Help I'm Sinking!: Navigating Through the Storms of Life to the Shores of Success Ships Storms Shatterings and Success

By Dr. Herldleen Russell

We can describe our lifes journey as boarding a ship and traveling to our destiny However life is not a cruise ship vacation experience. On lifes ship we will always encounter storms. In these storms there will be times when we feel like we are sinking; no hope and never get to our destination. But as I found out, when the storms come, your destiny is not wrapped up in your storm. It is a place that God chooses in your life to refine you, build you, making you ready for your lifes purpose. Even though your ship can shatter, the Lord is still in control, His purpose for your life will prevail and you can reach your destination successfully.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512756265

Dr. Herldleen Russell

Dr. Herldleen Russell, co-pastor of Ridgley Ministries Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a speaker and teacher throughout the United States, and many foreign counries. She has a passion for showing God’s people, to not only know their freedon that is found in Jesus Christ but also know that they can live victoriously.as they walk with Him no matter what the problem. She host Men, Women and Youth Conferences, taking mission teams annually to build the body of Christ. She has established schools of ministry for pastors and leaders as well as building schools and Hope Centers (orphanages) for children in Uganda East Africa, where she is the Supervisor of the Dept of Women in the Uganda, East Africa Jurisdiction, Church of God in Christ (COGIC). She is also the founder and CEO of Dr. Herldleen Russell Ministries Her first book “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: God’s Holding Pattern has encouraged many to know the place God holds them while preparing them for their destiny. This is her second book.

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HELP

I’m Sinking!

Navigating through the Storms of Life

to the Shores of Success

Ships Storms Shatterings and Success

DR. HERLDLEEN RUSSELL

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Copyright © 2016 Dr. Herldleen Russell.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-5625-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5627-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5626-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016915005

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/22/2016

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Ships

Storms

Shatterings

Success

Bibliography

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Books are never written alone, there are many contributors in the life experiences and the people that are involved. I can truly thank each person that contributed to my life experiences that birth this book…. the good and the bad.

Ross Hill, President of Bank2 of OK, what a wonderful, example of Shattering and how God can take the shattered pieces of our lives and form into a beautiful vessel.

There were two written contributors that are very special people that I would like to acknowledge, our eldest son, Cory, who wrote from his experience, the God of a second chance and my daughter-in-love Tekesha Russell who wrote the chapter Praise in the Storm.

One of my very good friends Glenda Love High, we have experienced many storms together during our over 50 year friendship. She took the monumental task of editing this book.

Tawanda Davis, the fire that kept me on schedule…a tough job.

The Apostle Paul, as recorded in Acts chapter 27, mentored me as the Holy Spirit, led me through this very personal storm and taught me, my destiny was not wrapped up in this storm.

All those that God placed in my life to learn this lesson. How to navigate through the storms of life to the shores of success!

Chapter 1 Ships: Life is not a cruise ship experience

Chapter 2 Storms

• Contrary Winds

• Change

• Your Safe Harbor: time to refocus

• Importance of Relationship during the Storm

• Situation out of Control

• When all Hope is gone

Storm’s Purpose

• Storms as intervention

• The mid-night storm

• There is an enemy in my storm

You can’t loose with what He gives you to use

Jumping Ship during the storm

Stand and Stay: Grace for the journey

Praise in the Storm

Chapter 3. When the ship Shatters, will I sink?

Chapter 4. To the Shores of Success

• What is your definition of success

• God’s plan for you is not just surviving

• God uses your enemies

• Been in the Storm too long?

• You will not sink

• No storm last forever

HELP! …. I’M SINKING!

(When Navigating Through the Storms of Life to the Shores of Success)

Ships ….. Storms …..

Shatterings ….. Success

One of the most delightful getaways is to take a cruise…. Today you can board a ship and cruise to almost any place in the world…. To me it’s the ultimate *relaxation … lie back, relax, and just allow the captain and all responsible for the ships navigation to do the work.

The ride … so smooth, you can’t even feel the movement of the ship. The calming effect it has is incomparable to any soothing agent there is.

I got a better understanding of when God, at creation, gathered together the waters, named them seas, and God saw that it was good (Gen. 1:10). The gathering of the waters and the separation of the dry land were further actions of God’s establishing control over the chaos described at the beginning of creation (see Gen. 1:2).

Each act of separation and distinction at creation brings order out of disorder.

That’s my feeling while cruising…. All of my disorder seems to disappear and the beauty of God’s order that was established as on the second day of creation … says to me: It is good.

As I look out and heaven appears to touch earth, the water and sky blend with beautiful hues of blue. Fluffy white clouds in blue sky and endless blue water with foam at the top of waves matching the clouds … all following me as the cruise ship moves quietly ahead.

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SHIPS

A ship, according to definition, is any vessel of considerable size navigating deep water, especially one powered by an engine, and is larger than a boat. It’s a sailing vessel with a bowsprit and at least three square-rigged masts, each composed of lower, top, and topgallant members. A ship must have officers and a crew working together with one purpose: to get to their destination and provide whatever is needed for those that are on the journey.

To board a ship and voyage, I find, is actually an act of faith. I have to trust its construction, believing that the materials used were of the best quality, and top maintenance of that ship was verified by qualified inspectors. I didn’t really have to know all about the fine art of sailing before I decided to take a trip on one … just trusting that those in charge … knew all there was to know. I just came for the ride, relaxation, and rest.

The ship is constructed for the possibility of any anticipated problems. Though a great ship’s construction is guaranteed and has the proper credentials, this is not enough for a voyage. There has to be a captain to navigate the journey with the experience to handle any problems that may come. He is the one looked to for any problems that may occur. He, in turn, depends on his crew to advise him of any potential perils.

The greatest ship that anyone might remember is the Titanic. Its name describes what it was—of great size, strength, or power. In 1912, it was the largest moveable manmade object in the world and labeled unsinkable.

The Titanic’s captain had great experience and a crew that was well trained. Yet on April 14, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg during its maiden voyage, the unsinkable sank. There was a failure to warn the captain in time—it was reported to be just a 37-second window to prevent this great disaster. How quickly life can change in 37 seconds!

The story has entered the public consciousness as a powerful caution tale about the perils of human hubris.

The Titanic was involved in the most famous shipwreck since the Ark (or should we say most newsworthy) … since the Ark?

If we were to compare our lives to a shipwreck, we would see that the misfortunes are often because of our own error or someone else’s—some we had control over, some we did not. When the catastrophe hits, we are direct recipients of its onslaught. Whosever fault it was … for the Titanic tragedy … 700 people survived … but 1,200 perished.

That captain failed them.

Some 100 plus years have passed since that time. Remains of the ship that have been located are still being studied, along with the survivors and those that were lost on the voyage. Imagine almost 2,000 people crying, "Help, I’m sinking!" How could this have been avoided … or more lives saved?

I read one survivor’s testimony. She was just a baby. When the alarm was sounded that the ship was in danger, her father immediately aroused her mother to get up and take the children out of the cabin. The baby was protected, wrapped in a blanket, cradled in the arms of her mother, and carried away from the sinking ship to board a waiting boat, and survived.

How like our heavenly Father, who sends warning to His children—and not just a warning—but wraps us and cradles us in His arms until the storm passes. Our Captain never fails us….

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Ps. 91:1).

Lord, thou [has] been our dwelling place [for] all generations (Ps. 90:1).

Even though we have a loving Father, in this journey called life … there will always be