Sunday, March 3, 2025.
Apostle BILLEY.
Mark 4.
35 That same day, as evening fell, Jesus said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.
36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.
37 A great whirlwind arose, and the waves were pouring into the boat, so much so that it was already filling up.
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm And the wind ceased and there was a great calm
40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How can you have no faith?
41 They were terrified, and said to one another, “Who is this who is obeyed even by the wind and the sea?
Mark 4.
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
Jesus called his disciples at the beginning of his ministry and told them to cross the sea.
Who called the disciples? Who is Jesus who said this?
Jesus is life.
Life called the disciples who came to life. So they have life in them.
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.
The boat is the image of life.
The fact that the disciples accepted Jesus into their boat is the image of accepting Jesus into their lives.
Jesus was in the boat with his disciples at the time of the storm.
The whirlwind is the image of problems, difficulties, things you don’t expect, the unexpected…
But for the disciples, Jesus was with them.
Which means that while Jesus was in their lives, they encountered the whirlwind.
At times, Christians can have a hard time, encountering problems they never expected.
However, the difference between a Christian and a pagan is that the Christian has Jesus in his life.
The Christian must therefore be aware that he is with someone, not alone. Jesus is above all things, He has mastery over all things.
Our walk with Jesus is not temporary. The Christian must make sure that he is with Jesus and Jesus is with him.
Jesus is called the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning and the end. This is why the Christian must develop this assurance, this faith before the problem. Before situations arise, he must know the power of the One who is with him.
Since we gave our lives to the Lord, Jesus has redeemed us. And the foundation of this redemption is that we are with him, we belong to him.
Don’t doubt it, Jesus is with you.
It’s through difficulties that we get to know what He’s capable of.
Before the storm, when Jesus introduces Himself and tells us: I am the Christ, I am the light, and He is going to explain what light is etc….
But the Christian often doesn’t keep the Word, he doesn’t try to go deeper.
Every time the Lord speaks to us, He is preparing us to be champions.
The storm can be illness, financial problems, family problems, problems at work…
Whatever the problem, we need to make sure that Jesus is always there.
38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Master, do you not care that we are perishing?
The disciples were adults, fishing professionals like Peter. If they were panicked, if they were troubled, it was serious in their eyes.
So they woke Jesus up with a spirit of fear, doubt and worry.
They were scared. Yet Jesus was in their lives, Life was in their lives.
Life is not afraid of death. But death is afraid of life and can never approach life. Life is a Rock.
We have to learn that this is a life lesson.
As Christians, we must learn to stand on the Rock and say to ourselves I am not alone.
It’s faith in Jesus and that determination that will give us victory.
We need to practice this before problems arise.
That’s why Jesus said this:
Luke 6:47-48
47Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:
48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.
What storm is Jesus talking about? It’s all the same. It’s a lesson in life.
We’re all going to be tested, so we need to be ready. So on the day of the situation, you won’t be upset, but you’ll laugh about it.
One day, a pregnant sister went to the hospital and was told your baby has a very big head, it doesn’t look right. But listening to this, she kept her peace.
What’s the secret? Since day 1 of her pregnancy, she has prayed every day for her child. That’s why six months later, when she heard this, she was able to resist.
Well-loved, you have to practice. So the day Goliath shows up, you’re already ready. He is on your left, on your right, behind you and in front of you. Goliath doesn’t see it, but you do.
The disciples were filled with the spirit of death instead of the spirit of life.
Pay attention to what you see or hear. It’s the devil’s technique to make people see or hear bad things. And if you accept, he’ll manipulate you.
If when we think of life, we think of death, this will connect us to the spirit of death. This is how souls are captured. Then it will be hard to pray, to praise the Lord. As a result, many are oppressed and depressed. This is why the Word cannot grow.
The head is a battlefield. This is where the devil attacks ideas, thoughts, makes his suggestions, his way of seeing things. You’ll think it’s you when it’s actually been injected into you. That’s how the devil stops heroes.
And as long as the person grasps and meditates on these bad thoughts, they will have a hold on the person’s life. Whereas “Life” is in the life of the Christian.
It wasn’t physically that the devil appeared to the disciples, but he made them see the violence of the storm, and they accepted evil thoughts, thoughts of death.
What should be done?
You can’t stop yourself from receiving a negative thought, but you can reject it automatically. As soon as you perceive a bad suggestion, it’s as if the devil has just knocked on your door.
