Shipwrecked Faith

The coastline of North Carolina is known as
"The Graveyard of the Atlantic" due to numerous shipwrecks. There are over 5,000!

    

In the sea of life, wouldn't it be great if we all experienced clear sailing? 

But, there are storms that come our way, and there are times we will most certainly encounter a shipwreck! 

In St. Pauls instructions for living he references
"shipwrecked faith" (1 Timothy 1:18-20)
"I am giving you these instructions, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight,  having faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith; among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme."


*******A storm is coming.....
maybe not tomorrow, next week, a month, 
maybe not for a year.  
But,  know.... a storm will come eventually!
  
Your faith will be tested! Be prepared. 

Your life does not have to end up badly from a spiritual perspective!

You do not have to be 

shipwrecked in your walk with God.

It is not too late 
to make course corrections now.

"Faith that is shipwrecked is faith that has been repudiated, rejected. It couldn't be clearer, based on the Greek etymology. To shipwreck one's faith is to abandon/repudiate the faith, reject the faith."

Intentionally Interact

"Intentionally" interact with people of all ages!

You miss out on so much love and likeness of Christ 

when you only mingle and associate with those people 

who "are like" you or I. 

How sad to segregate by age, religion,

 life status and season in life!  

There is abundant blessings 

in inviting and being invited

 into each other's lives. 

Today, "Welcome" to "your" table.

"Welcome" to "your" home 

and most definitely, "Welcome" with your heart.

Your Sword

Our sword - "It is written".  

Just like Jesus, we need to say "It is written".                                                      It should be our guide, our rule.                                                                           No compromise!

Jesus,  Himself used Scripture to resist temptation.   In Luke 4: 1-13 we read..........  "And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”  And Jesus answered him,         “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.  If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
    and him only shall you serve.’”

And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    to guard you,’

 and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time."

Jesus was weary.                                                                                                   He was famished.                                                                                              After being in the wilderness for 40 days He could have satisfied His hunger by foolishly making a deal with the devil.   Instead, each time He was tempted, He answered the devil with a powerful verse from the Holy Scriptures.

It is written.

It is written.

It is said.

When we are faced with spiritual warfare or dealing with the enemy of our lives, don't give up  and don't be cornered by the deceptive schemes of the devil....instead, draw your sword and choose the course of action that God has equipped you for.                                                                                              God's Word will deliver truth!                                                                            His Word is sharp but it will point to God's goodness,                                       His love and His faithfulness.   

Fight back.  Satan is no match against the Word of God.

Have the scriptures at your fingertips.... better yet, have them stored in your heart and in your mind.  

"Learn to use the scripture for yourself, all its teachings, all its precepts, all its promises, all its doctrines.....for bread that is just on the table does not nourish; it is bread that you eat that will really sustain you".

The sword in your hand is capable

 of doing more than you will ever need.