Touré Roberts - Making Peace With The Storm

I want to take it a little further today, and if there were an addendum to the overarching theme of «Strategy in the Storm,» today’s addendum would be making peace with the storm. I was praying, «God, show me something in Your Word that will communicate to us how we ought to be thinking, our mentality, what our disposition should be during this time, and what our actions ought to be.» While I was praying, the Lord dropped Jeremiah 29 in my spirit. So, I want to draw your attention to Jeremiah chapter 29, beginning at the fourth verse. We’re going to read the first 14 verses, and I know it’s a lot of reading, but then we will get right into this word. So come with me to Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 4. It says, «Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands so that they may bear sons and daughters, that you may be increased there and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it, for in its peace you will have peace.» For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: «Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you caused to be, for they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, ” says the Lord. „For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed in Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you and cause you to return to this place.“ And we all know this one: „For I know the thoughts I think toward you, ” says the Lord. In the New International Version, it says, „For I know the plans that I have for you, ” says the Lord. It says, „Thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you a future and a hope.“ „Then you will call on Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.“ Verse 14 says, „I will be found by you, ” says the Lord, „and I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, ” says the Lord, „and I will bring you back to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive.“ There’s so much there; we’re going to get into it. Let’s pray.

Father, thank You so much for Your Word; it is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Your Word guides us, feeds us, teaches us, and leads us. There is safety and security in Your Word; there’s revelation in Your Word. So God, I thank You that we’re going to feast this morning; we’re going to feast today. I thank You for the spirit of wisdom, revelation, insight, and knowledge. I thank You for prophecy and full access to the gifts of the Spirit that I might be a blessing to Your sons and daughters in a way that will edify them, build them up, and strengthen them, so we all will be better as a result of this journey You take us on today in Your Word. We love You and thank You, in Jesus’ name, amen, amen, hallelujah!

I think that today I want to really approach this season pragmatically, to help us understand what our posture should be, how we ought to be thinking, and what we should be doing in the season of the Issachar anointing. The tribe of Issachar, the sons of Issachar, were a part of the people of God, and one of the things they had was an understanding of times and seasons, but not only that, but also what Israel ought to do. Today, I want to serve as your Issachar; I want to help you make sense of the season we’re in and provide some instructions on what to do so that we can still prosper in the midst of the storm. Today is about pursuing the proper mentality, a healthy disposition, and actions that we are to take during these times. In Jeremiah chapter 29, I must say right now that what we’re reading about is not the same situation we’re in today; however, there are clues, strategies, and instructions in the predicament they found themselves in and the wisdom that God gave them as a result. There is a connection between that and where we are now, and there are truths and wisdom that we can utilize, understand, and perceive, so that we can navigate our season and come out on the other side just as the children of Israel did when they faced one of their many difficulties throughout their journey. So, let’s talk about mentality first, because I think everything starts in the head. As a man thinks, so is he. What type of mentality should we have? What should we embrace in this season? I’ll tell you: the mentality is this acceptance—this is my new normal—is what my mind ought to be saying.