redefine you - Dennis Burke Ministries

upcomingmeetingsbut the Holy Spirit does, so be wary offollowing experts! Remember, BernieMadoff was considered an expert in theinvestment world, and when he failed,everyone who had followed his expertadvice suffered.Second, they reasoned, “…FairHavens was an exposed harbor — a poorplace to spend the winter…” (v. 12). Itseemed reasonable to the crew to sailon to a harbor with less exposure fromthe winter. Their failure to listen toPaul exposed them to greater danger. ButPaul perceived…Paul had a God-givenassignment that heknew he must fulfill.Nothing could stop him—not human reasoning,not the crowd, notcircumstances, noteven the experts.It’s just as dangerous for us to allowour intellect, reasoning, or naturalunderstanding to lead us. Proverbs3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with allyour heart; do not depend on your ownunderstanding. Seek his will in all you do,and he will show you which path to take.”If we want to know the right path to takein every situation, we cannot lean on ourown knowledge.Third, another mistake was madeon board Paul’s ship when “…most ofthe crew wanted to go to Phoenix…”(v. 12). Jesus warned us that “the gateto destruction is wide, and the roadthat leads there is easy to follow. A lotof people go through that gate” (Matt.7:14 CEV). Why is the road so wide? Toaccommodate the vast number of peoplewho walk that way. We always make amistake when we follow the crowd!Fourth, the crew was also led bycircumstances. Verse 13 (NKJV) says:“When the south wind blew softly,supposing that they had obtained theirdesire, putting out to sea, they sailed closeby Crete.” The south wind blowing softlysounds so inviting. But circumstancesare unreliable and can change abruptly— without warning. As Christians, wemust know from the Holy Spirit whatto do instead of following circumstances!Look what happened after the softblowing wind lured the crew of that shipout to sea: “But the weather changedabruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength(a “northeaster,” they called it) caught theship and blew it out to sea. They couldn’tturn the ship into the wind, so they gaveup…” (vv. 14–15).When we are led by ourreasoning or by circumstances,we can get ourselves so faroff center that the devil willtry to convince us that it’shopeless — that we’re too fargone to get back on track. Ifwe continue to think like that,we will continue to be carriedfurther off course. Thingscan get out of control quicklyand seem impossible to turnaround. That’s when peoplebecome hopeless. Notice howdesperate the circumstanceslooked to those on board thisship: “Then, when for several days neithersun or stars were seen and the terrific galestill harassed us, the last ray of hope wasnow vanishing” (v. 20 Weymouth).I guess Paul just couldn’t resist tellingthe “experts” that they should have listenedto him in the first place. Sometimes itjust feels good to say, “I told you so,”doesn’t it? Then he informed these“experts” that an angel had stood beforehim and guaranteed their lives wouldbe saved. The crew was encouraged —but not because the circumstanceslooked any better. There was no physicalevidence that anything had changed.But an angel of God had spoken to Paul.Now the apostle had the crew’s attention!Doubt was replaced by hope! Notice whatthe angel told Paul: “…Don’t be afraid,Paul, for you will surely stand trial beforeCaesar!...” (v. 24).Paul had a God-given assignment thathe knew he must fulfill. Nothing couldstop him — not human reasoning, notthe crowd, not circumstances, not eventhe experts. Paul had three witnesses:continued on backdennis & vikki burkeJanuary 9–10River of Life Church377 Direction Connection DriveRossville, GA 30741 | 706-891-2120January 16Omega Church | 3737 RooseveltSan Antonio, TX 78214 | 210-923-2220January 30–31Light of the World Christian Center3301 SW Gage Blvd.Topeka, KS 66614-3814 | 785-271-1010February 6Vikki Burke | Victory Church21 Bayberry LoopPurvis, MS 39475 | 601-544-8485February 13–16Faith Family Fellowship420 N. Wakea AvenueKahului, HI 96732808-244-4992February 20–21Solid Rock Church2917 East Sixth St.Stillwater, OK 74076405-743-4128February 27–March 1Heritage of Faith Family Church52406 Highway 12Frisco, NC 27936 | 252-995-6677God is looking for waysto bring His best and Hisincrease into your life.He has not forgotten you and it is timefor the increase of the people ofGod to be, “exceeding abundantlyabove all that we ask or think”.Breaking Financial Barriersby Dr. Dennis Burke | book | $6 | B12To order, call 1-800-742-4050 or visitDennisBurkeMinistries.org