Let Your Internal Reality Change Your External Circumstances

Living Inside Out (2)

Mark 4:35-41

Jesus had perfect peace inside, and His focus was on this internal reality rather than the storm outside. That’s why He did not panic like His disciples did.

When facing difficult circumstances we can choose to remain at ease connected to God’s Kingdom or we can act according to what we see and feel. As children of God, His Kingdom is within us (Luke 17:21). If God is with us, we will surely make it to the other side. To choose to live according to what we see and feel is to ignore the invisible and invincible Kingdom inside.

Jesus’ disciples allowed themselves to be overwhelmed by the storm. They saw, they felt, they thought about it and they decided that it could be fatal. Before they approached Jesus their hearts were already gripped with fear. Fear is something tangible, it’s something real. But this reality is inside, not outside. So what actually happened to the disciples?

The storm had moved from outside their body to inside their soul.

We have to guard what we have, because there is a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). If we are not careful, he will steal our peace. Then, like the disciples, we would have let what’s outside affect what’s inside.

Jesus lived the other way round. He would not let the outside affect the inside. I have read the passage in Mark many times, but every time I thought it comical that Jesus could keep on sleeping in that kind of condition. Apart from the fact that it’s because He lived in Shalom peace, I believe Jesus also wanted to teach us something by his sleeping. He was effectively saying this: shut the external conditions out of your system. Ignore them. Of course, Jesus could laugh heartily and He could weep at what He saw. He lived like a normal man. Even so, He was never fazed or intimidated by unfavorable external circumstances.

But there’s more to it. Inside Jesus there’s no storm, but He did have a lot of peace. His Kingdom is peace. He carried it in great measure and He could release it to the world around Him. What He had not he could not give but what He had He could give. He released His Shalom peace into the outside world. Just as the disciples’ fear was tangible, His peace was also tangible and of superior reality. The storm had to cease. Jesus then rebuked His disciples; obviously He meant that they could have done what He did. So, in whatever storm you find yourself in, do what Jesus did:

Let your internal reality change your external circumstances.


Scripture Link: BibleGateway.com

Facing Difficult Times

Living Inside Out (1)

At times we find ourselves going through trying circumstances. Broken marriage, ill-health, retrenchment from work, financial crisis, natural disaster – you name it. Often we have no control over these things happening, but sometime we ourselves are the cause of the trouble. It doesn’t matter how they happen, they do happen. The important thing is how we react to them.

One time Jesus was crossing a lake with his disciples. There arose a mighty storm that threatened to sink their boat. The disciples panicked but Jesus was sleeping soundly in the stern. The seasoned fishermen, amazed that the Lord could keep on sleeping in the face of such life-threatening circumstance, woke Him up and reprimanded Him of His indifference. But this was how Jesus responded:

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mk 4:39-40, NKJV)

Jesus’ disciples had been in the fishing business for a long time, plying their trade on the waters. We could trust them to recognize a life-threatening storm whey they saw one. They certainly reacted in a way that everyone would think reasonable. But Jesus seemed to think otherwise. Not only that, His reaction was totally opposite to that of his disciples. Why?

The reason is that Jesus did not live in the storm.

His disciples lived in the storm and from the storm - their whole beings were entrenched in their surroundings. They saw that strong wind wreaked havoc on the lake making waves as high as the mast. The waves were pounding on the boat and pouring into it. The disciples could hardly stand still as the boat rocked feverishly. Their senses told them everything was far from okay – they could be drowned anytime. What they saw and felt caused them to be gripped with fear internally. They had their focus totally zoomed in on the outside world, the storm. That’s where they lived.

Jesus lived in His Kingdom and from His Kingdom. In the world where He lived there was no storm. Perfect peace reigned. There was no room for fear. Jesus had His focus zoomed in on this internal reality, thereby oblivion to outside circumstances. He was sure that He was safe and would make it to the other side, therefore He continued to sleep.

In times of tribulation, there’s a simple way to take stock of things. Just ask yourself: where do you live? 

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