“I’m not sure what habit you’re trying to make or break, but you’re going to have to exercise your spiritual authority! . . . You’ve got to rebuke the wind and the waves. At some point, you have to stop talking to God about your problems and start talking to your problems about God.”- Mark Batterson
“When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.”- Mark 4:38-39 (NLT)
On Day 19 (“Exercise Your Authority”) of Do It for a Day, Mark Batterson tells the story of Chuck Yeager and the Bell X-1. On October 14, 1947, a B-29 bomber took off from an airstrip in Southern California. The Bell X-1, with Chuck Yeager at the controls, was attached to the bomber’s belly.
Released from the B-29 at twenty-five thousand feet, the Bell X-1 broke the sound barrier. Because the air pressure pounding the front of the plane shifted to the tail. In a sense, the perfect storm transformed into the perfect calm. Consequently, absolute stillness and silence. The Bell X-1 now traveled faster than the sound waves it produced.
So, when a sudden, violent storm rocked the disciples’ boat on the Sea of Galilee, did Jesus panic? Grab an oar and start rowing? Start bailing out the boat? No, no, and no! Instead, Jesus exercised His authority. Hence, Pastor Batterson offers two ways for you to exercise your spiritual authority. You need to:
- hold your peace in the midst of the storm. To hold your peace, Mark notes, maintain a nonanxious presence. You do so by interrupting the anxiety prompt with a pattern of prayer. also, the author adds, holding peace = holding space. It means you’re fully present.
- speak your peace. Despite the challenges you face, speak your peace as you operate in the opposite spirit.
Today’s question: What Bible verses give you the courage to exercise your spiritual authority? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A thermometer or a thermostat?”
