One day Jesus and His disciples were in a desert place outside the city of Bethsaida. It was late in the day. They had just fed a multitude with five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus told the 12 disciples to get in the boat and cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He then sent the people away and went up on a mountainside to pray.
A strong wind arose while the disciples were on the lake, and the battering waves tossed the boat. Around 3 o’clock in the morning, Jesus headed toward them walking on water. When the disciples saw Him, they were terrified. They thought they saw a ghost. Jesus called out and told them not to be afraid. (See Matthew 14:13–32.)
Walking on Water
Peter and two other disciples were fishermen. They had spent many hours in boats. You could call it their “comfort zone.” That wasn’t their first time in rough waters on the Sea of Galilee. Although the waves were fierce, they were in their element. But suddenly from out of nowhere, they see someone walking on water!
None of the 12 disciples had ever seen anybody doing this. It was unheard of then, and it’s still unheard of today. But Jesus was walking on water, doing something they didn’t expect.
Isn’t God like that? He often moves in unexpected ways. The disciples should not have been surprised at Jesus doing something they had never seen before. He had a habit of doing the unusual and out of the ordinary.
Although there were 12 disciples in the boat, only Peter walked on water. We all need to have a spirit like Peter’s. He didn’t want to stay where it was comfortable. He saw Jesus doing something amazing and said, “If that’s You, Lord, I want to walk on water with You!”
Peter wasn’t afraid to step out of his comfort zone. It would have been easy to stay in the boat like the other disciples. They were comfortable and content to stay right where they were.
But not Peter! He wasn’t about to stay in the boat when Jesus was on the lake. He wanted to be where Jesus was and do what He was doing.
If you want to see Jesus work in a new way, you have to be prepared to do new thingsKenneth W. Hagin
A Step of Faith
It takes both faith and obedience to produce a new action. Without either, Peter would not have stepped out of the boat. We can have all the faith we want, but until we act on what we believe, nothing will happen. All things are possible with faith (Luke 18:27).
What about you? Are you stuck in your boat? If so, what can you do to step out?
Here is one suggestion: You can pray for the sick and see them recover. It doesn’t have to be in the church either. You can pray for people anywhere and expect God to move.
Your Heavenly Father will help you overcome whatever is keeping you in the boat. But for that to happen, you must obey what He is telling you to do. If you had all the faith in the world, it would not accomplish anything if you were not obedient to do what God says.
It’s time to get out of the boat. You’ve been in your comfort zone for too long. It’s time to take a step of faith.
Be Audacious
If you’re going to enjoy being with Jesus and doing what He’s doing, you have to risk disappointment and frustration. Can you imagine how scary it must have been for Peter to put his leg over the side of the boat and step onto the water in the middle of a storm?
It’s easy to think that you would have jumped out of the boat, but fear can keep anybody from taking risks. Put yourself in Peter’s position. He risked everything when he stepped into the unknown.
When God tells you to do something, you have to be willing to take the risk. Sometimes it’s after you step out that the Lord shows you things. That happened to me when I left my father-in-law’s church to work for my dad. It wasn’t until we started Rhema Bible Training College that I understood God’s direction.
If you don’t obey God and stay where you are, you’ll only become frustrated and discontented.
Forgive and Forget
Pride and unforgiveness keep us from getting out of the boat. These two things prevent more people from receiving the blessings of God. We will never have all that God wants for us until we conquer them.
You may say, “I can’t help the way I feel.” The truth is you can. It’s a decision. You’re the one who decides to be down in the dumps and feel sorry for yourself over something that happened. Or you can choose not to go down that road and let go of offense. The choice is yours.
You choose to be prideful or not prideful. You decide to forgive or not forgive. It can be hard to let things go. Use the Word of God as your weapon against the feelings of resentment and bitterness.
Do New Things
If you want to see Jesus work in a new way, you have to be prepared to do new things. All of us should be growing as Christians. There are always opportunities to go to new levels with God.
It’s reasonable to say that Peter probably never thought about walking on water before that day. In the human realm, it’s out of the ordinary. But in the spiritual realm, everything is ordinary with God. It doesn’t matter what kind of situation you are facing, if you get out of the boat, Jesus will take you to the other side!
Faith Nugget
Start Walking on Water
Just think of all the things you could do by overcoming your fear of risk-taking. You could teach a Bible study or pray for the sick. You may be thinking that you’ve never done anything like that before. Who cares! It’s time to get out of the boat. You can be used of God. What you want so badly is possible. So stop wishing you were somewhere else, and start looking for the possibilities that exist right where you are.
Author
Kenneth W. Hagin
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