Jentezen Franklin Daily Devotional (December 5, 2024) A Storm Survivor Handbook.
“Last night, an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul.’” Acts 27:23-24
In 1991, in Oracle, Arizona, an experiment called Biosphere Two was conducted. Scientists created an environment to emulate the real world, complete with a desert, a rainforest, and even an ocean. They put two people in this sphere to live for two years. They grew their own food. What they found was that everything could thrive except for the trees. The trees bent under the weight of their fruit and would snap and break. They figured out the cause of this was that scientists were unable to reproduce storms and winds in the biosphere. They realized that weathering storms is integral to building the strength of trees.
When you go through a storm in life, you need to understand that you are not just going through it; you’re growing through it. That’s God’s plan and purpose. In Acts 27, Paul and a crew of sailors were involved in a severe storm. The first thing they did in verse 17 was “They used cables to undergird the ship.” They braced the boat up so it wouldn’t fall to pieces. One of the first things you should do to survive a storm of life is brace up your mind with the Word of God. You have to take control of your thoughts. When you are in a marital, financial, or health-related storm, you don’t just let things fall apart. You brace your mind with God’s promises. You don’t make decisions based on your feelings or allow your carnal mind to keep you dwelling on everything bad that could happen. You declare the truth about your circumstances.
If you are sick, you pull out scriptures like 1 Peter 2:24, “By His stripes, we are healed.” If you feel discouraged, brace yourself up with the truth that “Where you begin will seem unimportant because your future will be so successful.” (Job 8:7) When you start to believe the lie that you are insignificant, declare, “Before I was in my mother’s womb, He called me and ordained me and numbered my days.” (Psalm 139:14) When your marriage hits a crisis, begin to declare 1 Corinthians 13:8, “Love never fails.” When you are in a financial storm, pull out Malachi 3:10 and say, “God will begin to open the windows of Heaven over my life and pour out such blessings that there will not be room enough to receive it.” When Jesus was up against opposition from the enemy, He simply said, “It is written,” and declared the truth about His circumstances. Bracing yourself up with God’s Word will help you survive any storm, no matter how menacing it may be.
