Principles for Life in the Kingdom of Godਨਮੂਨਾ

THE POWER OF FAITH

MAIN IDEAS

• The purpose of the storm at sea was to increase the disciples’ confidence in JESUS and to encourage them to trust in God even in the face of powerful forces of nature. But God is the absolute master over these forces and has authority over them. In such situations, He is there, so we must act on faith, not fear.

• The human reaction to Satan’s work in the lives of others is to exclude, isolate, and abandon possessed persons.

• Jesus’ authority over demons is undeniable; they knew Him, and they even testified that Jesus is the Son of God. Unfortunately, there are people who don’t even have this kind of faith.

• The demons prayed, and JESUS listened. Why do people have so little desire to pray to God?

• For local residents, the pigs were more important than their neighbors. Thus, they asked JESUS to leave their city, so JESUS left because He stays only where He is wanted.

• The attitude of the liberated man was quite different; he wanted to follow JESUS. But JESUS tells him to stay in his community and to be a living testimony of God’s work.

Through the calming of the storm, JESUS intended the disciples to increase their faith by understanding that He is also Master over nature, because they needed to know this and to trust in God. In the circumstances of natural hazards or disasters, when it appears that JESUS is 'asleep at the helm”, He is not oblivious but looks to us to act through faith in His name. We must allow our faith, not our fear, to control us in such situations.
The universal problem of humans is a lack of understanding of the value of the soul in relation to the value of passing material things. The value of a soul is way bigger than the value of the heaven and earth because the soul is eternal, while the earth and sky will pass. How could we even compare the value of a soul with the value of a pig?
We need to understand that we need JESUS and we need His sacrifice. Any other attitude on our part is irrational. He paid the price for our forgiveness and secured our salvation, and if we come to Him with demands, we run every chance of being left behind with our demands, like those in the city of Gadar. How much the locals there could have gained, if only they had understood the perspective of the KINGDOM and the value of spiritual things!