“Peace. Be still” (Mark 4:39).
When the disciples woke Jesus because they were scared of the storm, He was upset with them. Not because they tried to calm the storm and failed, but because they had put their trust only in what Jesus could do for them, instead of what they could do in Him. They missed the opportunity to release the faith and grace He had been teaching them to live in. Not only could they have stopped the storm, they missed the greater miracle of having so much peace they could have just slept through it.
All of us have storms—painful, complex, and overwhelming circumstances. Some have raged on for years. I would never presume to tell you that all you need to do is religiously snap your fingers to make them stop, or to stuff your feelings down and pretend they don’t exist. Jesus acknowledged in John 16 there are some serious trials and challenges in this world. But He also said you can take heart—choose to live boldly and brilliantly—because He has already overcome the world.
Don’t let circumstances overwhelm the truth that you are the completely loved child of God. Don’t let someone else’s negative reality overwrite your Godly one. I know from experience that God has made available to you all the peace you need to face the storms, all the faith you need to overcome them, and all the grace you need to become the joyful, whole, brilliant, confident, powerful person that He sees you as. From a place of intimacy with Jesus you can confidently speak life, hope, joy, determination, and peace into your life. When you speak over yourself what God has said over you, you are more powerful than any storm.
The storm is not your identity. Your identity is who you’re becoming in Christ as you face and overcome it.
Equip Your Spirit 