Oceans and Seas

 

The Word of God is filled with symbolic expressions and figurative language; we see this throughout the bible but especially in the Old Testament.

The bible’s authors use of inanimate or abstract objects and things found in nature is rampant, therefore, if we are to truly understand what is being conveyed in the pages of bible, we must determine to recognize and learn this language, through Holy Spirit-led research.

It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. (Proverbs 25:2 ESV)

It is not enough to simply read the text, we must desire to know more, to dive deep into His Word to gain divine insight for ourselves. Too many of us get lost in the theology without ever once experiencing the reality of it.

Take for instance the symbolism of oceans and seas. Today is as good a day as any to understand what these represent spiritually rather than literally, for hardly anything written in the bible carries a literal meaning.

The oceans and seas represent the godlessness of the world and its systems which are dead to God. In the bible oceans and seas can symbolize a satanic world system. When we are told to not love the world or the things in the world (1 John 2:15), it refers to the system, not the world that God created.

John even goes on to say that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). The world system which the oceans and seas symbolize cannot sustain life, that is, spiritual life.

We may be walking around and seemingly getting through under this system but there will always be something missing, causing us to be forever searching for another level of motivation, the next high but unless we encounter the sustainer of life, Jesus Christ, we will continue to feel an inward emptiness gnawing at out souls.

Beloved, understand that Jesus is the creator and source of all matter, He holds it all together.

Colossians 1:17 (ESV) clearly states that Jesus is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Jesus is the source of the invisible yet tangible force that glues everything together at the very core of its structure.

Look at what Job 12:10 (ESV) says,

In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.

Without God in your life, you are subjected to this world’s system of confusion, chaos, oppression, injustice, exploitation, evil, and wickedness. You may seem to be alive but you’re spiritually dead because the ocean not only represents the world but also the underworld – the abode of demons.

Fixated on the things of the world a person becomes a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast (Revelation 18:2 ESV). This verse illustrates that there is a connection between the realm of the flesh and demonic activity.

Look at all the debauchery that has been revealed recently, the hedonistic activity that supposedly intelligent persons, holding high office and held in high esteem have been indulged in for years –  sexual assault of the very young, the killing of innocent children, alleged consuming of the dead and other acts of depravity – theirs is the epitome of a demonic lifestyle.

don't sin against the truth by boasting of your wisdom. Such wisdom does not come down from heaven; it belongs to the world, it is unspiritual and demonic (James 3:15 GNT)

This world system has produced leaders of nations who are depraved. Ironically, oceans and seas also symbolize the nations. Just as the oceans and seas can be calm or raging or turbulent or dangerous so can nations. There are nations that are at peace and those at war; leaders who choose peace and leaders who choose war.

Powerful nations are in commotion with a sound like the roar of the sea, like the crashing of huge waves. (Isaiah 17:12 GNT)

Beloved, there are several Scriptural parallels of the oceans and seas to the world system, even more than are quoted in this blog post. But despite the connotation here briefly outlined, there is something that you must never forget, God not only treads upon the waves and high places of the sea (Job 9:8 AMPC), also,

The sea is his, for he made it (Psalm 95:5 ESV)

You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. (Psalm 89:9 ESV)

He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. (Psalm 107:29 ESV)

though the waves toss, they cannot prevail (Jeremiah 5:22 ESV)

Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb (Job 38:8 ESV)

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:39 ESV)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (Revelation 21:1 ESV)

And in Matthew 14:25-26 (ESV),

And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.

Jesus is no ghost, He is real and He has dominion over the oceans and seas and though the seas may be raging, to Him those roaring nations are nothing, no more than a drop of water; The nations are nothing at all to him (Isaiah 40:15, 17 GNT).

So let us not be fearful but be faith-filled, focusing on Jesus and not on the tumult of the oceans and seas, trusting that in due time, He will give the order, and the raging waves will have no choice but to cease and there will be calm (ref. Luke 8:24).

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Oceans and Seas” ©2026 March 3, 2026

 

Who walks on water?

 

In chapter 9 in the Book of Job, Job, in responding to his friend Bildad, says something that is quite telling. Speaking of God, Job says, he walks on the ocean waves (v 8 ERV).

Who walks on water? Where have we seen this before?

Between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus’ followers were still in the boat. Jesus came to them. He was walking on the water. (Matthew 14:25 ERV)

Job said it and Jesus demonstrated it; it was proof of His identity. Jesus is God in human flesh – God incarnate.

