Tag: god

Jesus sleeping in stormy boat, panicking disciples

They Had God in the Boat

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The disciples could have laughed in the face of the storm.

After all, they had God Himself in their boat.

In Matthew 8, Jesus and His disciples got into a boat to cross over to the other side. As they sailed, a violent storm suddenly arose. The waves crashed into the boat, and the situation became so serious that experienced fishermen began to panic.

But in the middle of it all, Jesus was asleep.

The disciples rushed to wake Him up saying,
“Lord, save us! We’re going to die!”

Jesus arose, rebuked the winds and the sea, and immediately there was a great calm.

Then the disciples said to one another:
“What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him.”

That question revealed something important:
they were around Jesus, but they still did not fully know who He was.

If they truly understood the One who was in the boat with them, fear would not have been their first response to the storm.

Their fearful response exposed a gap in their revelation of Jesus.

Just like the disciples, many of us spend a lot of time around God and still do not truly know Him.

You can be familiar with church, familiar with scripture, familiar with worship songs, familiar with Christian language — and still lack a personal revelation of who God is.

Unfortunately, when things become familiar, we often stop pursuing them intentionally.

That is what happens to many believers.

Over time, Christianity can quietly become routine.
Prayer becomes habit.
Bible study becomes a daily task.
Church becomes attendance.

Without realising it, passion is replaced with familiarity.

We can see from the story above that familiarity doesn’t always result in a true revelation of God.

A lack of true revelation is often exposed when the storms of life arise.

Why?

Because a believer’s strength in the storm is their confidence in God.

But confidence in God can only come from truly knowing Him — not merely hearing about Him on Sundays.

This is why many people discover during difficult seasons that they do not trust God as deeply as they thought they did.

The disciples discovered this in the storm.

They were afraid because they did not fully understand who was with them.

Those who truly know God can stand firm even in storms.

So pause for a moment and honestly ask yourself:

Who do I know God to be?

Not:
Who have I been told He is?

Not:
Who does my pastor say He is?

But:
Who do I truly believe He is for myself?

Because the answer to that question will determine how you respond when the storms of life come your way.

Prayer:

Lord, give me more than familiarity with You.
Give me true revelation.

Help me to know You deeply — not just through what I have heard, but through genuine intimacy with You.

Let my confidence in You be rooted in revelation, so that when the storms of life arise, fear will not overcome me.

Open my eyes to who You truly are, and teach me to trust You completely.

Amen.

Nobody Hides Light!

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“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14–16 (NKJV)

You are the light of the world—not just the light of the church.

The life God has called us to live produces light everywhere—at work, on the bus, in the supermarket.

“A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Why would Jesus make such an obvious statement?

He follows it with another:
“No one lights a lamp and hides it.”

If someone said that today, someone in the crowd would probably whisper, “Well… obviously.”

Exactly.

It makes no sense to hide light.

And yet, many of us do.

If we truly see ourselves as light, then hiding should feel unnatural. But the life we’re called to live can make us look different—sometimes even weird or foolish to the world. So we fall into the trap of hiding… or “shape shifting.”

What do I mean by shape shifting? 😂

It’s when we put on a Christian persona in church or around Christian friends, then switch up our vibe in secular spaces.

But Jesus didn’t call us to hide the Kingdom lifestyle.

You may look different—but your difference is the light the world needs. It reveals to a lost world the original blueprint for living.

As we live out the Kingdom lifestyle everywhere we go, God is glorified—by both believers and unbelievers.

So the next time you feel that nudge to shrink back, to blend in, to hide…

Remember:

Nobody hides light.

Living from the Inside Out

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As we step into a new year, many people are drawing up long lists of resolutions they hope to keep.

According to ChatGPT, the three most common New Year’s resolutions are:

1. Improve physical health : This often means exercising more, eating healthier, losing weight, or being more active overall.

2. Improve finances : Common goals include saving more money, paying off debt, sticking to a budget, or spending less.

3. Improve mental well-being: These are usually resolutions to get better sleep, reduce stress, or improve work–life balance.

Many of us can relate to one or two of these goals. And while they are all worthwhile, there is one area we must not neglect: our spiritual health.

Human beings are made up of spirit, soul, and body.

While we often attend to the needs of the soul and body, we sometimes forget that our spirit also has needs—and these needs should be prioritised.

“The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?”

— Proverbs 18:14 (NKJV)

Our spirit man actually carries the rest of our being. It is the support system for both our soul and our body. When the spirit is strengthened, it sustains everything else.

We live a richer and more fulfilling life when we live from the inside out, prioritising our spiritual needs.

Jesus Himself emphasised this truth:

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

— Matthew 4:4 (NKJV)

Here, He highlights that while physical food is necessary, it is not sufficient. True life and sustenance come from the words that proceed from the mouth of God.

So where do we find these words?

In the place of personal fellowship with God and in the gathering of fellow believers.

So before you sign up for that annual gym membership or that healthy eating workshop, pause and ask yourself:

How can I tend to my spirit man?

How can I practically position myself to consistently receive the words that proceed from God’s mouth this year—and in the years to come?

In other words:

How do I spend even more time with God this year, both personally and corporately?

Why host Him?

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“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.”

— Luke 10:38 (NKJV)

The story of Martha and Mary is one of my favourite Bible stories because there is so much to learn from it.

In the story, Jesus visits the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha. Martha is busy with the work of hospitality—preparing and serving—and becomes frustrated that Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to His teaching instead of helping out. Martha asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her.

Jesus gently responds that Martha about being worried and distracted by many things, while Mary has chosen a better option which is listening to Him and that this choice will not be taken away from her.

Have you ever wondered why Martha actually invited Jesus into her house?

The answer may not be as obvious as it seems.

We can however infer from her actions in the passage that it wasn’t primarily to listen to the teaching of the word of God from Jesus. Perhaps she liked the prestige of having a mighty Man of God in her home. Perhaps her name would have been on the lips of the people of Bethany. Everyone would have praised her for “hosting the great Rabbi, Jesus” in her beautiful home.

Why do I say this? Because she placed more priority on serving rather than on fellowship with Jesus.

It’s so easy to fall into the same trap as Martha.

When last did you do a heart check?

Ask yourself, “Why do I actually go to church?”

The answer may seem obvious—until you look deeply into your heart.

If we are not careful, we can seek to be around Jesus, but not truly with Him. Martha was around Jesus, but Mary was with Him.

Many Christians like the “Christian” label and even benefit from it, yet have no real interest in Christ Himself.

Our priority should be in our fellowship with Christ and learning at His feet.

When we come to God—whether in our personal time with Him or in the place of corporate fellowship—our focus should be on Jesus Christ, while all other activities take second place.