Overcoming "Fearsome Storms" - Purity 955

To see today's piece of art, go to mtforchrist.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's original artwork of a man reaching higher while summoning a mountaintop as he is bathed in the glory of overcoming and the light of heaven comes to us from our man in the UK, Philip Hand. For those who don't know, Philip uses his artistic talents to inspire himself and others with the encouragement that the Lord has given us all we need to overcome the trials of life and the negative thoughts that can tempt us and threaten to take our joy and peace. Although I have never met Philip face to face, we encourage one another in our walk of faith. And with this artwork, Philip sent along the following poem that I'm honored to share with the world. Um, the poem's name is 'Fearsome Storms' by Philip Hand, and it says: Fearsome storms rage inside my mind, broken emotions unable to define. I push up the mountainside just a little further, breaking through the storm's embrace. I stand safe above the clouds. How pure and sweet and fresh the air, skies crystal clear and blue, a vision of majesty and splendor. A wonderful place of peace for you. Perfect peace in the eye of the storm, all is still, all is calm. Perfect peace in that solitary place, seeing heaven face to face. As my heart gains the victory, I believe I'm not alone. Bigger than life, stronger than fear, My Lord has wiped away my tears. Filled with awe and wonder, I stand strong before God's throne, trusting in my Savior as he calms the raging storm. Philip knows that the power of God and His light comes through his faith in Christ by abiding in the Lord's presence and by directing his thoughts on His truth, and he uses all of his artistic talents to share this message of hope. Philip has found his freedom in Christ and seeks to point people to the truth, the way, and the life—Jesus—and encourages us all to continually put our trust in him. Well, it is Wednesday, and although I didn't plan it, Philip's mountaintop scene is perfect to represent the midpoint of another work week, and its triumphant message is appropriate for the celebratory mood I find myself in today. Last night I led the first meeting of another Freedom in Christ course for me, uh, for Freedom in Christ Ministries, and I am greatly encouraged by the men who showed up and boldly proclaimed their desire to learn, grow, and become more fruitful in their lives of faith. I am positively energized and filled with hope as I consider their testimonies and the potential that the Lord has for each one of them in the weeks ahead, as the material will encourage them to agree with who they are in Christ and to resolve any personal and spiritual conflicts through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. Freedom in Christ course is not just a class as much as it is a process of reformation— uh, transformation, as it encourages the participants to gain an experiential knowledge of their new lives in Christ as their head knowledge is taken to heart. I am positively jubilant this morning because I know what the Lord can do with this course and with these men. I know it because the Lord did it with me personally and with other men through the previous courses I've led. So last night I did my best to encourage the men to stay the course by assuring them of the truth and power of what would be taught and how it could impact the rest of their lives. The Lord did it for me and he can do it for them. So as always, I encourage anyone reading or hearing the this message to seek the Lord and to keep on walking and talking with God. When you walk with him, God will take you to new heights of freedom, victory, peace, and love that can overcome any fearsome storms. Today's Bible verses come to us from the New Living Translation Bible, Promise Book for Men. This morning's meditation verses are Romans 8:28 26 and 27, and they say: And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father, who knows all hearts, knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. Today's Bible verses encourage us with the knowledge that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses and speaks for us even when we can't express ourselves in words. In this world, there, uh, broken by sin, there will be suffering, there will be pain, and there will be death. However, the Lord has not left us alone in our afflictions. When we put our faith in Jesus, God sends the Holy Spirit to live in us as we are made spiritually alive. Through the Holy Spirit, we have a constant connection to God, a form of two-way communication, as today's verse indicates, that God will hear us in our sufferings even when we are at a loss for words. That even through our groanings, the Holy Spirit can communicate our needs to God the Father. Anyone who has walked through the fire of pain, suffering, tribulation, trials, or afflictions and has leaned on the Lord can testify that He never leaves us or forsakes us and gives us the strength to overcome situations that we would have thought to be impossible to endure. The Apostle Paul writes this from