Have you ever found yourself in a storm? We all know the passage where the disciples found themselves in the storm. 

Mt 14:22-33 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. (23) And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. (24) But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. (25) And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. (26) And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. (27) But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. (28) And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. (29) And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. (30) But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. (31) And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (32) And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. (33) Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

When we think about the disciples, we will remember that many of them were fishermen.  There is little doubt that they could read the skies and could tell when a storm was coming.  Nevertheless, the Lord sent them to the other side. Of course, the Lord knew exactly where He was sending them. He's God - He controls the storms.  Jesus knew He was sending His disciples into a storm.  We can easily assume that the disciples also knew they were heading into a storm.  If the disciples thought they were going into a storm, they could have refused but they didn't.  They trusted Jesus to do what was best for them.  The disciples were trusting God.  In this case, Jesus- God in the flesh, was sending them into a storm.  The first thing we can see from this passage is that sometimes God puts us in a storm. The disciples obeyed God and shortly thereafter found themselves in a storm.  In that storm, we see several miracles occur. 

The first miracle we see is Jesus walking to them on the water.  It is easy for us to gloss over that simple fact.  Jesus was walking on water.  Have you tried that lately?  You cannot walk on water.  It just simply is not possbile for a man to walk on water but Jesus did.  When the disciples saw Jesus walking to them, they first thought it was a spirit.  They did not believe this was actually Jesus walking to them.  However, when Jesus spake to them, they realized it was Jesus and their fears were calmed.  

As Jesus was walking to them on the water, we see the second miracle.  Peter called out to Jesus and asked Jesus to let him walk on the water.  Now we can certainly understand God walking on water.  After all, Jesus is God.  He can do anything He wants.  But Peter?  Can a mortal man walk on water?  Yes, if Jesus calls you out onto the sea, you can walk on the waves.  I can imagine Peter hearing the call, jumping out of the boat with his eyes on the Lord, and walking on toward Jesus.  Yes, Peter's faith in Jesus was so strong that he was actually able to walk on water.  Peter often gets a bad reputation.  Shortly after he stepped out of the boat and took his first few steps on the water, Peter took his eyes off the Lord and started looking at the waves. We must remember that Peter still had enough faith to take the first steps on the water. If someone told you to take a stroll on the waves in the middle of a storm, would you?  Peter had enough faith to get out of the boat.  Peter only began to sink when he took his eyes off the Lord and looked at the circumstances around him. 

The next miracle involves Peter as well. Yes, when Peter realized where he was, his faith waivered.  Your faith would have waivered too.  As Peter's faith waivered and he began to sink, Jesus rescued him.  Literally, Jesus streched out HIS hand and took Peter to safety.  So the third miracle here is Peter's rescue from the waves at the hand of Jesus. 

We see the fourth miracle as Peter and Jesus get into the ship.  Jesus calms the waves. Again, Jesus controls the weather.  Just as He knew He was sending the disciples into the storm, Jesus knew He could calm the storm. 

These miracles are all wonderful examples of how we should trust the Lord and are also examples of how the Lord is in control of every circumstance and every detail.  However, suppose for a moment the disciples had looked at the clouds and said they were not going into the ship.  God was literally sending them into a dangerous storm. They would have been perfectly within their right to say no, but they didn't.  They trusted God.  Because these disciples trusted God, they saw four different miracles, and we got the record.  After this storm, the disciples were stronger.  They had seen another example of how the Lord was in control. 

How often do we find ourselves in a storm?  Sure, we can cause our own storms, but there are also times when the Lord sends us into the storm for own good.  Just as He did with the disciples, the Lord will often send us into the storm.  Whether the Lord puts us in the storm or the storm is of our own making, the storm is for our own good and for God's glory.  Either way, as long as we keep our eyes on the Lord and trust in Him, the Lord will protect us and the storms will make us stronger. 

Keep your eyes on the Lord and enjoy the miracles in the storms.

Over the last year, a movie has become increasingly popular.  While it is true that there are extremely few Hollywood movies that a Christian should watch, this one has become extremely popular among Christian teen girls.  In fact, it is infectious creating a cult-like following.  The movie “Twilight” is basically about Bella and Edward.  Bella moves from her sunny Phoenix home to dismal, dreary Forks, Washington.  As she tries to get accustomed to her new life and settled into her new high school, she is drawn to her Biology lab partner Edward.  As she becomes increasingly attracted to Edward, she also becomes increasingly involved in Edward’s family – all of whom are vampires.  The basic plot of the four books is the love story of Edward and Bella and the complications of interacting with Edward’s vampire family and other demonic creatures. 

