WHO DO YOU BELIEVE?

By Rev. Carlo Serrano

Acts 27:25 Therefore, take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was
told to me.

The following titles have one common thread: Overcoming Anger, How to Win Friends and
Influence People, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, The Atkins Diet Revolution,
Wherever you go: there you are, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Awaken the Giant Within, Don't
Sweat the Small Stuff, Life Without Limits: Conquer Your Fears, Achieve Your Dreams and
Make Yourself Happy. Can you figure out what they have in common? Try these Christian titles:
Your Best Life Now, Cure for the common life, and maybe The Purpose Driven Life. These
titles are part of an 11 Billion dollar a year industry. Millions of these books are bought each
year with one goal: getting the reader to help themselves. This is not new in our country. In the
1700s Ben Franklin gave us the maxim we’ve heard time and time again “God helps those, who
help themselves. And yet those of us who have fought a battle or 2, have been down in the mud
and the mire, who have fought with this thing called life, we know that helping ourselves
probably got us in trouble in the first place. Now are all self-help books bad. NO. I have so called
self help books. They’ve pointed many a lost person in the right direction. But it’s the trust we
put in ourselves that troubles me. A famous comedian once said “there is no such thing as selfhelp:
if one is looking for help from someone else, it is not technically "self" help; and if one
accomplishes something by themselves, they didn't need help to begin with”.
See try as we might, we will ultimately fail when we attempt to make it on our own. There might
be superficial victory or temporary success, but in the long run having faith in anyone or
anything other than God will sink you. But there is good news. I know a book that was written
by one who’s Name is Faithful and True. He’s been giving counsel since the very beginning and
His word never comes back empty handed. When followed His words bring life to that which
was dead, power to that which was weak, and hope to the hopeless. Problems will come and you
have a choice to make. You can call your cousin and them. You can turn to Oprah or Maury.
You can get online and tell the World Wide Web all of your problems. You can search your
bookshelves for advice and answers, or you can take courage and believe God that it will be
just as He said it would be.
We can believe God regardless of our circumstances.
Who do we believe? Where do we put your faith in hard times? On what are we leaning when
the winds blow?
1. Some believe in their ego Acts 27:9-11 says “By now much time had passed, and the voyage
was already dangerous. Since the Fast (E) [c] was already over, Paul gave his advice 10 and told
them, "Men, I can see that this voyage is headed toward damage and heavy loss, not only of the
cargo and the ship, but also of our lives." 11 But the centurion paid attention to the captain and
the owner of the ship rather than to what Paul said.”
Some believe in their ego to get them through a storm or a jam. Your ego is the essence of
yourself. According to most psychoanalysis your ego balances you impulses and your selfconsciousness.
But your ego is also your consciousness of your own identity. Too much ego and
you have the most common definition of the word: an inflated feeling of pride and superiority
toward others. Do you know anyone with an ego problem? Let me tell you, you look at them
everyday in the mirror. I believe our egotism is part of the sinful nature of our flesh and we all
have to crucify it every day.
Paul tells the owner and the captain “Look, if we sail, we are going to get in trouble”. And Paul
knew what he was talking about. They were traveling after the fast which was late
September/October and that was a dangerous time to sail. According to 2 Cor 11 we know that
Paul had already been in 3 shipwrecks. He knew what he was talking about. He’d been on at
least 11 sea voyages before his trip to Rome. He spent a night and a day in the depths of the sea.
But verse 11 says it all “But the centurion paid attention to the captain and the owner of the
ship rather than to what Paul said.”
Maybe they thought, “Who is this criminal to give us advice”. Maybe they said “You do the
preaching, we’ll do the driving”. That must have really bothered that old seasoned captain and
that veteran owner that here some upstart is going to try to tell them what’s what. They put their
faith in their own egos. In those days sailing was money. I’m sure they didn’t want to loose face
with business associates. I’m sure that owner wanted to be the best and so they ignored the
advice of Paul and trusted in themselves.
Can I be honest? Don’t we do the same thing? We make those same arguments when we are
faced with adversity. We say and think things like: “I’ve done this before. I know what I’m
doing. Who are you to give me advice?” Paul was the man of God speaking the word of God and
instead they went their own way. How many times has pastor preached about your issue? How
many pastors have counseled you that the way you are headed is rough waters, and yet, you
sailed on anyway? I get goose bumps thinking about how ego has and can mess me up!
I heard this joke the other day. 3 men where hiking through the forest when suddenly the came
upon this violent and raging river. Their destination was just on the other side and they became
panicked because it would be dark soon. Being the proud Christian men they were they began to
pray one at a time. The first man prayed God, give me the strength to make it across this river.
And poof, God gave him bulging biceps and strong legs and he was able to swim across that
river in 2 hours. The next man prayed. God, give me the strength and the tools to make it across
this river. And poof, God gave him big arms and strong legs and a boat. And the 2nd man was
able to row across in 1 hour. Well the third man looked at his friends on the other side of the
river and new that it would be dark before he could swim or row across. So he prayer, God, give
me the strength, the tools, and the wisdom to make it across the river. And poof, he turned into a
woman. He then opened up his backpack, pulled out the map saw a bridge that was only 5
minutes away, and walked across the river! Ego will mess you up!
Who do you believe when you are faced with adversity? Some believe in their ego and …
2. Some believe in their emotion Acts 27:13-21 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they
thought they had achieved their purpose; they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of
Crete. 14 But not long afterwards, a fierce wind called the "northeaster" [d] rushed down from the
island. [e] 15 Since the ship was caught and was unable to head into the wind, we gave way to it