The disciples in the boat out on the sea should have caught this, as they would have known the Scriptures. By the first century, the story of Job was already known.

I guess the disciples were then just as we are now, where you know of something but to see it in action is too incredible to comprehend; to see Jesus walking on water must have been mind boggling.

In his discourse Job questions God’s seeming affliction of him while at the same time acknowledges His power and absolute command over all His creation.

Everything in Job’s life was collapsing before his eyes, yet his trust and faith in God did not crumble, and despite the suffering, Job responds to his friend by exhorting the greatness and overarching power of God.

Reeling from horrendous loss, Job remained stoic in faith because he knew who walks on water, so even though Bildad’s focus was on Job’s predicament, Job’s focus was on God; he did not waver in his faith and trust in God.

Beloved, God never let go of Job, and when Peter began to sink (see Matthew 14:28-31), Jesus reached out, grabbed hold of him and never let him go, and He does the same for you. You are in His hands through pain, suffering and stormy circumstances. Hold onto Him and never let go.

Who walks on water? God walks on water! He walks on the waters and calms the turbulence in our lives; He walks on water to save and rescue us, but we must step out of our boats and, keeping our eyes on Him, walk on water too, not fearful but in confident trust and unwavering faith.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Who walks on water?” ©2026 March 2/3, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

Divinely Protected

 

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2 ESV)

Reading the first couple lines of Psalm 121 can bring much comfort to a troubled soul. These opening verses remind us to always focus upon God not just in times of crises but that we always stand in need of His help.

He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (Psalm 121:3-4 ESV)

These next two verses assure us of God’s faithful watch upon us as He doesn’t sleep or even doze off; He is actively keeping a close eye on each of us.

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. (Psalm 121:5-6 ESV)

It is God who sustains and protects us when danger comes, even when harm presents itself in unexpected ways.

The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.  The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. (Psalm 121:7-8 ESV)

From these last two verses, rest assured that we can rely on God to preserve us from evil. Understand that this is much deeper than protection from harm, this speaks of constant ongoing spiritual protection from evil. 

Beloved, this is a very powerful psalm that avails much when seriously applied. If you take a good look at it, you will recognize that the Psalmist has revealed the nature of God through his words:

Mighty Helper; Faithful Sentinel; Divine Preserver

With this certainty you can lift your gaze from the trials and tribulations and lift up your eyes to God knowing that He is at work ensuring that no evil shall be allowed to befall you (Psalm 91:10) – you are divinely protected.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Divinely Protected” ©2026 March 1, 2026

 

 

 

Asar and Hitir

 

Recently I came across two words, "asar" and "hitir", in reference to a conversation between Jesus and Peter recorded in Matthew 16:19, where Jesus tells Peter,

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (ESV)

The keys of the Kingdom that Jesus gave to Peter were to bind and loose whatever on earth; the original Aramaic words used in the Gospel of Matthew were “asar” and “hitir” respectively.

Today, this passage is habitually used in terms of spiritual warfare, however, for first century Jews this passage was viewed within a legal context where “asar” referred to something forbidden or prohibited and its antonym, “hitir” referred to something permitted.

Jesus was giving Peter the authority to determine what is prohibited or permitted here on earth with the assurance that it would be ratified by God in heaven.

This authority concerned the establishment of the church and its acceptance of Gentiles into the fold. In this regard, we see in Acts chapter 15 that Peter was forced to use his God-given authority of the keys to make a judgment call concerning the Gentile believers.

Beloved, the church has been long established since that time and we are not faced with the exact same issues as those in that day, we must however continue to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth as to what is “asar” and “hitir” in any given situation.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Asar and Hitir” ©2026 February 28, 2026

 

 

 

 

A Familiar Story from a Different Perspective

 

Photo courtesy Chionsu Barclay

It’s always good to see things from a different perspective even those stories that are very familiar to us.

The Word of God is alive, not stagnant because as you grow and mature so does its meaning. As you dive deeper below the surface the Word evolves from milk into solid food.

everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature (Hebrews 5:13, 14 NASB)

To see a familiar story from a different perspective is to partake of solid food. One such story is the parable Jesus told of the widow who puts her last two coins in the temple treasury.

And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all contributed to the offering from their surplus; but she, from her poverty, put in all that she had to live on.” (Luke 21:3-4 NASB)

Now, for many years I have viewed this story as one of faith, trust, selflessness and so on and I won't doubt that it is, however in reading what Jesus spoke of before and after He told this story I see it from a different perspective.