One notable point in the series is a theme of abstinence in the midst of a love story between two young adults.  However, despite the apparant abstinence, there are parts of the story where the characters are involved in an inappropriate physical relationship and are alone together.  Despite this one positive theme, this series is very dangerous.  Sadly, this series of books (and now the movies) are also extremely popular among Christians. 

Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

As we see in Genesis 3, Satan was more subtle than any other creature.  It is the devil’s very nature to be subtle, to be deceptive.  When sin began on the face of the earth, Satan used his subtle nature to add a little here and leave a little out there.  In short, he made the sin seem to be not so bad.  He is doing the very same thing with this series of books and movies.  Through his subtlety, Satan is conning a generation of young women and even little girls into believing there is such a thing as a good vampire or that a vampire can be a hero.   Consider the following quote from a “Rolling Stone” interview with the lead character Robert Patterson in which he says, “It's weird that you get 8-year-old girls coming up to you saying, ‘Can you just bite me? I want you to bite me.’”  In this interview, he also alluded to how girls as young as eight are drawn to the sexuality of the movie even though abstinence is one of the themes proclaimed by those who promote the movie as wholesome!

Even though abstinence is supposedly promoted, the sexuality of the love story is still there.  This sexuality promotes feelings and desires in teen girls which cannot legitimately be fulfilled outside of marriage.  This creates an immoral desire in these young girls for more of the illegitimate “Hollywood” style dating that is perverting the morals and lives of an entire generation. 

Aside from the immoral sexuality generated by the “love story” aspect of the novels, there is a far more dangerous aspect of the series: the blatantly demonic aspect of the series.  The entire plot revolves around the two singular themes of teenage love and vampires.  Sure, the plot portrays supposed good vampires and evil ones but is there really a “good” vampire?

There are very clear dangers in this series which should cause the Christian to flee from these books and movies, not partake in them or even, God forbid, promote them!  We can see the end result of both of the dangers in this series (Hollywood dating and dabbling in the occult) in Bella’s own actions.  As the plot develops, she ultimately gives up her own soul to become a vampire in her quest to secure the love of Edward and her own immortality.

First, she gives her soul to secure the love of the vampire Edward.  By doing this, she proves that she is willing to do anything including rejecting the one true God.  This is true of most of the teen girls we see walking around today.  This is typical of so many teens.  No matter what it takes, they will sacrifice anything for a boyfriend or girlfriend.  In almost every case, the first thing a teen will do is sacrifice their walk with God.  This is the first step a teen can take in the wrong direction.  Once the relationship with God is broken and the teen is backslidden, it is only a short hop to physical contact and a destroyed testimony.  Hopefully, this will not happen to you or your teen but if you follow the Hollywood style of dating, it is all too likely. 

Hollywood style dating creates an attitude of sacrificing everything on the altar of obtaining a guy.  Teen girls feel incomplete if they do not have a boyfriend.  Too many girls, the guy on her arm is almost like an accessory like her purse or shoes.  And just as many would spend any amount, not truly realizing the cost, to get the perfect purse or shoes, many girls would also sacrifice whatever needs to be sacrificed to get and keep what they think is the perfect guy.  Just look at the way many girls dress.  They are using their bodies and immodest dress to attract guys.  Then when they have a guy, the guy becomes an idol in their lives and quickly replaces the Lord and the father. 

Second, while seeking Edward’s love, she gives up her very soul to accomplish her other goal, immortality.  Satan’s deception to Bella is the same style of subtle deception he used in the Garden of Eden with Eve.  It is even the same lie that you can be a god.  This is the exact same lie Satan told Eve in the Garden of Eden, “Ye shall not surely die” Gen 3:4.  This is also the same lie told by the modern humanist.  You can be whatever you want to be.  The entire plot of this series of novels is based on a lie from Satan that is as old as the creation itself.

Deut 18:9-12 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.  (10) There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,  (11) Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.  (12) For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

Finally, Deut 18:9-12 clearly teaches us that we should not even learn the ways of the underworld. It is an abomination and it should not be found anywhere near the child of God.  God commands that those who participate in these actions should be driven out of the congregation.  If the Lord thinks so strongly of these things, then why are so many Christians bringing it into their homes?  I can think of many dangers but I am sure there are dangers we cannot even imagine. I simply cannot understand how someone could love God and literally invite the devil into their home by watching or reading this trash. 

Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

We are commanded to avoid pagan trash such as this but along with the warning, the Lord gives us instruction on what we should be thinking and meditating on.  Is there anything true about this series of books?  Is there anything honest in them? Is there anything just about these pagan books? Is there anything pure in them? Lovely? Of good report? Any virtue? Any praise toward God?  NO, there is not.  As a Christian teen you should flee from this trash.  As a Christian parent, you should take these books and movies from your teen and destroy them!
 

Did Jesus literally mean we should hate our family to follow Him?

Lu 14:25-26 ¶ And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, (26) If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

When we look at Scripture, we must look at the Scripture literally.  However literally means that we look not only at the words of a single verse, but in the context of the surrounding passage and the context of the event.  Here, Jesus is speaking to those who are following Him, seeking to become a part of the small group of disciples.  At this point, the disciples had not all been persecuted, but the persecution was coming.  It would not be long before the apostles would all be martyred.  Jesus is not looking for people who will join up with Him for a season.  Rather, Jesus is looking for people who will be willing to stand with Him through whatever may come.  When Jesus spoke these words, He knew that the full force of persecution would come from the Roman Empire (and later, the Roman church).  He knew that those who associated with Him would be boiled, crucified, stoned or exiled.  Knowing this, Jesus did not want people to follow Him who were not willing to make such a sacrifice.  To show this point, Jesus gives a few other examples:

Lu 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Did Jesus intend for everyone who followed Him to literally be crucified? Did the Lord expect every Christian for all time to end up being nailed to a cross?  No.  Each of us has a different cross to bear we all face different trials as a Christian.  These trials become our crosses.  These trials are the things that prove to the world we are Christians.  By overcoming these trials, as Christ overcame death and the grave, we show the world around us that Christ in us is more powerful than whatever the trial may be.  If we are not willing to face that trial, we cannot be called a Christian.

Lu 14:28-30 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? (29) Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, (30) Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Again, Jesus is asking a leading question.  Here, He is asking who would start to build a building without figuring out how much it would cost.  Jesus adds that anyone who starts a building project without first figuring the cost may end up running out of money.  Jesus is saying that the project may end up costing more than expected and you may end up laying a foundation, and then running out of money and being mocked for the incomplete structure.

Lu 14:31-32 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? (32) Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

Another example Jesus gives is a king who goes off to war.  The king expects to be able to win the war with ten thousand soldiers.  When he meets an enemy force of twenty thousand soldiers, and the king sends an ambassador seeking peace.  Again, it is a case where the king did not count the entire cost of going to war and he ended up in defeat. 

Lu 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Jesus concludes this by comparing all of these to becoming a disciple by saying that one who wants to be a disciple, or in our day, a Christian, must be willing to sacrifice all that he has.  This does not mean that we need to burn everything we own and immediately turn against our family, but we must be willing to put Christ ahead of all these things and people.  For example, there are people in some parts of the world who, when they accept Christ as their Saviour, are disowned.  Their family forces them to choose between Christ and the family.  Obviously, Christ is the right answer. Even today, people in some countries are jailed, beaten, their homes destroyed, etc. if they announce that they are Christians.  Does this mean that they should not turn to Christ? No.  Does this mean that these new Christians should not share their faith in Christ?  Of course not.  Does it mean that they may be persecuted for what they believe?  Yes, it does.  As a Christian, persecution is a very real possibility.  Even in the United States, the land of Freedom, there is some slight persecution of Christians.   
In this passage, Jesus is making the point that following Him will be a sacrifice.  That anyone who chooses to follow Him must realize that there may a high cost for making this choice.

Though there may appear to be a high cost here on earth, there is a far higher cost for those who choose not to follow Christ.  Those who reject Christ face a penalty of eternity in hell, an eternity of separation from God as well as an eternity of perpetual burning. 

John 3:16-19 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

In the passage above, verse 16 shows the love of God in that He was willing to die on the cross to pay for our sins.  The passage goes on to show us that salvation is a free choice.  That those who have not chosen a saving faith in Christ are already condemned.  No matter who you are, if you have not chosen to follow Christ, despite the consequences, you will face a greater consequence.  You are condemned to death and Hell.  However, by choosing to follow Christ, you can escape this penalty.  Yes, you may face persecution for a time here on earth, but that will be far better than an eternity of torment in Hell.

 

Modest attire is one of the hardest struggles that a Godly lady faces.  There is a very delicate line a lady must walk to avoid drawing attention to herself while still showing her God-given beauty and countenance.  Sadly, the standards of dress we see today, even in churches, are horrible.  Women today seem to have lost even the very basic sense of what is modest and decent.

