Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, ‘Go jump in the lake’—no shuffling or hemming and hawing—and it’s as good as done.” Mark 11:22–23 (MSG)
I’ve noticed that many of us like to talk about the difficulties in our lives. Often, it’s because we receive sympathy and feel comforted as people identify with us.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying it’s wrong to share what we’re going through with others. But as long as we’re just talking about storms, we’re not actually dealing with them.
Matthew 8:23-26 shows how Jesus dealt with storms. He didn’t talk about them; He spoke to them—a big difference! While crossing the lake with His disciples, “a violent storm developed, with waves so high the boat was about to be swamped” (Matthew 8:24, TPT). The disciples began to panic, but Jesus slept soundly in the boat.
Frantic and fearful, they woke Him up. Now, Jesus didn’t sit up and discuss how bad the storm was with His disciples. His first words weren’t, “Wow, on a scale of one to ten, this is definitely a ten! I can’t believe the size of these waves! This wind is crazy!” No, He got up and spoke to the storm. Matthew 8:26 (TPT) says Jesus “stood and rebuked the storm, saying, ‘Be still!’ And instantly it became perfectly calm.” Notice that nothing changed until Jesus addressed the storm.
Let’s follow Jesus’ example. Make a point of spending less time talking about the mountains in your path and more time declaring God’s promises and telling those mountains where to go instead. Then, don’t be surprised to see them move off a whole lot faster!
Get encouraging devotions from Leon Fontaine in your inbox every morning.
