LET NOTHING DROWN JESUS OUT OF YOUR LIFE
LET NOTHING DROWN JESUS OUT OF YOUR LIFE
Sadly, I never learnt to swim. It is one of my greatest regrets. And though I know it is not too late to learn, I hate to admit that I am petrified of water like that. I think of people that have drowned and just dig my heels in and refuse to go and get swimming lessons. But I refuse to be drowned by lies that it cannot be done. I will let you all know when I cross that bridge. ):
There is an English expression that goes like this; “To drown out the noise of something (or somebody)”; and this means to cover up or to make obscure the sound of a particular thing by a louder sound.
Jesus is calling out to us now, as always. But I feel it is more important now than ever before to heed his voice and His calling. It is time to pay attention to Jesus above all else. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water they were afraid and even argued amongst themselves that He was a ghost. But Peter asked Jesus to bid him come, if it really was Him. And Jesus called out to Peter and said, “Come.” “And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.” Matthew 14:28–29 ESV Wow! Great! Peter was walking on water to meet Jesus. That was definitely a remarkable feat! Well see what happened in the very next moment: “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Matthew 14: 30 ESV There you go! As soon as Peter allowed the sound of the wind to become louder and more real to him, the voice of Jesus was drowned out in his consciousness. And that brought the greatest obstacle to progress: FEAR! Suddenly, Peter who had been boldly walking on water to meet Jesus, became afraid and began to sink.
Peter shifted his focus and attention. He became distracted by the wind and the waves. By doing that, automatically he could no longer hear Jesus calling out to him. How many of us are like Peter, getting distracted by all that is going on around in the here and now? Some of us are worrying ourselves into sickness, disease and depression. And believing every lie that the enemy whispers in our ears. To focus on Jesus is to dwell on His word, His promises to us. To focus on Jesus is to be aware of His unfailing love for us. To focus on Jesus is to be mindful of His two-fold sacrifice for us at Calvary (His suffering and His death) and to be grateful and thankful for all these. When we shift our focus from Jesus we are disconnected from Him and when that happens we will no longer hear Him when He calls out to us. We would have drowned Him out just like we cannot hear the voice of someone on the other end of a disconnected telephone line. And this is why we must stay connected to Jesus. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” John 15: 4 NLT When we allow Jesus be drowned out of our lives we cannot be productive.
Things are going on in the world. Terrifying things even; if we begin to focus on them. In Nigeria alone there are enough reasons to be worried; but please let us listen to Jesus instead of all the gloom and doom. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5 KJV Honestly Jesus will NEVER leave us. We must believe that.
As Nigeria prepares for yet another election year, tension and fear are palpable. But honestly let us not be distracted by all the happenings and rather focus on Jesus and His promises to us; one of which says “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8: 28 KJV
JESUS IS CALLING OUT TO US. LET US NOT DROWN HIM OUT OF OUR LIVES.
OLUYINKA EGO-MARTINS ©