Topic : The Sun will shine again

——Job 14:7
“For there is hope for a tree,
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
And that its tender shoots will not cease.

——there is hope that the sun will shine again IJN
——cliche phrase——after the storm, comes the sunshine

——hurricane Harvey

Text. : Genesis 8:1-5

Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

Prayer—— as God remembered Noah and his loved ones in the ark, God will remember you and your loved ones in this pandemic season IJN.

——A few chapters back——the Great flood

——it was a terrible storm that destroyed everything
——only Noah and family and some animals survived

That storm in the days of Noah can be likened to the pandemic the world is experiencing now.

——Covid 19 has killed hundreds of thousands have so far
——millions have been infected with this virus

——companies closed down, Schls on lockdown

—— pple have lost their jobs
——no doubt the world is going thru a storm
——people are living in fear

——the once beautiful Naomi in Ruth1:19-21
——people said is this Naomi, they couldn’t believe how life had dealt with her.
——Even she said concerning herself that “I went out full but God has brought me back empty” , call me Mara, I have been thru a storm

——Her beauty had been submerged in the troubles of life.
——at the end her sun shined again

——so I say to you and your family the sun will shine again IJN
——no mater what you are going thru right now

——no mater the pandemic going on in the world

——or maybe you are going thru your own personal storm e.g sickness that was not caused by the virus, marital challenges, issues with a child, financial troubles

Listen to what David said in

Psalms 18:16——-He drew me out of many waters.
——meaning God pulled him out of his many troubles

——the Lord will pull you out of your troubles and your sun will shine again

And so when the bible says that God remembered Noah, it’s not as if God had forgotten Noah in the boat, it means that God took care of Noah, God protected him, God watched over him,

this is why I also know that in this period of pandemic God will remember you, he will protect you and all your loved ones IJN

——After Noah’s flood, there was sun shine

——Gen 8:11——he sent a bird to check if the flood had dried up, the bird came back with a fresh green leaf in its mouth

——meaning—— the storm was over,  the flood had dried and the sun had come out

——I pray for you that your Sun of Glory will shine forth IJN

——leaf——sign of fruitfulness

——so the storm had ended, the floodwaters had dried up, the sun had come out, photosynthesis had taken place and the land had started to yield her increase

——don’t accept the doom predictions in the news,
——news says——the worst is yet to come
——there is going to be economic recession,
——whose report will you believe

——Romans 3:4——, let God be true but every man a liar.

——even if predictions are negative, say no my Sun shall shine again and I shall be fruitful

——-pple are still being blessed in this lockdown season

—— Job 22:29——When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up;

—— testi.  Salary increase even in lockdown

——so instead of lamenting and being depressed over the bad news you hear, why don’t you seek Gods face and begin to think of what you can do now or even post Covid——-businesses, trainings etc

Isaiah 60:1——Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.

Conf.  I Bola will arise and shine, for my light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon me IJN

Psalms 30:5——Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.

——meaning——things may be hard now but your joy is coming soon IJN

Becos after a storm, the sun always shines

Eg of pple who went thru their storm but the Sun shined again for them

I am the number 1 example, went thru a dark season of barrenness for 8 yrs, thought I would drown in that storm, but by the grace of God after the storm, came the Sunshine, 2 boys. 21 and 18

Mk 5:25-34—— woman with the issue of blood, bled everyday for 12 yrs.
——V26——she suffered many things in the hands of many physicians
——she spent all she had and grew worse

——what a dark season, what a storm until she touched the garment of Jesus and her fountain of bleeding stopped. After the storm came the sunshine

Ac 3—- the man born lame, sat by the beautiful gate begging alms
——when he encountered the power in the name of Jesus
——his sun shined again

Jn 5—— the man at the pool of Bethesda, for 38 yrs he went thru a storm, even all his friends and family had forsaken him——he said I have no man but when he encountered Jesus the light of the world, his storm gave way to sunshine.

