See Jesus in my Storm

   Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.   For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.   Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.    Hebrews 4:14-16

How easy it is to forget verses like this one when we are going through trails and sufferings...I find that when things are going well my faith is always strong and unmovable, but...when I am facing something beyond me my faith quickly turns into fear and doubt and unbelief.  I forget everything I believed and find myself struggling to hold on.  This is the testimony of most people I know.  We trust in our intellect that God is who He says He is, however, when the tests come we fail miserably.  The question I have for you is this...Do you or do you not believe that God is ALL POWERFUL?  Come on now, think about it!  Forget what your Sunday School teacher taught you and look deep into your heart and your experience and answer in truth.  

When Sarah got sick I wrestled with all of this everyday until I came to the conclusion that God owed me nothing!  I remember thinking that the only answer to my situation was for God to instantly heal her.  I didn't want to see her suffer and I didn't want to watch my sons struggle with their faith as to why God didn't heal her.  I came to a very powerful decision, and that decision changed my life!  I realized that God could instantly heal her if He wanted to!  He died to do such a thing.  But what was hindering Him?  Was it His Word?  His promises?  No, it was me!  There were things in me that He had to change so that a much bigger opportunity could be revealed in my life.  He needed to change my faith in who He IS!  I also found out that by allowing God to take us on a journey we would witness His great and powerful love He had for us.  Our journey was given to change our faith.  I now know that God has the power to heal instantly!  Before I believed it but rarely saw it happen.  It was through the trial that God made His voice heard in me.

I want you to see something that happened in The Scriptures.  

Mark 6:34-36  And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.   And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:  Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. 

 What a sight this must have been...people coming from all over to hear Jesus!  However, after teaching them a problem arose.  Now understand something, a problem can be an opportunity.  There are times when God allows your situation to be come an opportunity for you to demonstrate the Word of God.  What good is it to say you believe in the power of God and yet when tested you fail?  Here it is...a large hungry crowd, too tired to walk back to town for food.  When Jesus saw this crowd He was moved with compassion.  Every time is Scripture that it tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion He did a miracle!  Why?  Compassion means, "to suffer with."  Jesus never allowed a problem to be greater than His faith.  He saw all problems as an opportunities to show forth the power of God.  Compassion helps you to see the problem as an opportunity!  Now, the disciples saw the same problem but had a different solution.  They lacked compassion and said, "send them away...there is nothing here to give them..."  After all there was an estimated 5000 men, not counting women and children.  Some estimate that there were as many as 25,000 people there that day...all hungry!!!

Mark 6:37  He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?  

This verse is amazing..."Give YE them to eat..."  YOU give them to eat...YOU!  Their reply made sense when they said. "Shall we go and buy 200 pennyworth of bread and give them to eat?"  They answered Him sarcastically because they knew that Jesus knew that they had nothing to give this large crowd!!! Jesus was asking the impossible!  Now remember this...the impossible is always possible with God through YOU!

Mark 6:38  He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. 

What do you have?  "Go and see..."  This is the test!  Jesus knew well what they had...just a small boys lunch of five barley loaves of bread to two small fish...in Matthews account the disciples said, "But what are they among so many!"  To the common faithless person that made sense...NOT ENOUGH so why try! Somewhere in your Christian life your faith has to change into His faith or you will always miss the very reason that Jesus came to this earth...He came to bring to you the Kingdom of God...He brought to you Heaven...Remember when Jesus told us how to pray?  "Thy Kingdom come!  Thy will be done ON EARTH as it is IN HEAVEN."  This is NOW!  NOW! Is there lack in heaven?  Is there sickness in Heaven?  NO!!! Access into this is through faith!  The Bible says Faith cometh by hearing....HEARING?  Yes, Hearing!  It never said that faith cometh by what you have heard!  Hearing is present...now!  Living, breathing, moving faith that sees impossibilities as common place with God.  The people who struggle with this the most are those who are suppose to be living it!!!  How can we touch the world when we do not believe this ourselves?  Now don't tell me you believe it unless it is in daily practice in your own personal life!  I believe that the lost in our cities have discovered that we lack what we are suppose to have.  They are no longer coming to us because what we are advertising is not what we are giving out.  We have become spiritual atheist.  Without the demonstration of god's power what do we have? Programs, entertainment, shows, all the things that the world has.  The problem is this, none of these things change the condition of those who are hurting and needing God the most!  We should be ashamed!


So, here it is, the have five loaves and two fish...now what?

Mark 6:39-43  And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.   And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. 1  And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.   And they did all eat, and were filled.   And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. 

Now I know that all of you know this story well...I highlighted three things to bring to your attention...

