John 16:33, Psalm 46: 8-10, Romans 12:19, John 20:19-21, Hebrews 11:29, Romans 8:32, John 14:27

Men and brethren, I am confident that the Storms Will Cease as we remain under the concentrated presence of God with grace and favour. According to Daddy Uma Ukpai, no matter the storm you must fear no evil. Hear me, life is full of Red Sea encounters, we must ask God to give us each day, the desire and capacity to breathe in the wonder of air, to envision a still destiny and find there the peace of His presence because our world is full of different kinds of Red Sea encounters. For example, have you notice that the biggest selling news of the media is reporting storms, war, suicide bombers and horror than relating good News. Most people use their God given resources to buy fear, and they are right in our bedrooms and offices. I want to advise that, if you want to avoid depression stay away as much as possible from bad news, rather stay close to the word of God. We don’t need the News media to tell us that many other people across our nation and world are experiencing storms that are just as devastating, which includes: storms of poverty; storms of divorce, disease or death; storms of betrayal, bankruptcy or blindness; storms of abuse, adultery or addiction; storms that leave shattered lives, broken hearts and shredded hopes; storms that turn dreams into nightmares. No wonder Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” John 16:33. Jesus is the giver of Perfect Peace in the Storm of Life. Therefore, we must remain Still and ask God to give us power to be calm in the Red Sea experience and see Perfect Peace in the Storm and in Turbulent Times. Amen

Our God is a specialist that Calms the Rumble in the Storm when we obey his command to be still and go forward. According to the scriptures, “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided” Exodus 14:21. The psalmist declared, “To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder, For His lovingkindness is everlasting” Psalm 136:13. Isaiah inquired “Was it not You who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; Who made the depths of the sea a pathway For the redeemed to cross over?” Isaiah 51:10 and Apostle Paul concludes “For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” 1 Cor 10:1-2. Therefore,  I announce, The Storms Will Cease. You are the next to experience a mighty deliverance of your Red Sea encounter. You shall testify in grand style.

Friends, when we face difficulties in our life that would make it seem as if we are on a ship being tossed upon a stormy sea, how exactly can we be still and become a comfort to our family while a storm rages around us? How do we Calm the Rumble in the Storm? Here me, you cannot find peace by avoiding life but by living according to the command and directions of God. God is saying to someone here who is ready to revenge, don’t return violence for violence. If you do, you allow the violent person to set the agenda! Instead, look on the other with compassion. Return good for evil. Do more than you must. Give because others ask it of you. It is our refusal to retaliate in kind that gives Love the upper hand and reveals the Kingdom of Heaven at work in us and whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love. Leave vengeance to God Romans 12:19. Let God fight for you.  I announce, the God I serve shall fight your battles beginning today.  Your Storms Will Cease. And that’s the whole point of today’s portion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We have to have religion enough; we have to have faith enough in Christ to allow his Love to move through us to those around us. On our own, we can’t love the way he wants us to love. We can only love as God loves when Christ works in and with us. It’s easy to love others who love us back, our friends, pals, but even the Mafia and the militants operates this way!

The requirement when you meet your Red sea encounter is calmness. The bible says “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10. Do you know that Peace was so important that Jesus said ‘Peace be unto you’ twice to the disciples after his resurrection. John 20:19-21, Matthew 28:9. What troubles you? Maybe it is your circumstances: Are your finances tight? What about job security? Or perhaps it’s your family?! Or maybe it is yourself. It takes Calmness to walk free during your Red Sea encounter knowing that you have been surrounded by your enemies as the story is told; Pharaoh and his army pursued the Israelite slaves fleeing Egypt under Moses’ command, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea on to dry land but Pharaoh’s army and all of his horsemen were drowned Hebrews 11:29.  See, those chasing after you to destroy you shall end up like Pharaoh’s army. This command “be still” forces us to think on two things: that we are finite, and that God is infinite. That being the case, we need to drop our hands, go limp, relax, and “chill out.” Believers ought to “come, behold the works of Jehovah,” Psalm 46:8 that we may enjoy a calm confidence in him who gave us his Son. “Shall he not also with him freely give us all things?” Paul reasoned (Romans 8:32). Therefore, Psalm 46:10 encourages us to reflect on what God can do in the face of what we are unable to do.

Right where you are, this spiritual calmness, that God commands, does not come from a lack of troubles; it derives from a steady, deep reflection on the ways God has intervened in history on behalf of his people (Romans 15:4). So as your world crumbles around you, the call from Scripture is: don’t flinch in faith in God. Stand still—not because of a self-made confidence, not because you are the most composed person in the face of disaster, not because “you’ve seen it all.” Be still because of what you know about God. It is “God’s past” that provides calm for “our future.” Know that he is God! Know it, not merely intellectually, but practically, spiritually, and emotionally. He is your God. He is the ruler of kingdoms of this earth and the all-powerful Creator of the Universe. Even if you are the last man or woman standing, be still. The Storms Will Cease. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earths do change” (Psalm 46:1-2a). Hallelujah!

At times my life is anything but still. Perhaps you can relate. Family members with competing needs. Relationships to nurture and to maintain. Work demands. Ministry commitments. Errands to run. Projects to finish. Mail. Phone calls. Pages. E-mail. Sometimes it’s too much! These are all good things, but they become too much when I forget to take a step back and focus on what’s most important in God. Your busyness will not solve your troubles. It takes only God to grant you Calmness in the Red Sea. In fact, the harder you run after something, the farther away it becomes. You are incapable of solving your problems. You seek refuge with your friends- but they can only commiserate with your pain; You try to find strength from your spouse- but he or she is just as weak as you are. how far have you gotten? Have you attained what you sought? If I’ve learned anything about the spiritual life I’ve learned that when I’m busy and distracted I miss God. If I’m hurrying, anxious, or under pressure it’s hard to hear God. That’s because God usually speaks in a still, small voice. It’s like listening to my wife while anxiously reading through my stack of mail. I’m not giving her my attention. I’m not hearing her or connecting with her. So I’ve learned to put down the mail and look into her eyes when we need to talk!

“Be still and know that I am God,” is not just a saying, it is a state of being. It is the ability to know God well enough to trust in his abilities to rescue you. As we learn to be still and trust in God, we come to know and understand that we are God’s children and he has promised to Calm the Rumble in our Storm. We are never alone, never unaided and never forgotten. He will come to us. All it takes is for us to be still. I see God speaking to someone here to move forward because your pursuers shall soon be drowned. Those who have dug a grave for you to be buried, for your dream to be buried, shall soon take your place in the grave. Your Storms Will Cease

Finally, Depression, like anxiety, makes it difficult to connect with God. To make contact with God we need motivation, concentration, accurate discernment of ourselves and God, and hope in all of which are things that are incompatible with depression.

Jesus is saying to you “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27. I pray that someone here will experience stillness of soul and experience God’s unfailing love of God in their heart, right now receive Calmness to the Rumble in your Storm and in your Turbulent Times. The Storms Will Cease in Jesus name. Amen. Let me share these testimonies before the concluding prayer.