See STORMS as 'SMROTS'

Oh God! It's sweltering! In the house at 3.15pm, it appears the wind had been trapped somewhere in the horizon. In my desperation for comfort I laid on the floor in the living room, picked an inspirational magazine to read... wondering if the weather will ever change...then the thought of praying for a mighty rain sneaked into my mind...that was all I could remember as I opened my eyes at 5:45pm. I was woken by the loud crash of the pretty flower vase that sat boldly in front of an amazing artwork - "The Cross" which was placed on a cute stand at a quiet corner within the living room. What is happening? I muttered and hurriedly stood up to shockingly realize that the room was darkened.

Wow! Looking through a window, I saw the dark clouds massed on the horizon, pregnant with water...the mighty rushing wind(stormy indeed) that accompanied this darkness was howling. Joyfully, I watched the rain bucketing down,  refreshing my mood, however, painfully I had to stoop down to gather up the broken parts of the pretty flower vase and then got thinking, "When I asked God for a mighty rain unbeknown to me I also requested a storm!"

Then it dawned on me...

"The mighty wind could only blow away the flower vase on the stand. The artwork,  " the Cross" was pretty stable and unshaken.

Picture 1: Before the mighty rushing wind

Picture 2: The rushing wind brought about this new arrangement.

Then the Holy Spirit illuminated my mind to understand that;  

...After the storm, only the unshakable will remain! Everything left falls in the right order. Priorities are settled...Faith comes first!

Ultimately, after every storm, everything in the life of God's beloved is arranged to come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 

Hebrews  12: 27- 28( NKJV)

Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly. fear.

Perhaps you might want to stop reading at this point if you have already eaten enough meat. On the other hand, those who are much hungrier not just for the meat but desire to break the bones and enjoy the soft mouthfeel of the warm bone marrow in this sumptuous meal, please let's continue the feast.

Life in the storm can create as much excitement and drama as a horror movie.
Sadly, not a few Christians have given up their faith in storms, many have been overwhelmed by the pain of secret storms, became fearful, bitter and gave in to the pressure while giving God excuses to turn their backs on Him. Pathetically, instead of trusting in His enabling grace, some have gone cold and frustrated rebuking storms that God deployed to teach them invaluable wisdom which in turn will transit, even sustain them in their high places. Wake up! God is so dynamic, He doesn't need you to rebuke certain storms. Explicitly, it's not courage that some believers lack but divine information...hmm.. some of God's people are perishing for lack of knowledge of God and His ways.

You can choose to be different, your own destiny can take a lift right in your storm!

Beloved, it's not enough for you to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior, you need to know Him, and live His way for that's where the power lies. In fact, an evidence of your salvation is that your faith translates into full obedience, bearing precious fruit of the Spirit to the glory of the Father.  🍓🍓🍓

It's equally significant to know that following God can place us in stormy conditions, however we can trust God's unfailing love and guidance. In Luke 8:22, Jesus informed His disciples that it was time to advance and as they journeyed, they encountered a windstorm. The disciples tried their best to control the situation until they were frustrated leaving them with the wise choice of inviting Jesus to take control. Of course, the storm obeyed its master. Immediately after, Jesus delivered the demon possessed man in the country of the Gadarenes. What an advancement! 

Needful to say that Christians who commit themselves to high standards in the practice of their faith are ever productive! We may be very ordinary but God makes us extraordinary in the Holy Spirit - the 'Generator of Life'. No blackout in Him...always working in and for us, stirring up the giftings deposited by the giver of all good and perfect gifts.

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Signs are helpful in understanding the times and seasons of our lives. Just as prolonged hot weather precedes a storm, so also stormy situations are precursors of mighty rain of blessings. Likewise a prolonged season of spiritual dryness precedes the rain of personal and corporate revival. I like to think that in order to make it to the receiving end of abundant joy, we must learn how to soar on wings like an eagle in a storm. Don't settle for survival mentality, that's mediocrity!  

