2. I WAS BORN
FOR THIS

3. With Christ in my Vessel I can smile at the storm
Smile at the storm, Smile at the storm
With Christ in my Vessel I can smile at the storm
Smile at the storm, Smile at the storm
Until it takes me home
Sailing, sailing home
Sailing, sailing home
Sailing, sailing home
Until it drives me home
Pain tells you that you are alive.
Trials reveal what you are made of.
Problems will show your life’s
purpose.
Small frustrations and interruptions
give us opportunities to rely on
God.
The same heat (fire) that
melts the wax,
hardens the clay.

5. “It is doubtful
whether God can
bless a man
greatly until He has
hurt him deeply.”
-A.W. Tozer

6. 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into
various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your
faith produces patience. 4 But let patience
have its perfect work, that you may be perfect
and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you
lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to
all liberally and without reproach, and it will be
given to him.
James NIV

7. 12 Anyone who meets a testing challenge
head-on and manages to stick it out is
mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally
in love with God, the reward is life and
more life.
James MSG

8. THREE WAYS TO
HANDLE THE HEAT

9. 1-2 As soon as arrangements were complete for our
sailing to Italy, Paul and a few other prisoners were
placed under the supervision of a centurion named
Julius, a member of an elite guard. We boarded a ship
from Adramyttium that was bound for Ephesus and
ports west. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from
Thessalonica, went with us.
Acts MSG

10. Paul’s Journey to Rome
Caesarea

11. Alexandrian Ship
Paul, Luke, &
Aristarchus

13. 9-10 By this time we had lost a lot of time. We had
passed the autumn equinox, so it would be stormy
weather from now on through the winter, too dangerous
for sailing. Paul warned, “I see only disaster ahead
for cargo and ship—to say nothing of our lives!—if
we put out to sea now.”
Acts MSG

15. SEE IT
COMING
1

17. 13-15 When a gentle southerly breeze came up, they
weighed anchor, thinking it would be smooth sailing.
But they were no sooner out to sea than a gale-force
wind, the infamous nor’easter, struck. They lost all
control of the ship. It was a cork in the storm.
Acts MSG

20. 18-20 Next day, out on the high seas again and badly
damaged now by the storm, we dumped the cargo
overboard. The third day the sailors lightened the ship
further by throwing off all the tackle and provisions. It
had been many days since we had seen either sun or
stars. Wind and waves were battering us
unmercifully, and we lost all hope of rescue.
Acts MSG

21. 23-25 Then he got in the boat, his disciples with him. The
next thing they knew, they were in a severe storm.
Waves were crashing into the boat—and he was sound
asleep! They roused him, pleading, “Master, save us!
We’re going down!” 26 Jesus reprimanded them. “Why
are you such cowards, such faint-hearts?” Then he
stood up and told the wind to be silent, the sea to quiet
down: “Silence!” The sea became smooth as glass. 27
The men rubbed their eyes, astonished. “What’s going
on here? Wind and sea come to heel at his
command!”
Matthew MSG

22. The wind and waves know His
Name and they surrender to Him.
With Christ in your vessel,
you can smile at the storm.

24. 21-22 With our appetite for both food and life long gone,
Paul took his place in our midst and said, “Friends,
you really should have listened to me back in Crete.
We could have avoided all this trouble and trial. But
there’s no need to dwell on that now. From now on,
things are looking up! I can assure you that there’ll
not be a single drowning among us, although I can’t
say as much for the ship—the ship itself is doomed.
Acts MSG

25. 23-26 “Last night God’s angel stood at my side, an angel
of this God I serve, saying to me, ‘Don’t give up, Paul.
You’re going to stand before Caesar yet—and everyone
sailing with you is also going to make it.’ So, dear
friends, take heart. I believe God will do exactly what
he told me. But we’re going to shipwreck on some
island or other.”
Acts MSG