experience, as his ministry was accompanied by persecution, lack and afflictions of the mind, body, and spirit. So in your trials, it is important to remember that the Lord is with you, for it is through him that we can have peace in the storm, light in the valley, and strength in weakness. Abide in Christ and keep walking and talking with God, and he will see you through. As always, I invite all to go to mtforchrist.org, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink's The Sovereignty of God, and we're continuing in The Sovereignty of God in Reprobation, which is chapter 5, as A.W. Pink continues to go through Romans 9. So if you want to know where you're at in scripture, the different verses that are highlighted there, the vast majority come from Romans 9, as he does quite a discourse. So we're going to continue with that. If you want to check that out, it's at the end of today's blog post. And as always, we share these, you know, these resources to encourage people in their faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we have come to know the freedom, our freedom in Christ, And our purpose, like Philip's purpose, is to encourage people to follow the Lord with the way they live their lives, with the way they believe and the way they think about life and the way they live their lives. And so we call that walking in the Spirit, or we call it, you know, walking along the path of Christian discipleship, as the Holy Spirit is the discipler, as we seek to follow his will and lead for our lives, um, and to, uh, you know, to apply the word of God to our lives as we go. So we encourage people to do that because we've learned of the, uh, you know, immense value of overcoming the world, the flesh, and the devil, and have been set free in the process. So we encourage that through the lessons we share on our podcast and our YouTube channel. We share our teachings from 2021, where we taught various class— discipleship classes in our local church for Victory Over the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker, and Freedom in Christ, which are all available on the podcast and our YouTube channel. And we also encourage people to read the Word of God. It's the Word of God that, that has the power to change us and what we use to renew our minds. So we encourage the study of the Bible by providing our own Bible study with our good friends Arthur and Susanna Sincotti. We do a topical Bible study each week, and we share it on the podcast and our YouTube channel. So if you'd like to check that out, um, you would just search for Bible study with the Sincottis, and you'll see the archives go all the way back to, um, 2021. So that's all— that's a lot of Bible study discussion, uh, if you wanted to check it out. Well, it is Wednesday. I'm back to work, back to reality, and I'm looking forward to another day, and I'm looking forward to a new month on February 1st. You know, after we get through February, guys, spring is right around the corner. So here we go. We got something to be hopeful for, even though the temperatures are falling dramatically here in upstate New York. You know, the Lord has got me on a schedule that'll get me through this month rather quickly, but we still have to walk through it day by day, one step at a time. Um, next week I'll be in Syracuse, um, via, you know, doing the podcast on remote as my employer is sending me away for 8 days of training, um, to, you know, lake effect country. If you don't know what that is, that's snow coming off the Great Lakes, um, it reaches Syracuse. I know all about it. So we'll be, uh, we'll be on the road, but, um, we'll still be following the Lord no matter where we go, what we face. That's, that's the thing. That's what we do. No matter where God sends us in life, we know that he's with us and that we trust in him and lean on him to gain the strength and wisdom that we need from day to day and time to time as we take each step as it comes, as the Lord draws us into this life of purpose. So let's pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we know you're with us, and we thank you so much for your presence and your strength, because we desperately need it. And we definitely desperately need your wisdom as well. So Lord, we just pray for you to help us today. Um, we pray for you to help anyone listening or reading this message, Lord, as well. We pray for you to come alongside them and their prayer request and their walk of faith. Um, and Lord, as always, we, we pray for you to go before us today. Um, you're a sovereign God, and we know you set things up and Sometimes you set them up quite nicely, so if you could do that again, we'd greatly appreciate it. But whatever you have for us, Lord, we're going to lean on you. And so we, so we pray for you to open our eyes to the things you want us to see and lead our steps into the things you would have us do, uh, Lord. Because all we want to do is follow you, surrender to your will, and represent you here on the earth. Lord, you've given us life everlasting. And we want to live it for you. So, um, Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.