Jesus always used parables as a teaching tool, to give His listeners an example they could visualize and relate to, and this story of the poor widow was just that. Immediately before giving this example, in Luke 20:45-47 (NASB) it is written,

And while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love personal greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”

And, immediately after Jesus’ poor widow story, in Luke 21:5-6 (NASB) it is written,

And while some were talking about the temple, that it was decorated with beautiful stones and vowed gifts, He said, “As for these things which you are observing, the days will come when there will not be left one stone upon another, which will not be torn down.”

What are you observing?

Unlike His other parables, Jesus didn’t utter a word about this widow being selfless, full of faith, generous, kind, loving, healed, giving all she had to God, or anything of that nature. None of the usual interpretations we believed and heard of this story Jesus applied to this story.

Jesus first warned His disciples about the vainglory and feigned piety that had become the basis for worship in the temple, then told the story, then predicted the destruction of said temple.

Do you see it?

This story isn’t about a poor widow giving God His due, this story is about a poor widow who was forced to conform to the unholy practices meted out to the poor, the widows, the marginalized and vulnerable of society by the wealthy elite which included the pride-filled scribes who devour widows’ houses.

Jesus’ story emphasized a religious system that was unholy, broken, undeniably corrupt and on the verge of collapse.

Beloved, in his letter to the church at Philippi, Apostle Paul clearly states, Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves (Philippians 2:3 KJV), yet to this day we see similar practices in some churches.

The religious system in Jesus’ day saw no problem in taking everything from poor widows, their houses and their last cent, and give them absolutely nothing in return, not as much as a comforting word.

I once visited a gaudily decorated church with its walls draped in deep burgundy velvet curtains and armchairs upholstered in gold fabric atop a stage covered end to end in green carpet. After about an hour or so an army of uniformed youngsters bearing large mop buckets appeared, the time had come to collect tithes and offering from the congregation, as this army moved from row to row, the well-dressed preacher shouted into the mic, “I don’t want to hear anything falling into the bucket!”. 

With the filled buckets now at the foot of the stage, another group of persons, older and in civilian clothes, appeared with another set of buckets, and we were told that it was “first lady’s” birthday and she needed a new car. The people, some of whom arrived at church via public transportation were feverishly digging into their pockets and purses to feed the greed. I did not participate. 

I must confess that after the first hour I wanted to leave but I'd been invited so despite my aversion to the performative Christianity masquerading as church, I stayed to the end. By the way, after church, the pastor drove away in a shiny blue Volvo; I did not see him offer anyone a ride.

Yes, woe upon you, Pharisees, and you other religious leaders—hypocrites! For you tithe down to the last mint leaf in your garden, but ignore the important things—justice and mercy and faith. Yes, you should tithe, but you shouldn’t leave the more important things undone. (Matthew 23:23 TLB)

Was Jesus commending the widow’s sacrifice, or did He use the giving of her last two coins to an institution that promoted greed and practiced exploitation, to highlight the injustice of a religious system that convinced her that she had no choice but to give everything she had?

Jesus was calling out the religious leaders of His day and sadly we see that not much has changed.

Beloved, take a closer look at your own story. Have you been admiring the beautiful stones that decorate your church and standing in awe of the vowed gifts that its leaders receive rather than observing and condemning the social injustice they practice?

Lent presses you to look at the familiar from a different perspective, to really see what is truly embedded in your usual practices and traditional religious belief systems.

Lent challenges you to not justify the vanity of the norm and the mistreatment of the vulnerable but to ask yourself whether what you are condoning is contributing to the demise of the temple – the church, individuals’ temples – people’s lives, and your own temple – your body, physically and spiritually.

This is a season of building up what is spiritually acceptable to God and tearing down what is not. Ask God for His revelation, wisdom and discernment in these times when a different perspective of the familiar is sorely needed.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “A Familiar Story from a Different Perspective” ©2026 February 27, 2026

The Bar of Discipleship

 

There’s a cost to giving up your own way to wholeheartedly follow Jesus and do things His way. To make it is to adopt a life of discipline which involves consistency in faithfulness to Jesus and your call to follow Him.

The bar of discipleship may be high but is certainly not unattainable. Those first disciples whom Jesus called weren’t men of noble character but were men willing to set aside their way of life to heed the call.