The sun will shine for you again IJN

What does a ship need to stay afloat in a storm

We have been talking about storms, and ships go thru storms a lot

1——A ship needs an Anchor in order not to be blown away by the storm
——you also need an Anchor, Jesus Christ is your anchor
——we live in unpredictable times
——but one thing for sure is if we hold on to Christ,  the storm will not sweep us away, and the sun will shine for us again.

Hebrews 6:19——This hope(we have in Christ) is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.

What is the job of the anchor——it holds the ship in place even during a storm. It does not allow the ship to be swept away or capsize

The main reason a ship needs an anchor is to ride out the storm so that it is not blown away from its course or sink

So in these stormy waters that we are all in, let Christ be your anchor, you will not sink and you will not be blown away. If you hold on to the anchor of Christ, the sun will shine for you again And you will be fruitful IJN.

2——A ship needs a compass
——a compass is used for direction
—— you need the word of God more than ever before in this season

Psalms 119:105—-Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Let the word of God be your compass.
——the ship of your destiny cannot suffer shipwreck if you follow the word of God

Isaiah 30:21
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it,”
Whenever you turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left.

——it will give you direction in these stormy waters
Psalms 119:133——Direct my steps by Your word,

——the word of God will strengthen you in these uncertain times

——you cannot get lost in this storm if you hold on to Gods word

——study the word of God every day, it will keep your heart and mind strong against the news that comes in everyday

3——a ship needs a Captain who will take charge and steer the ship to safety
——not just any captain but a good and competent captain

——The Holy Spirit is the best captain that can steer the ship of your destiny to safety
——your relationship with the Holy Spirit is important

——the Holy Spirit will guide you in these turbulent times

——the Holy Spirit will help you to stay calm and believe that the sun will shine again

——the Holy Spirit will help you not to be depressed in this season

——the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom and guidance as you navigate these stormy waters

——allow the Holy Spirit to take charge
——if there is domestic abuse, then the Holy Spirit is not in charge

John 16:13
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

——the Holy Spirit will guide you on what to do in this season
——how to reach out and be a blessing to others

——how to be calm and not stressed, so that you don’t take it out on others

——give you strength to continue in prayers until your change comes
Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

4. For the ship of our destiny to stay afloat during a storm, we need to empty ourselves of anything that can cause us to sink in a storm

Ac 27:18——when Paul and other prisoners and sailors were travelling, they encountered a terrible storm. When it looked like the ship was going to sink, they started throwing things out to lighten the ship

Also in Jonah 1:5——when the ship Jonah was travelling in was about to sink bcos of the storm, the people started throwing things out to lighten the ship so that it could stay afloat

Brothers and sisters you too need to lighten your life, what are those things that will not allow you to wither the storm and stay afloat, what are those things in your life that will not allow you to please God who is your anchor in a storm

Hebrews 12:1—— let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
——things we should not be doing
——a lifestyle that grieves the Holy Spirit
——bible calls them weights, they can sink us in a storm

——have you genuinely surrendered your life to Christ, remember that Jesus is the anchor you need to survive this storm
——we need to let go and get rid of those weights or sins that easily ensnare us

Salvation prayer

Prayers

Lord Jesus, from now on until I see you in glory, be the anchor of my soul.
Father, as you remembered Noah in the ark, remember me, my family, remember my nation …in the current storm.
Father, let my sun shine again and make me fruitful in my spiritual life, in my health, in the work of my hands IJN
Sun can also be referred to as Glory——I pray that your glory will spring forth in Jesus name, your star will shine IJN. The stars of your children will shine brighter and brighter even more than your own star IJN bcos your children will be greater than you
Gen 8:1——God made a wind to pass over the earth and the floodwaters subsided
——-father,send your wind from the 4 corners of the earth to blow away Covid 19 IJN
Send your north wind, your south wind, east wind and west wind, father send your whirl wind, in a supernatural way let this virus disappear, let it become as a non existent thing IJN