1. Jesus "gave them to his disciples to set before them..." Inside of me flows the power of Almighty God to feed the hungry no matter how large the crowd is or the lack of supply I may have available!  If I stay in constant contact with the holy Spirit then His supply flows through me.  Jesus gave them the food...You feed them... He supplied it but we have to feed them.
2. "And they did eat and were filled..." What?  A small lunch feeds 25,000 people?  You say, yeah, but that was Jesus doing all of that and I am not Jesus...! True, but I want to shed a little light on this... Jesus left all of His divinity to come to earth and live just like a mortal man.  His power didn't come with Him!  His power came through the Holy Spirit.  The same Holy Spirit we claim to be filled with. Notice how often Jesus prayed!  If this fact is true then after the resurrection when the Holy Spirit was poured out that same power became available to all of us as well...the same measure became available to those who would be willing to pay the price for it!  This power is not cheap as I am finding out.  It will cost you much to flow under the anointing that you were birthed for.  Keep reading I will make this point much more clearer later.
3. "They took up twelve baskets full of fragments..."  How many baskets?  12  One each!!!  I will also deal with this in a minute.  More than enough...everyone had their fill and there were left overs!

However, most people end this story at this point but it was not over.  Something else happened that was very much a part of the feeding of the 5000...

Mark 6:45-50  And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.   And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.   And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.   And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.   But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:   For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. 

 The party was over and it was back to reality for the disciples.  They had truly witnessed a miracle and without a doubt talked about it on the boat before the storm came.  I have found that God always tests our faith when He is wanting to show us something that will change our lives.  This storm was no accident, it was ordained to test these men of God to prepare them for the calling they were to fulfill.  First note:  Jesus saw them toiling on the sea...He knew their situation was hard and He knew that the wind was contrary to them.  Their situation was hopeless without a doubt!  The next thing we see is at the darkest hour of the night Jesus walks on the sea out towards their boat...close enough for the disciples to see Him.  They immediately though that it was a spirit and became afraid.  The old fable of the time was that if you saw a spirit during a storm it mean certain death...they were afraid!  This can relate to those who receive a bad doctors report after they had been prayed for.  The Scripture says that He would have passed by them...WHAT?  That doesn't at all sound like Jesus now does it?  Why would He have passed by them?  Maybe that's where you are at today?  Ever think about that?  Maybe Jesus is closer than you think but he is waiting for you!  Then the Scripture uses the word BUT..."but in their fear they cried out..." I know God sees our fear and He sees it with compassion.  It's not wrong to have moments of fear...but somewhere out in your storm is Jesus and I can guarantee that!

Now, I told you that this story was connected to the feeding of the 5000...check out the next verse...

Mar 6:51  And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. Mar 6:52  For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. 

Here they are told something very important..."They considered not the miracle of the loaves..."  You see sometimes miracles are awesome and that is why God has to test us with storms so that we can understand the miracles.  When we doubt, the miracle no longer has power.  Notice the very last part, underline it in your Bible and never forget it...it tells us the reason for all of this..."for their heart was hardened..." Could this also be the reason for so few miracles today?  Our hearts have become hard, accustomed to not receiving what was promised?  Could this be the reason why so many fail during times of trails, sickness and testings? Maybe this is why we pray for the sick instead of obeying God's command to heal the sick.  A hardened heart will keep you in the natural and instead of seeing your storm as an opportunity to trust and believe God you become overtaken by it.  You then miss it and lack faith and become fearful.  What a dreaded place to be at!

In closing let me state something for you.  I too struggled with this in my life until God so graciously allowed us to "go through" sickness with my wife Sarah.  I now believe more than ever that there is coming back to the church the mighty power of the Holy Spirit.  We are soon going to see such powerful miracles in the Church like never before.  I know that I...ME...Kent Whitecotton....will be a tool to seeing blind eyes opened, deaf ears hear, cancer healed, disease healed, and even the dead raised back to life again...why??? because God's Word said so!!!  That is enough for me to seek after spiritual gifts like Paul told us to do in 2 Corinthians 14:1.  But this is also for you!  Jesus said, "If thou cans't believe, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE..."  You must realize that you were baptized in the Holy Spirit not to just speak in tongues but to have power to heal the sick, cast out devils, raise the dead, heal the leper (cancer)....this is your heritage as a believer!  Take it!  Seek God until you get it all!

Just so you know, since our trial ended we have already begun to see miracles...cancer was healed, blood disease was healed, stage 3 lymphoma was healed...only the beginning of what is coming...this is our heritage "to destroy all the works of the devil."

Love you,

Pastor Kent