Where Are You Casting Your Anchors?

Introduction

Acts 27:14–29 KJV 1900

But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island. But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country; And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.

The Wrong Anchors

We see the sailors cast four anchors into the sea hoping for steadfastness, security, hoping for peace in the storm

An anchor in the Bible is a picture of hope.. You know what an anchor can also do? HOLD YOU BACK!

The Right Anchors

Sailors throw their anchors downward; we throw ours upward.

Charles Spurgeon

Anchor in God (Christ)

Hebrews 6:19 “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;”

“In order to realize the worth of an anchor, one needs to feel the stress of the storm.”

Anchor in The Church

Be not equally yoked.. not just in marriage but in LIFE!

When you have a problem who do you run to?

You don’t go to a brain surgen for a heart problem!

Just like Rehoboam in 1 King 12

He took advice from the younger generation when he should have listened to the older!

Don’t look for peace from Dr. Phil, some feel good preacher, or some self help book!

Anchor yourself in a Bible believing, Bible preaching, Church that knows how to pray and get ahold of God on your Behalf!!

Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;”

Anchored in Prayer

Acts 27:21 “But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.”

Paul here was Fasting and no doubt praying.

You cannot but agree to the fact there seems to be a symbiotic relationship with praying and fasting

David fasted and prayed for his firstborn with Bathsheba

Matthew 17:21 “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

Acts 13:2–3 “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”

where you find fasting you find prayer!

PAUL PRAYING AND FASTING HERE IS WHEN GOD MADE HIM THE PROMISE!!

YOU WHAT PEACE? YOU WANT VICTORY OVER SIN? YOU WANT DELIVERED FROM YOUR TRIAL?

FAST AND PRAY!!

God can give you a promise, he can give you peace, and he can deliver you from your trials and storms in life.

Just believe God, Fast and Pray!!

Anchor in The Word

We need to be anchored in the Word!!

There are Promises you can hold God to!!

Isaiah 55:8–9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God’s ways are better even when we don’t understand why we are going through all we may be going through

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”

He is a VERY present help in trouble!!

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

He’s never Going to fail you, never Going to leave you!!

We can trust God!!

Close

We find out later in the passage that the man made anchors never helped them. it only kept them in place.

Acts 27:40–41 “And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore. And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.”

All these Anchors were doing was holding them back from where God wanted them to be the whole time..

What are you tied to that is keeping you from “falling into place”?

Maybe you are staying in you storm longer than you wanted to because of what you’re anchored to.

Acts 27:42–44 “And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape. But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.”

You may be going through a storm right now beaten up, bruised and broken.

But when you anchor in Christ and He delivers you form the storm. You will be amazed at how many people get help and encouragement from your story.

Though you may be a broken vessel, God can still use you and your story to save more people from their storm.

But we NEED to have the right anchors in life!