Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
March 17, 2002 - W0211

Ever been in a season where you just couldnít get your bearings? Everything around you was in flux, in commotion and in a tilt? There are times when we all go through a season of hard times. We may want to run and leave it all behind. But itís in the midst of lifeís storms that we must check our compasses to make sure weíre still headed in the right direction.

Letís take a look at a time when circumstances were at a tilt for the apostle Paul. He was on a ship in the middle of a raging storm that had lasted two weeks. At that point he wrote this:

ìWe took such violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved... and he [Paul] took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all; and he broke it and began to eatî (Acts 27:18,20,35).

Because they couldnít see the sun or stars, it became impossible to navigate the ship. And after two weeks of being tossed at the whims of an angry sea, everyone lost hope. All except Paul. Paul checked his compass: He paused, reassessed his identity and the assignment (or call) God had given him. When he remembered that God had told him he was going to be in Rome, he knew he would survive the storm. With that reassurance, he broke communion.

Like Paul, there will be times when we wonít see the sun or stars. Something will happen that knocks our feet out from under us and weíll lose our bearings. Our presence of mind and sense of control will dissipate. And our lives will begin capsizing and falling apart. Thereís only one place where weíll be able to catch our bearings: In the midst of capsizing circumstances, take time to pause, check your bearings, recalibrate your path and partake in communion.

Question 1: Are you going through a storm (or hard time) right now? Take time to pause, catch your bearings and recalibrate according to Godís call for you. Pray for His guidance through this lesson.

Most of us donít care for storms. In fact, our first, knee-jerk reaction is to run for cover. When the storm lasts a little longer than we think it should, we start complaining and losing hope. Hereís an insiderís secret: God never allows anything to happen without a very good reason and the truth is that storms happen for a purpose. You see, hardships often bring us back to who we really are.

We tend to load our lives with too many obligations, activities and distractions. And before we know it, weíve lost sight of our true course: Godís call. But a storm can cause us to rid our lives of distractions. The storm Paul encountered forced the crew to toss all extra cargo.

Question 2: Is there any ìextra cargoî you need to toss from your life? How can you begin to lighten your load in order to hear God more clearly and obey Him more fully?

Although we canít remove storms, we can find course settings (or navigational coordinates) to help us through. If we think that storms are horrible, then weíll just try to survive. But if we understand some of the benefits of storms, we wonít simply react by trying to survive, weíll respond by choosing to learn life lessons. There are three course settings that will help. The first is that storms will...

1) TEST WHATíS IN YOUR HEART.

God doesnít cause storms, He allows them to take place to stir up whatís deep inside our hearts. Isnít it shocking (but true) that in the midst of a storm all kinds of junk comes out? Like anger, jealousy, old grudges, even swearing! The Lord reveals these things because He loves us too much to allow them to remain in our hearts. When these things are surfaced, we can choose one of two options: we can either rationalize our character flaws or we can repent and change.

Storms also strip away hidden motives. They surface everything that isnít genuine within you. Why? Because the Lord knows that if youíre not genuine to the core, then He wonít be able to build substance and character into your life.

Sometime ago in Oregon, I purchased an oak desk at a great price. It was such a nice desk that I thought it could be a legacy, something I could leave behind to my great-grandchildren. One day, long after Iím gone, they would still be saying, ìThis beautiful oak desk is from Great-grandpa Wayne who had it at the turn of the century.î

One day a friend of mine, Don, who works on furniture came by the house. I asked him how he liked my oak desk and he replied, ìOoh! Thatís a really nice desk. Beautiful finish made of oak veneer.î I about threw up. ìNo way! Thatís not veneer, thatís fine oak,î I rebuked.

Don crawled under the desk and showed me a vantagepoint where no one else would look. The veneer came to an edge where it wasnít capped and he showed me that my beautiful desk was made of pressboard. The desk wasnít oak; it was just a really thin slice of oak glued over pressboard. ìThere goes my legacy!î I thought, and I understood why I got it for such a steal.

God looks at our lives and, like the veneer oak desk, he sees a lot of pressboard. Our Christian veneer is nice and weíre pretty good about matching the grain on the surface so no one can tell. But God can. He wants us to leave a legacy. But the only way we can influence others is if we are genuine to the core. If weíre made up of pressboard, He wonít be able to build. Allow Him to reveal the true nature of your heart, and whatever it takes, let Him build!

