally,  let's ask ourselves.... are we a chatter box that makes earthly noises but lacks the keys that strike the chords of heavenly melody? This language is not learnt in any school or authored by man cos he neither understands it or can even start to fathom it's origin. It is a language of mysteries and voices only understood by angels, that goes straight to the heart of the throne.

Which Holy ghost baptism did you receive?