and were driven along. 16 After running under the shelter of a little island called Cauda, [f] we
were barely able to get control of the skiff. 17 After hoisting it up, they used ropes and tackle and
girded the ship. Then, fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, [g] they lowered the driftanchor,
and in this way they were driven along. 18 Because we were being severely battered by
the storm, they began to jettison the cargo the next day. (H) 19 On the third day, they threw the
ship's gear overboard with their own hands.20 For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and
the severe storm kept raging; finally all hope that we would be saved was disappearing. 21 Since
many were going without food, Paul stood up among them and said, "You men should have
followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss.
When faced with trouble some turn to their ego and others let their emotions carry them away.
Research has shown that there are at least 412 unique emotions. In simplest terms your emotions
are how you feel. If you can feel 412 different ways, imagine the potential we all have to let our
emotions drive us crazy? What if every sad person lived out the full spectrum of the sad
emotions? What a dark place this would be. And then there are other variables to consider. Let’s
look at sad. Some people respond to sadness by crying, others by lying in bed, other by jumping
off of bridges, some by killing other people. God gave us those emotions and I think we ought to
manage them (Love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind). But we can’t place our faith in
our feelings. In hard times we have to believe in God, not our emotions.
Look at what the crew did. A gentle wind came up and they felt content, so they ignored the
Word of God and set sail. Then the northeaster hits them and they begin to panic a little. But they
feel a strong sense of pride so they start trying to fight the storm. That doesn’t work so in fear
they let themselves be driven along. They became distraught and threw everything overboard.
And then they finally collapsed into depression giving up all hope. That’s when Paul chimes in
with his classic “I told you so”.
Many of us have been in the storm too. And like those men we ignored the word and headed for
danger. But instead of returning to the word we let our emotions control our behavior. We
become confident in ourselves so we try to fight back. That fails us and we panic. We tear things
up (relationships, etc.) thinking that will help us through the storm. And finally we come to the
end of ourselves and give up. Depression is a direct result of poor emotional management. Rage
is a result of poor emotional management. We let our feelings control us and it spins us out of
control. You try serving 412 masters and keep your head on straight! No, we have to get back to
the Word. What did God say in the beginning? What did he tell you He would do for you?
He said that He would be there. In my office there is a picture of Jesus walking on the stormy
waters out toward His disciples. If I had to title it I would call it “Fear Not”. Isn’t that what He
said to us in the beginning? “Peace, Fear Not, Be still, I am with you; I’ll be with you always,
even until the end.”
What do you put your faith in? Who do you believe? Some believe in their ego, others believe in
their emotions and finally:
3. Some believe in the Eternal Acts 27:22-25 Now I urge you to take courage, because there
will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship. 23 For this night an angel of the God I
belong to and serve stood by me, (I) 24 saying, 'Don't be afraid, Paul. You must stand before
Caesar. And, look! God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with
you.' 25 Therefore, take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was
told to me.
Luke went through painstaking detail to document what happened on this journey. The use of the
personal pronoun “we” shows us that he was there. I wonder if he was journaling during the
storm or if he just kept it all in his noggin? The way he describes the details of the storm and
shipwreck almost makes me think he had a voice recorder. George Wood writes that he believes
Luke “emphasized this trip to frame the supernatural mission Paul was on to Rome”. God had
spared Paul and performed many miracles to get him to this point. The Lord had spoken to him
while he was in prison in Jerusalem and told him “Have courage! For as you have testified about
me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”(23:11)
Paul had a hope in the eternal He knew whom He had believed and was fully persuaded that He
was able to keep that which was entrusted to him until that day! In the middle of that storm and
trial, when surrounded by darkness and despair, one voice cried out above the winds and the
waves saying “take courage, because there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the
ship. 23 For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me, (I) 24 saying, 'Don't
be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And, look! God has graciously given you all those
who are sailing with you.' 25 Therefore, take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be
just the way it was told to me.”
Let me ask you…do you believe God? Do you remember his promises when you are being
tossed back and forth? What do you cling to? Paul held on to that eternal calling. He lived his life
on purpose for a purpose and that is what drove him. That is what motivated him. Does you
destiny drive you? Do you know that God has plans for you? Do you stand on the Word that will
never change and never fail?
In 1935 the very first 12 step program was introduced in the U.S. We know it as Alcoholics
Anonymous. Today there are over 2 million members in over 180 countries. That’s good in that
people are reaching out for help and many are getting it. While today AA has fallen into the selfhelp
category, there are some key insights that jump out if you look at some of the 12 steps*.
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we
understood Him.
4. (5) Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our
wrongs.
5. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
6. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
7. (11)Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with
God praying only for knowledge of His Will for us and the power to carry that out.
By their own admission there is only ONE source of help in time of trouble. There is only one
who we can count on. What the 12 steps really prove is that if you take one step toward Him,
He’ll come running to the rescue. I don’t know what you are facing. We are all facing
something. Some will believe in their ego, some will put their faith in emotions. I don’t know
about you, but I want to believe God. Who will you believe?
©2009 Carlo A. Serrano
*AA steps taken from aa.org