As you learned from the definition of the word modest, there are many aspects to being modest.  Today, it seems that the primary idea of modesty has to do with dress(we will see more about other aspects later in this study).  It is true that how a lady dresses will say a lot about her.  For certain aspects of attire, there are some clear Biblical standards.  In other cases, the Biblical standards are less clear and the believer is required to develop certain preferences.  First, we will deal with the clear Biblical standards.

Gen 2:24-25  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.(25) And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

In this passage, we see the beginning of the first family in the creation.  Adam and Eve were the first husband and wife, they were naked together and they were not ashamed.  This passage is often referred to when explaining the physical relationship between a husband and his wife.  However, that is not necessarily the only context here.  At this point, they were not ashamed because they had not sinned.  They did not know what shame was and they did not understand the concept of nakedness.  They had not partaken of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  We simply cannot understand what it would be like to live without a sin nature or without the knowledge of "good and evil."  It is not possible for us to comprehend.  However, this is the state Adam and Eve were in at this point.  They had no thought or comprehension of good and evil, of sin or of right and wrong.

Gen 3:1-6  Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (2) And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (3) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.(4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.(6) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

To begin, lets parse, or take apart, this passage.  In verse one, we see the serpant.  Today, we know snakes as a sly, subtle animal.  It is able to sneak up on its prey and quikly strike.  Sometimes, a snake's strike seems to come from nowhere.  Likewise, the devil is a subtle creature.  The devil sneaks up on us and decieves us with lies and half-truths. That is just how it all begins here.  The devil lies to Eve by telling a partial truth.  Eve answers the devil explaining that they can eat of every tree except one.  She adds that they cannot even touch that tree.  Now, here, she is adding to God's command.  God never told them they could not touch anything.  In fact, they were the keepers of the garden.  How could they keep the garden if there were trees they could not touch.  Satan's reply is an outright lie. In Genesis 2:17, the Lord commanded them that they would surely die if they ate of the tree of knowledge.  The devil went on to add that their eyes would be opened and they would be like gods knowing good and evil.  At this point, it was only God and the angels who knew good and evil.  Adam and Eve did not. Eve believed the lies of the devil, at the fruit and fed it to Adam.  Their eyes were opened, and they did now see good and evil.  They did not sin by being naked.  This was how God created them.  However, now that they could see good and evil, they realized that there was shame in being naked.  Consider the next verse:

Gen 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

As soon as they ate this fruit, there eyes were opened and they realized they were naked.  Later, we will see that God compares nakedness to an open shame.  They realized this fact before God inspired the first letter of the Word of God to be penned.  Once they realized they were naked, and ashamed, they attempted to make coverings for themselves.  They sewed together fig leaves to make themselves aprons.  In all likelyhood, these aprons covered the "vitals," but were they sufficient?  Merriam-Webster's online disctionary defines an apron, in this context, as a garment tied around the waist.  By any definition, an apron would never be considered to cover one's nakedness. 

Gen 3:21  Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Again, Merriam-Webster's online dictionary gives us a defintion to consider for the word coat: an outer garment worn on the upper body and varying in length and style according to fashion and use.  Clearly, a coat coveres the upper body and extends below the waist to different lengths.  We can assume that whatever God made, it covered whatever God defined as naked.  So, how does God define naked? 

What Does God Think of Nakedness?

Isa 47:3  Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

In this passage, God is clearly equating nakedness and shame.  God is saying that their nakedness shall be uncovered and their shame revealed.  In other words, God is saying that revealing your nakedness is revealing your shame.  So, what is nakedness? How does God define nakedness? Before we answer that question, ask yourself this:  Regardless ofwhat the standard turns out to be, do you want to walk around life naked? 

Nakedness Defined

Exo 28:42  And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:

In Exodus, God is giving instructions as to how to dress to the priests.  The point is not that we should dress like a Hebrew priest.  Rather, the point here is to see that God is defining what to cover in order to cover one's nakedness.  This passage speaks of linen breeches.  Breeches are a garment worn by men – today, we call them trousers or pants.  God is instructing the priests to cover their nakedness with a garment that extends "from the loins even unto the thighs." 

Isa 47:2-3 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. (3) Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

We just looked at Isaiah 47:3, and how revealing ones nakedness also reveals their shame.  Isaiah 47:2 defines what nakedness is by saying, "...make bare the leg, uncover the thigh ... thy nakedness shall be uncovered..."  What is the Lord saying here?  He is telling us what nakedness is: uncovering the thigh.   

If we take God's Word as our absolute standard, would a skirt that only covers part of the thigh be revealing your nakedness?  What about a pair of shorts that do not completely cover the thigh?  Are you walking around naked?