Your Storm Shelter (2)
“You have been…a shelter from the storm.” Isa 25:4 NIV
To be prepared for life’s storms you must: (1) Know your storm manual. The hymnist wrote: “Standing on the promises that cannot fail, when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, Standing on the living Word I shall prevail, standing on the promises of God.” Emotion-based faith is like a broken crutch; it won’t support you in life’s storms. It’s fair-weather Christianity and it doesn’t work. God’s Word stands sure; it’s greater than surrounding conditions and will enable you to outlast any storm. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col 3:16 NIV). Keep a rich deposit of Scripture within you at all times so you can make a withdrawal when you need it. Withstanding life’s storms depends on your willingness to “[Hear] these words…and [put] them into practice” (Mt 7:24 NIV). So, memorize the Scriptures; read them until, if you’re cut, you bleed Scripture. Meditate on God’s Word until it fills and shapes your consciousness. When the storm came, Job said, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12 NKJV). (2) Storm-proof yourself through prayer. Many of us treat prayer like a visit to the emergency room; until then we neglect it. Imagine where Daniel would have been if he’d held off praying until he was staring down the lion’s throat? Not a smart move. Instead, in his time of crisis Daniel drew on faith built by a lifestyle of daily prayer. And in your crisis, you too can make withdrawals from your account—as long as you’ve been faithful to make regular deposits.
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