Literally, a storm is a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually accompanied by rain, thunder, lightning or snow. It is a tumultuous reaction, and forcefully moves its object in a specified direction. Stormy situations feel like blacking out with a sensation Iike a roar of water in your ears and a dark cloud, rolling across your mind. 

In such a state, be broken and humble yourself to admit your fears to God. Your love for God's word needs to grow in order for you to increase your intake of the Truth in the Word...ask for grace. Your thoughts must align with the truth so you can guard your heart conscientiously from being stormed. Don't make major decisions in a haste, take your cues from God. If the Holy Spirit prompts you to fast...do it! For the measure of your spiritual stamina impacts the inner weight which establishes your heart with grace and courage to listen and obey the dictates of God. Hence, you'll be able to tenaciously hold on to hope in God which will not be disappointed.

Be informed that living a life that daily wills to please God inadvertently impacts a weight of glory into you that no storm can lift or destroy. Such lifestyle is the best approach to prepare for the storms of life. They come unannounced, therefore it is expedient to live ready as soldiers of Christ. Just as my pretty flower vase was blown off, so painfully will it blow off the fleshly parts of us in order to bring forth the good things that are in us. The garbage of self- made plans, transactional relationships, bad habits and attitudes we are often emotionally attached to, will be forcefully blown off in the process. The earlier we cooperate with the Holy Spirit the better lest we invite more storms by our stubbornness.

Understand that in the storm the force of God's word is your sure weight for recourse, and gives you stability to gain proper perspective as you're upheld by this Word of grace, not in the direction the storm blows but in the direction that God has destined to propel and elevate you.

Consider how Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven after his assignment was completed. God is unsearchable in His ways and can choose to use a storm as an elevator to promote you to your high place.

Right in the storm, you will be sustained by the Spirit of revelation, carried on the wings of God's loving arms and your vision is expanded to see beyond your human capacity. Your world view and paradigms which were superficial and myopic are dissolved to embrace the vision of the 'BIG' God. He works on your head, impacting your mind with an enduring infrastructure of wealth.

In this realm, you'll see storms through God's eyes as 'SMROTS'. Did you know that the word 'STORMS' spelt in reverse order is 'SMROTS'?
I received the understanding to see this as an acronym for : Still Make Real Opportunities Through Storms. In other words, you can still make real (great) deals right in the middle of your storm. So don't waste your precious time being fearful, crying and nagging, be conscious of the enormous spiritual treasures being unveiled to you at terrific momentum. Please write them down and wait for His strategy, timing and execution plan. They are secrets you'll need after the storm is over to possess the riches in the hidden places of the earth...of course with God as your major partner! Don't worry about how long the storm will last. When its work is accomplished, the storm will cease because the ' Master of the storm ' is always in control. You'll come out  blessed, humble but thinking like the ' BIG' God, anointed, motivated and relevant!

Beloved, brace up, be encouraged to press forward, daily living a consecrated life unto God. His grace is sufficient! The storms you may encounter be it spiritual, family, health, business, relationship, financial, professional, marital, emotional...will not destroy you rather they are elevators of your faith and destiny.

Stay focused and listen for God's voice. Keep speaking the Word He gives you over that situation. Though the raging of the storm is capable of massive destruction, as you trust and take refuge in God, not even a tornado can harm you. You see why spiritual coldness is dangerous?  It makes you weak, vulnerable and light weight. It pays to be fully committed and not half hearted towards God and our responsibilities at various levels. Implicitly, when you choose to trade off pleasure for purpose, you'll laugh last!

I love to think that God could bless you awesomely without passing you through a storm but His wisdom dictates that you need to be refined and adequately trained to become an effective steward of every resource He entrusts into your care. Every blessing comes with its own weight of responsibilities, opportunities and also risks especially in your dealings with people.

Don't forget, man can only suggest solutions but God is the only solution provider ...yes, Christ Jesus is the  'Master of the Storm'...the 'Way- Maker' out of every storm of life. 

Shalom ❤️.

Yours sincerely
Segilola.

Please feel free to reach me directly via : - WhatsApp line: +234-8032610294
- Segilola2012@gmail.com.🙌