Too often, in the midst of storms, we try to control our own chaotic circumstances and refuse to yield to the Lord. Instead, we should say ìLord, would You increase in my life and help me to decrease? Lord, keep doing this until there is none of me left and only You. Take over my life, wipe out the character flaws and begin to build character, so that I may be counted as a person of great influence.î Pray that His true grain is seen through to the very core of your life, no matter what vantagepoint youíre seen from. Then and only then will we be able to live a life that impacts our world.

Whenever our true heart is revealed, God will reveal something that needs to be changed. For example a guy I know was depressed because his wife left him. Angrily he got up and said, ìWell, Iím free to do what I want now. Iím free to play the field!î With that he said he was going to a bar to fulfill his desires. I asked him, ìIs this what was in your heart all along? Was being married and having a wife the only reason you didnít go to a bar before?î All of a sudden, what was resident in his heart came to the surface. But it wasnít until God removed the relationship with his wife that his true heart came shining through. I wonder if his marriage broke up because this was always in his heart.

You see, many times weíre changed but weíre not transformed. Weíre changed because of a relationship with a significant other, or because we have a lot of peer pressure from hanging around other Christians. But what happens when a storm hits and the peer pressure is gone? When thereís no one there to hold us accountable? What happens then?

It all boils down to your heart. What are you going to do when there are no restrictions and temptations are offered? A lot of times the only reason why some people donít fall to temptation is because they havenít been tempted yet. But when they get the chance, they just might. You see, the affection is resident in the heart of a person. It may have gone into recess because of a relationship, but what happens if God removes that other person? The affection comes back.

There is a big difference between being changed and being transformed. When youíre transformed, everything can be gone but your heart is still strong for Jesus. Your affection is for Him alone. Unfortunately, most of the time, we donít realize this until everything is taken way.

ìWhen neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being savedî (Acts 27:20).

ìI am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothingî (John 15:5).

Question 3: Is the Lord testing your heart in any way? What kind of pressboard, or character flaws, is He trying to reveal? How can you choose to be not only changed, but also transformed for His purposes? Pray for a pure and simple affection for Jesus alone.

The first course setting is that a storm can reveal whatís in our hearts. The second thing a storm can help us to do is itÖ

2) COMPELS US TO DEPEND ON GOD.

Sometimes we come to a hard realization: Jesus is all we need when Jesus is all weíve got. Many times the only way we learn to depend on God is when He is our last option. Storms have an amazing effect of stripping our lives bare in order for us to remember this. And itís at that point when God exchanges our pride for His planóHe takes the wind out of our sails so He can replace it with the wind of His Holy Spirit. Allow Him to do it, itís the fastest way to His destination, or destiny, for your life.

An interesting thing about Paul was that he had a cool confidence during the storm. Not only did his captors want to kill him, but he also found himself tossed around in a life-threatening tsunami for two weeks. All hope of being rescued was lost. Then the ship finally runs aground, and the entire crew is shipwrecked on a desolate island. Soon enough, a poisonous snake bites Paul, who confidently shakes it off and keeps going. Where did Paul get his unshakeable confidence?

The answer to that is in the 23^rd chapter of Acts, four chapters before the storm hit. God gave Paul a clear call on his life: he was going to make it to Rome. Long before he stepped aboard the ship, he understood his destiny. Why? Because God told him:

ìThe following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ëTake courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Romeíî (Acts 23:11).

ìLast night an angel of the God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood beside me and said, ëDo not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar...íî (Acts 27:23-24).

The third purpose God has in allowing a storm into our lives is that itÖ

3) REMINDS US OF OUR ORIGINAL CALL.

When God gives you a call, everything else becomes secondary. It is highly important to know and remember your call. Why? Because it will take you all the way to where God wants you to be. Storms remind us of our original, God-given call, so allow the Lord to remind you of what your call is. Once you understand this important principle, it will serve as your set compass in the midst of even a prolonged storm.

Question 4: If everything in your life was stripped away, what would remain true as your call in life? (Fill in the three lines with the original call God has given you.) This will be your compass in the storm, so when you canít see sun or stars, youíll know where you are going.

MY ORIGINAL CALL:

1. _______________________________

2. _______________________________

3. _______________________________

Question 5: How will you be different because of what you have learned today?

                         Summarized by Doreen Rabaino