Olive Branch Discipleship Ministries

4.24.14 So many storms here lately! Lots of dark skies, wind and rain! And yet there is a break in the day where the sun breaks through and brightens up the whole day - even if it is still cold. It's like the skies part and Heaven breaks through! This made me think of the storms of our life, how they come and go, how the storm rages and the wind blows and the rain pours. Sometimes the storm seems to be endless and overwhelming.  I live in a brick house and there are times that I marvel at the strength of the storm, the wind and how it batters and whips around the corners of my house. It howls and whistles, trying to intimidate me. And still, in the midst of all of that, I am held safe inside here, secure, warm and comfortable. The spiritual and emotional storms of our life can be like that. Hard, relentless, overwhelming, powerful, and endless. These storms can stir us up inside, cause us to be anxious and fearful, batter us relentlessly, howl and scream at us.  We worry not knowing the outcome and how this storm will affect us, what it will take away from us and destroy. Some of the storms we have seen in the nations have done that; destroyed everything a person has, even lives of those we know and love. It can be devastating and painful for us. The spiritual storms that the Lord allows in our lives are met to turn us to Him, for us to see something in us, to make us aware of what is going on around us, to heighten our discernment. They are met to teach us how to take power and authority over our storm in the name of Jesus. They are designed to teach us how to appropriate what the Lord has done for us, given all to us. We are to wake up and calm the storm as we go through it, in the authority given to us as Believers in Christ. Do you do that? The spiritual storm stirred up by the enemy of our faith, Satan, is met to destroy us, to discourage us, to defeat us, to bring us into fears, hopelessness, unbelief. They are met to turn our attention and our faces from our God and onto the storm - our enemy, our lack, our circumstance.  They are met to separate us from our God. Which storm are you in? How are you doing in this storm? Who are you calling out to? Are you cursing God, or are you praising His name for taking you through the storm? It really doesn't matter where the storm comes from; when we turn our focus back on Jesus, He comes and takes control of the storm. He calms it all down and turns it all around to better us. Isn't that wonderful to know? Take a look at your storm. Give it over to Him. Trust Him to calm it down, and you. Trust Him that He has a plan for you even in the midst of it all. The Son will break through! - Pastor Sandi Luke 8:24b  "He (Jesus) got up and rebuked the storm and the raging waters; the storm subsided and all was calm. Where is your faith, He asked His disciples?" Romans 8:28  " And we know that IN ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Jeremiah 29:11-13   "For I know the plans (personal blueprints) I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.  Then you will call upon Me and pray to Me and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all of your heart." Psalm 8: 6  "You made him (man) ruler over  all the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet."

1.25.14 2 Corinthians 1:20  "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'yes' in Christ." Psalm 145:13b "The LORD is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made." I was thinking about promises today. All the promises made to me - some have been kept and some not. All the promises I have made - some I have kept and some I have not. I don't believe anyone promises without the full intent of keeping the promise; however life happens, circumstances change, pressures come in, and the promise made is dropped or forgotten by us.  Mercy is essential. We truly need to be a bit slower in promising things, this is like a vow. I received a word of intent from someone last week and it did not come to past. We must trust Him with the timing and remain faithful to Him, believing His promises will come to past. What a comfort that is! How grateful I am! Let is lean on our God and His faithful and true Word. Let us trust in Him.  Let us not be moved, or discouraged or brought to anger over a promise broken from our fellow man. Remember, you break your promises too.  Be mindful of your 'promises'! - Pastor Sandi

3.1.14 It seems like I am always in a position of patience. Any time I get in a line waiting for service, or entrance, I end up needing patience. Ever have that person in front of you who ends up needing extra attention, extra service? It doesn't even seem to matter if I get in a short, short line. I will still end up waiting until the longer line next to me runs through. Now this isn't always, but pretty close! For myself, I believe the Lord God is teaching me to be patient, to learn to wait, to be at ease if things don't go as quickly as I would like, to learn to manage my time better. We miss a lot when we are in a hurry, impatient, frustrated. We can learn patience in any walk of life, in any circumstance, in any situation. It develops character in us, it helps us to depend on the Lord more, it gives us opportunity to observe. Sometimes it is for our protection, to avoid an accident or situation. Whatever it is, I seem to need to be reminded from time to time that it is not all about my time but more about His time. A great example I see is in driving and traffic backups, etc. Impatience. Frustration, Anger. People in a hurry, thinking about themselves and their agenda. Be at peace. Trust in the Lord, in His timing. He knows where you need to be, He knows what you need to do, He knows where He is sending you, He knows what the plan is. Peace is powerful and settling. In Peace we have the Mind of Christ. We think clearer, we hear better, we process faster. - Pastor Sandi