So you always have to discern what Jesus does or doesn’t do. And reject what comes from the devil with words, even aloud, and thus destroy the evil thought.
That’s how victory is won.
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm
One sister had had a headache for three days. After reminding him to stand on the Rock and thus speak to this evil. And as soon as she opened her mouth and shook off the headache, it immediately disappeared.
This is the heritage of God’s children.
1John 4. 4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Beloved, when you look at Jesus in you, if there was sadness it will go away.
All we have to do is remember that Jesus owns us. And at this level, even without starting to pray, you already have victory. Because it makes you change position, for example from sadness to joy.
Jesus woke up. Was he asleep? No, it means that the disciples remembered Jesus.
40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How can you have no faith?
What does He mean? That Christians must not be afraid. But of course, it’s a big problem.
If the Lord sends you somewhere, and on the road, you see lions.
What should you do?
You must know that these lions are there to scare you, to prevent you from leaving. But what allows you to leave? The voice of Jesus.
The lions and the whirlpool are a fact of life, but all that makes it beautiful.
So, if I look at the lions, I’ll start to develop imaginations of death in my head. I’ll see the lions crushing me and if I accept that, it’s all over, the devil will have stopped me.
A brave man dominates the words the devil sends into his head.
The moment he sends his suggestions, I have to overcome this, I don’t look at the lions but I look at Jesus.
You have to remember: “I don’t have to be afraid for my life, because my life is not my own. Jesus is in my boat.”
That’s why Jesus says, whoever wants to follow me, must renounce himself.
Luke 9. 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
When you come face to face with the lions, that’s when the miracle happens. The miracle is not before, but in the problem.
I can overcome knowing that Jesus is with me.
Keep this message, it will save your life, your job, your marriage, many things…
When you come face to face with the lions, you’ll understand who’s inside you, who you are. That’s when you’ll see that lions are just an imagination, that the One who sent you is the One who created lions. And they can’t stop Jesus, so they can’t stop Jesus in you.
Who do you see all the time? Jesus in your boat.
Brother, sister, instead of thinking that tomorrow you’ll have problems, why not think about promotion? Instead of thinking that you’re alone, why not think that God is with you?
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
That means they didn’t know who Jesus was. They didn’t know that the one in them was able to silence the wind, to silence the siren of the waters, to block all the demons that are in the sea, the principalities in the waters, the husbands & wives of the night are part of the waters and are there to destroy homes, children, to seduce…
The Word that was in them was able to set them free completely but they didn’t know.
Men call certain hurricanes “Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Josephine…All these are the devil’s mechanisms for tormenting men.
Out of ignorance, they give the names of caress and glory to these demons of the air, so that when they come they do damage.
Beloved, you have Jesus inside you.
Colossians 1.16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
All these forces are under Jesus, witchcraft is under Jesus, whatever your problem, it’s under Jesus.
But the disciples didn’t know Jesus, and the devil took advantage of this. Their ignorance led to fear.
Beloved, let’s do everything we can to get to know Jesus.
Consider this:
We have the president on one side, and one of your friends in the same room.
Your friend calls and asks you to come over. And in the meantime, the president also calls you.
Of the two people, who are you going to answer quickly?
Most certainly to the president.
Beloved, the reason why when Jesus speaks but you don’t listen is because you don’t know who He is. If only you knew the depth of His title, of what He is capable of doing, if you knew that even one word from Him can change your whole life…!
The Lord wants to talk to you, but the problem is that you take Him as your friend, you don’t consider Him as your Lord in your heart, the Lord of lords, the Creator, the One by whom all things were created.
The Lord said in His word,
Philippians 2.10 : that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Brethren, Jesus created all things, He is the Son of God, and He said my Father has put all things in my hands. (Mt 11.27)
John 3.35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.
Unfortunately, since we don’t know Him, we listen to the voice of problems, illness, the voice of work, the world, social networks, fashion, the internet… And we ignore the voice of the Lord Jesus. This is why certain things persist, as if Jesus were not powerful.
Brothers, it’s time to set our hearts right with God. Let us consider Jesus sincerely. When we pray, let us do so with a sincere heart, knowing that He is there.
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, Let Us Pray… →
Lord, you’re in my boat.
In Jesus’ name, I claim my victory.
May all thoughts of death be destroyed in Jesus’ name.
I destroy all negative thoughts because You are Life.
You are with me Lord.
Guide me in Your wisdom.
I don’t want to disappoint you;
Be with me in every situation,
so that I may glorify You every day.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.