Power Of The Beginning Of The End

Key Scripture:  “Behold the Lord’s hand, arm is not shortened that it cannot save.” Isaiah 59:1

Power Point:

    I’ve been studying in Deuteronomy where Moses tells the people they are getting ready to cross over. I’m reminded of when the disciples got into the boat in Mark 4 and Jesus said, “Let’s cross over.” That was the beginning of the end.

     If you look carefully at this chapter, Jesus was about to give them an opportunity to use their faith. He had just spent a great deal of time talking to them about what faith was. The disciples probably nodded to each other, said, “That’s nice”, and got into the boat. They were totally ignorant of the fact that Jesus was about to give them a pop quiz on faith. The storm was whipped into a frenzy to test the teaching of faith.  In the beginning was the teaching, the preparation. In the middle was the test of faith and reaching the other side with Jesus, safe and sound, was the end. Of the beginning.

From that point on the discussions where Jesus taught the disciples were always at the beginning. The teaching is always the beginning of the end. It is there to protect you through the storms and stir up what you’ve been taught. The journey through your storm is accompanied by Jesus in the back of your boat. He appears to be sleeping. You can’t hear Him or feel Him. If you look closely at Him, he’s comfortably asleep on a pillow. (Or pretending to be asleep.)  This is when you get to choose to use your faith.You can wake Him up if you’d like or you can let Him sleep in safety while YOU begin to apply what He has taught you. YOU stir up your faith. YOU stir up the anointing on His words in you and YOU command the storm to be still and peace to come. Imagine how

differently that scene from Mark 4 would have looked if the disciples had applied what He had just taught them. Imagine Peter, looking at the storm and saying to the others, “The Master has just taught us how to release our faith. He told us that those who are faithless allow their circumstances to dictate their outcome. We are NOT going to let this storm choke out the power of His Words to us. Storm be STILL! I SPEAK PEACE!” Hmm. What would have happened on the other side of faith? Calm waters, perhaps, with Jesus sleeping undisturbedly, resting up for the next event. And the disciples? Well, for heaven’s sake, they would have been fist pumping and slapping each other on the back, excited because what Jesus told them had actually worked.

     Beloved, Jesus always prepares us for the storms in our lives. If you look back carefully you might remember a “twinge” calling you to read your Bible, or spend time in His presence. There may have been a scripture that has been popping up all around your life. That was Jesus preparing you, stirring up His words in you so that you can speak Peace into your storm.

Perhaps you didn’t realize that He was specifically preparing you. Maybe you forgot or ignored His word. Or perhaps the cares of this world choked the life out of it. The moral of the story of Jesus in the boat is that He did not condemn them, He spoke to the storm and it stopped. He released the Power of Peace within Himself to the space around Himself and Peace came. Then He simply says, “Okay, guys, what did we just talk about? I promised you we were going to the other side. I said, “Let’s cross over. Which word didn’t you get?” I had every intention of getting to the other side, with or without a storm. Storms don’t stop Me. They don’t intimidate me. They don’t render me powerless. I have faith in My Father to keep me safe. Where is your faith?”
The only way to possess Peace in a storm is to possess faith. Own it. Stir it up. Add to it. The only way to possess faith is to believe that God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do. AND-that you can do what HE says YOU can do.

His words coming forth in confidence from YOUR mouth will cause the peace of Jesus, the peace of the Father and the peace of Holy Spirit to flow, to overflow and to calm your storm. His arm is not too short to save you. In fact, He already has. Go back to the beginning and get your instructions for the end.

Power Thought:

The word "shortened" can also mean "patience". God does not get impatient with you. He's not short-tempered and His plans are the beginning of the end He has in mind for you. Are you ready to cross over?