God is with you through every single moment of your life. Because He is constantly present, we do not need to give in to fear or anxiety. Even when we are experiencing the consequences of our own choices, we can trust that Christ is protecting us and look to Him for how to respond.
When Jesus was in the middle of a raging storm, He experienced complete peace. He calls us to adopt that same mindset. When we step into Christ’s peace, our anxiety fades, our bodies relax, and we gain the mental and spiritual clarity to decide our next steps.
The Gospel accounts in Matthew 8, Mark 4, and Luke 8 show us how Jesus handled the storm. While the disciples panicked over the crashing waves, Jesus stood up and commanded the wind and sea to be quiet and still. Through His authority, the chaotic environment had to submit. Because Christ lives in us, we also have the spiritual authority to speak peace over our situations and tell the chaos to stop.
I learned this firsthand as a school administrator working in a high-tension neighborhood. On mornings when I prayed for God’s peace to cover the campus, the day was consistently calm and orderly. On days I forgot, the surrounding community’s chaos would quickly creep into the school. The moment I realized my mistake, I would pause, enter into prayer, and watch the atmosphere shift. Even now in retirement, as president of my HOA, I see the same pattern: when I fail to surrender my morning to God, tension builds; when I stop to pray, peace returns.
If you are currently navigating a storm—even one brought on by your own mistakes—do not simply give up and accept the chaos. Step forward in faith. Treat the situation for what it is: a storm that must yield to the Lord. Speak to it with the authority given to you through Jesus Christ.
Remember His promise in Mark 11:23: if you speak to the mountain in faith without doubting, it will be moved.
Scripture Summaries
Matthew 8:23–27: Jesus gets into a boat, a great storm arises while he sleeps, the disciples wake him to save them, and he rebukes the wind and the sea to create a great calm.
Mark 4:36–41: Jesus is in the stern sleeping on a cushion when a fierce squall swamps the boat; he wakes up, commands the waves to “Quiet! Be still!” and asks his disciples why they lack faith.
Luke 8:22–25: Jesus and his disciples set sail, a storm fills the boat with water, they cry out that they are drowning, and he orders the storm to stop.
are built upon deception and error, perpetuated by Satan. The global news is one mechanism used to create strongholds today. Rarely do we view ‘good’ news stories. Why, because these stories would dilute the stronghold of deception, hate, oppression, and depression.
The only way we can demolish strongholds is through the transformation of the way we think. Our thinking is governed by what we know, what we are taught, what we see, what we hear, and what we feel. In essence, much of what we know is informed through emotions. We must renew our minds by cleansing it of deceptions, errors, and lies by reading and studying the Word of God. We cannot allow ourselves to conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will. Romans 12:2 NIV.
Satan builds strongholds by reminding us of our past failures and sins. He keeps us in bondage threw doubt, anger, fear, and shame. He works to create an environment of self-hate and self-loathing and uses them to tear down our faith which says we are worthy. He uses our sins to gain a foothold. Extra-marital affairs are an example. There is temptation, desire, and lust, followed by action, twisting the truth, which in turn fosters shame, lying and guilt. Satan convinces us that God rejects us because of our sins and we are unworthy of God’s forgiveness and love.
The only way to break the stronghold is through repentance and the renewing of our mind. We must put on the Armor of God and read the scriptures that offer strength and truth to overcome our strongholds. I think we can all admit that we have experienced strongholds we are not proud of, but with prayer have overcome.
Lisa’s Daily Inspirations 