To Peter, Andrew, James and John Jesus beckoned, “Come, follow me” and without hesitation they left their nets and their boat (ref. Matthew 4:18-22).

Jesus was particular in His choosing but not discriminatory. He eventually chose twelve men from varying walks of life and financial status – from fishermen to tax collectors – who were willing to embrace a new life. It is not an easy road to travel, but you must be willing to go the distance.

Jesus poured Himself into these twelve for three years, that was His process of discipleship which has never changed; He is still pouring Himself into others.

After Jesus pours Himself into you, you then are expected to do the same thing, however, before you can make disciples of others Jesus must become the force that empowers you. If He isn’t then you’ll be making followers of you and not followers of Jesus.

Discipleship is based upon a foundational relationship with Jesus that you must live daily.

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul gave him the same method Jesus used for making disciples,

What you have heard me teach publicly you should teach to others. Share these teachings with people you can trust. Then they will be able to teach others these same things. (2 Timothy 2:2 ERV)

Beloved, every believer is called to be a disciple but not every believer is willing to commit to that role, so our churches are filled with a membership exuding lifeless obligation to brick and mortar.

The thought of leaving your loved ones, your career and all that’s familiar seems not the loveliest of prospects but Jesus promises that everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or farms to follow me will get much more than they left. And they will have eternal life (Matthew 19:29 ERV).

As a disciple, committed to your brothers and sisters in Christ, you’ll contribute to the Body of Christ in a meaningful way, and you’ll be someone they can count on.

As a disciple, helping to enforce the beauty of kingdom living, you’ll not only show up and out with good news but with behaviour that demonstrates the character of Jesus and His Kingdom.

Discipleship is about walking persons toward Jesus, persons whose lives may be in shambles or have no faith in anyone or find it difficult to trust or may have heard the whole spiel before and have remained in a life of nothing but hardship or trusted once and were terribly hurt by people in church.

Yes, the bar of discipleship seems a tall order but you’re not in this alone, you are His disciple with His Spirit inside you to guide you. Your job is to point people to a God who loves them.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “The Bar of Discipleship” ©2026 February 26, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

Devoted to Prayer

 

Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm…So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made to God intensely by the church. – Acts 12:1, 5 (NASB)

God’s people were under siege, persecuted by the one in authority, Herod the king. And what did the church do? 

Now it is said that there should be a separation between church and state, however when the state is determined to cause harm to those who belong, not just to the church but to all who God created, then the church must act.

And how does the church act? Pray.

Unfortunately, these days we see atrocities being done to persons the world over and not a murmur from the church.

When Herod stretched forth his hands to afflict and oppress and torment (v 1 AMPC), the church did not just sit back and do nothing, the church gathered to pray, not just a few members meeting to impress one another by uttering disingenuous performance prayers, but the whole church came together as one to pray intensely to God.

What about your church, does your church family gather to pray?

What about your household, do you come together, as a family, to pray?

The early church did not only turn to prayer in challenging times, they were devoted to prayer. Prayer was an integral part of their daily routine; constantly praying was their way of life.

And I will do whatever you ask in My name [as My representative], this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified and celebrated in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name [as My representative], I will do it. – John 14:13-14 (AMP)

Jesus promised His disciples that as His representatives, whatever they ask in His name, He would do once it glorified and celebrated the Father in the Son.

Beloved, as followers of Jesus, you and I are His representatives, the church is His representative, so we should all be devoted to prayer. We can ask Jesus anything in His name and He will do it, not my words, His.

We, as the church, ought to put this wonderful promise into practice, praying intensely to our resurrected Jesus for whatever is needed, believing without a doubt that He will answer our prayers.

Jesus gave the assurance that when we pray together, we bring Him into the situation.

For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them. – Matthew 18:20 (AMP)

Simply put, there is power in gathering, so prayer must be a vital part of church.

Praying as a church, or family or a group of friends or individually should never be trivialized or minimized because prayer is fuel for living. Being devoted to prayer produces extraordinary results in ordinary lives.

The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results. – James 5:16 (TLB)

Beloved, you must devote time to God – Father, Son and Spirit – in prayer if you want to see your life and the lives of those you pray for truly flourish.

The bible is filled with examples of how those in the early church prayed; search for the prayers that you can use as models for your own and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in becoming devoted to prayer.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Devoted to Prayer” ©2026 February 25, 2026