JESUS IS OUR ANCHOR

(Reeca;s WOP Sermon on Friday, Feb. 21)

Have you experienced being tossed by a

strong wind? And for you not to be carried

away, what did you do? I have tried it and

holding on to something (or Someone) will

save us.

That is what happens to a boat that is tossed

by waves and so it has to be anchored

whenever it rests at the dock area.

We are like that boat and Jesus is our Anchor.

. . As a boat sails off, it’s not always smooth. .

. the sailing is full of storms.

Who do you turn to in times of trouble,

sadness or scarcity? A family member,

parents or siblings? A close friend? Someone

at your church? We all have certain people

who we turn to during times of trouble.

They're the ones who make us feel safe,

shine a light into our dark mood and stick

around when we're down.

While it's helpful to have people to call on

when we're in need, Jesus is the only one

who is completely reliable and by our side

through it all.

But we shouldn't wait for troubled times to

anchor ourselves in Jesus. After all, we

wouldn't wait until the storm was at its worst

before lowering our ship's anchor, would we?

No, we'd prepare in advance and adhere to

the warnings.

In the same way, we need to prepare

ourselves for the approaching storm by

making sure that we're gripping onto Jesus

because He's the only One who can keep us

steady throughout.
When we're going through testing times or

when our world is in turmoil, we need Jesus

more than ever before because we're more

susceptible than ever to drifting away from

Him. We're at greater risk of drifting into

hopelessness, sin and darkness.

Having Jesus as our anchor doesn't mean

that we'll never experience hard times. But it

does mean that when they come, we'll be

prepared. As we read in Hebrews 6:19, hope

is our anchor, and we find our hope in Jesus.

It's this hope that sees us through when all

around us is crashing down. And even when

it's not, we're empowered with the knowledge

that there are better things to come our way.

What are you holding onto in troubling times?

If you're currently going through a difficult

time, assess whether you're gripping tighter

to the rock that is Jesus or whether you're

slipping away from Him. It might be that your

faith is faltering when it comes to believing

His words and His promise to carry your

burden. Instead you maybe believing the

words of people who predict an unfavourable

outcome. Or maybe you've started to seek

solace and support from another source.

Whatever you circumstances, here are two

simple ways that you can tighten up your

trust in Christ.

Two tips for anchoring yourself in Christ

Focus on his promises

Don't dwell on the negative events that are

occurring. Instead look at what God

promises. He promises to give you strength

when you're weak, to protect you and supply

you with all that you need. You might find it

helpful to memorise some Bible verses such

as these: Matthew 11:28-29, Philippians 4:19

and Isaiah 40:29-31.

Confess with your mouth and believe in your

heart

The words that we speak hold a lot of power

so it makes sense to use them to tighten our

grip on our rock. If we have faith in Jesus, we

should profess not just with our actions,

which are of course important, but with our

words, too. The more we voice that we

believe that the Lord will make a way, the

more we strengthen that belief. You might

find it helpful to come up with a particular

brief prayer or refrain to speak when things

get tough in your life. Indeed, in times like

these, we need JESUS!