LIGHTEN THE CARGO
When the ship is floundering in a stormy sea, the captain has to decide whether or not to toss some of the cargo overboard to lighten the ship’s load. When we are fighting through a storm in our life we sometimes allow ourselves to be weighed down with a load (burden) that it is not necessary to carry. Jesus tells us that His yoke (a joining together with Him) is easy and that His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). This is the love of God: to obey His commands John says. And His command are not burdensome (I John 5:3).Most often, in the midst of a storm, the most effective thing we can do is to rest in Jesus. The Book encourages us not to be anxious about anything; to let the peace of God invade our soul (Phillip 4:6-7). Finally, brothers he says: whatever is true, whatever is right, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely; whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthily think about such things (Verse 8). In today’s world it’s called “positive thinking”. Or as it stated in the book (Proverbs 23:7). For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. In the midst of a crisis, the first thing the devil wants to do is control our minds and the way we think about the situation. If he can get us so focused on the problem that it consumes us, then we will have trouble seeing God’s way out. Satan’s job is to convince us that the problem is so huge that it is unsolvable. And when one problem seems unsolvable we pile on even more problems to make it even more unmanageable and unsolvable.

`Like the captain at the sea in the hearts of a storm we need to keep focused on the task at hand, the source of our strength, and the end objective – to reach home port safety. In the midst of a storm, FEAR is the main burden and obstacle to exercising wisdom and promoting a return to a safe journey. It is a part of the ship’s baggage that must be dumped over board if we are going to lighten our ship’s burden and allows it to float free. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world … (Luke 21:26.) Those who are in Christ need to fear? For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)