26. 27-29 On the fourteenth night, adrift somewhere on the
Adriatic Sea, at about midnight the sailors sensed that
we were approaching land. Sounding, they measured a
depth of 120 feet, and shortly after that ninety feet.
Afraid that we were about to run aground, they threw
out four anchors and prayed for daylight.
Acts MSG

27. SEE IT
THROUGH
2

28. 30-32 Some of the sailors tried to jump ship. They let
down the lifeboat, pretending they were going to set
out more anchors from the bow. Paul saw through
their guise and told the centurion and his soldiers, “If
these sailors don’t stay with the ship, we’re all going
down.” So the soldiers cut the lines to the lifeboat
and let it drift off.
Acts MSG

29. All good things take time.Go through trials and testings with
a victorious ending in mind.
“This too shall pass.”

30. SHAKE IT
OFF
3

31. 33-34 With dawn about to break, Paul called everyone
together and proposed breakfast: “This is the
fourteenth day we’ve gone without food. None of us
has felt like eating! But I urge you to eat something
now. You’ll need strength for the rescue ahead. You’re
going to come out of this without even a scratch!”
Acts MSG

32. 35-38 He broke the bread, gave thanks to God,
passed it around, and they all ate heartily—276 of
us, all told! With the meal finished and everyone full,
the ship was further lightened by dumping the grain
overboard.
Acts MSG

33. 39-41 At daybreak, no one recognized the land—but then
they did notice a bay with a nice beach. They decided
to try to run the ship up on the beach. They cut the
anchors, loosed the tiller, raised the sail, and ran
before the wind toward the beach. But we didn’t
make it. Still far from shore, we hit a reef and the ship
began to break up.
Acts MSG

34. 42-44 The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none
could escape by swimming, but the centurion,
determined to save Paul, stopped them. He gave
orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go
for it, and for the rest to grab a plank. Everyone made
it to shore safely.
Acts MSG

35. Christ cares more about our
transformation than about our
daily comfort.

36. 1-2 Once everyone was accounted for and we
realized we had all made it, we learned that we were
on the island of Malta. The natives went out of their
way to be friendly to us. The day was rainy and cold
and we were already soaked to the bone, but they built
a huge bonfire and gathered us around it.
Acts MSG

37. 3-6 Paul pitched in and helped. He had gathered up a
bundle of sticks, but when he put it on the fire, a
venomous snake, roused from its torpor by the heat,
struck his hand and held on. Seeing the snake hanging
from Paul’s hand like that, the natives jumped to the
conclusion that he was a murderer getting his just
deserts.
Acts MSG

38. 3-6 Paul shook the snake off into the fire, none the
worse for wear. They kept expecting him to drop dead,
but when it was obvious he wasn’t going to, they
jumped to the conclusion that he was a god!
Acts MSG

39. "IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL"
is a hymn penned by hymnist
Horatio Spafford and
composed by Philip Bliss. First
published in Gospel Songs No.
2 by Sankey and Bliss (1876), it
is possibly the most influential
and enduring in the Bliss
repertoire and is often taken as
a choral model, appearing in
hymnals of a wide variety of
Christian fellowships.

40. This hymn was written after traumatic events in Spafford's
life. The first was the death of his son at the age of 2 and
the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which ruined him
financially (he had been a successful lawyer and had
invested significantly in property in the area of Chicago that
was extensively damaged by the great fire). His business
interests were further hit by the economic downturn of
1873, at which time he had planned to travel to Europe with
his family on the SS Ville du Havre. In a late change of plan,
he sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business
concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire.

41. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a
collision with a sea vessel, the Loch Earn, and all four of
Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent
him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone …". Shortly
afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he
was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near
where his daughters had died.
Bliss called his tune Ville du Havre, from the name of the
stricken vessel.

42. TALK IT
OVER

43.  What unexpected troubles are you
currently dealing with?
 What hardship do you need to shake
off that you haven’t yet?
 What can you do to better see
adversity coming so you don’t go
running?

44. 12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no
power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do
not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV

45. CONCLUSION

46. A life with Jesus is a life that
victoriously overcomes
everything.