146. WHEN WINDS ARE CONTRARY Acts 27:4.

When you set out to do anything for God, The enemy will try to hamper your progress with ‘Contrary Winds” The above Scripture reminds us that if you feel you’re sailing against the wind, you probably are, but, you are also very likely heading in the right direction! In (Matthew 4:1) we read “Jesus was tempted by the devil. Satan never lets up, he intends to achieve his goal which is to get you off track with God. And sometimes he does, so be vigilant, he missed out with Jesus in the desert, but he went back with another tactic and entered Judas at the Last Supper on the night before Jesus died. But of course he missed out again .No, he never gives up, one of his names is the Tempter. That’s his job and mission, so pray and always be aware that he is lurking around and will use anyone, or anything, at anytime to achieve his ambition and take you away from God’s plan for your life. Don’t let that happen, pray through it, engage with the Holy Spirit, And you know what!!, Satan can never remove the Holy Spirit from you. You yourself is the only one who can do that. Why? Because you invited Him into your life and you are the only one who can tell Him to leave. That is something you must always be remember and be aware of. When the Holy Spirit comes into your life, He brings with Him the Spiritual gifts of Wisdom, knowledge and understanding which are not just important in themselves, but so essential in the life of the believer. So when temptation comes, use them, How?You ask. Just take five, Stop and think. Think what?... Who is talking to me? Where is this information coming from? Will it take me closer to Jesus or further away from Him? The answer will soon make itself clear and then you will know how to proceed. Reimar Schultz puts it this way, “Wherever you go today ...Satan will try to get you... If you leave home without your Spiritual armour ON, he will make you fall. If you leave your belt of truth on the hook, your breastplate of righteousness by the door, your gospel shoes under your bed, or if your shield of faith, the sward of the Spirit or the helmet of Salvation are left behind and you say "today I will pray when I get a chance”, you have just given away your victory. Before long the wrong words will come out of your mouth, You will look at forbidden fruits and display an improper attitude. The most foolish thing you can do is to leave home unarmed and spiritually naked. Only a fool says ‘I have no time to pray’ But later he finds all the time in the world to repair the damage his lack of prayer has produced. Just as Truth is the currency of Heaven, so Prayer is the Oxygen of Heaven, and we need to learn to breath it all the time if we intend to make Heaven our home for Eternity. Following Jesus is not a walk in the park...Every good thing in the Kingdom...from Adam onwards has come through men and women who have stuck it out, through the tough times through hot and cold , highs and lows, wars and peace, wealth and poverty. It’s not what we have, so much as what we do with what we’ve been given and the armour of God is one of the greatest gifts made available to us by the Holy Spirit because that armour will protect and defend us at the same time. So make full use of The Armour of God. Make a list of God’s Armour, and stick it on the inside of your bedroom door, Don’t leave your room without reading it each morning.. (E Ephesians 6:10-12) In (Acts 27:10) Paul told everyone on board the ship bound for Rome, “This voy2age will end with disaster and wreckage. Paul wasn’t talking about a little skirmish or a bit of cargo loss, No, this voyage was beset with disaster and much loss. He didn’t speak about a bit of a sea storm, Not at all! The words he used were “Disaster and Much Loss” they were all afraid for their lives… Now, God had told Paul he would not die and that he would witness to Him in Rome, so Paul knew he would end up in Rome one way or another. But, Satan had other ideas. This goes to show us if we truly believe God, our faith will carry us through the greatest storms that will come our way. Paul was destined to strike a fatal blow at the heart of the Roman Empire. So when he walked into Rome with the gospel, Hell shook and all Heaven rejoiced, And we are all Beneficiaries of that little Battle-scared man with chains around his ankles who started to convert many in Rome, and gave us the books of Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon. While he was the prisoner of Jesus Christ. These phrases from Acts 27, bring to life more vividly this last journey of Paul’s life. “The winds were contrary… We had sailed slowly… arrived with difficulty...Sailing was now dangerous...A tempestuous headwind now arose… We secured the skiff with difficulty...used cables to undergird the ship… exceedingly tempest tossed...We threw the ship’s tackle overboard… Neither sun nor stars appeared for many days...All hope that we would be finally saved was given up...The stern was broken to bits...The destination is within reach...But not without “much loss.” (Acts 27:43-44) The Centurion wanting to save Paul, commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land. The rest, (some on parts of the ship’s wreckage, escaped safely to land. When you keep your eyes on Jesus, you WILL make it in spite of the storm which is raging about you. That’s Guaranteed by God Himself. The Biblical History of the church ends with these victorious words in (Acts 28:14: “And so we came to Rome.” God said it, God did it. Thank you for reading these thoughts on coping with “Contrary Winds”. You will be sure to get them, don’t panic, 2just go to Jesus and pray, listen for the Holy Spirit’s voice and do what He says. Trust your God. – God Bless, Phaline.