AFTER FEEDING THE 5,000, Jesus told His disciples to get into their boat and cross over to the other side of the lake. He then went up into a mountain to pray (Matt. 14:22–23).
As the disciples were heading to Bethsaida, strong winds swept across the lake, making the water very rough. About three o’clock in the morning, the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water toward them. They were terrified, believing they were seeing a ghost.
“Don’t be afraid. It is I,” Jesus called out.
“If it’s really you,” Peter said, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” said Jesus.
Peter jumped out of the boat and began walking on the water. He was doing fine until he looked at the wind and the waves. Then he began to sink. (See Matthew 14:22–33).
As long as we focus on Jesus, we can have peace.
Losing Focus
I don’t believe Peter actually started looking to the right and the left. I think he was still looking at Jesus. But he also felt the strong wind and the spraying water. And he could see huge waves crashing around them.
I’m pointing that out because we encounter “storms” in our lives. We can be doing everything right: spending time with the Lord, reading our Bible, and going to church. In essence, we’re looking at Jesus.
But real life happens, and we’re hit with all kinds of stuff. Wind and waves for us are whatever we’re facing. In our world, that includes economic recession, physical or emotional situations, family issues . . . the list can be endless. Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV) says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” As long as we focus on Jesus, we can have peace.
My question is, when you’re not in peace, where is your mind?
It’s human nature to think negatively whenever the wind and waves come. But anytime we have negative thoughts, we have to cast them down (2 Cor. 10:5).
I hear a lot of people say, “I can’t afford it.” “I can’t do that.” “I can’t . . . .” Here’s the deal. There are no “can’ts” when it comes to God. Now, it might seem difficult. But how difficult is it when the Greater One is inside of you? It’s not that hard.
We have to change our mindset. I get it. Everything is twice as expensive as it was a year ago. My mindset is that it doesn’t matter. Too many of us are trying to figure out how to get extra money. But what we need to do is trust God.
When we start thinking, “I have to do this; I have to do that . . . ,”
we’re looking at the wind and waves. We’re trying to fix our situation in our own strength.
In John 14:13 Jesus said, “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it” (NLT). The Bible says that God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory (Phil. 4:19). When our needs go up, God’s supply also goes up. Our God is not affected by inflation or a supply chain crisis.
When we look at the wind and the waves, we’re thinking that God works like the natural realm with all of its issues. He doesn’t work like that. The real problem is that we took our focus off Jesus. If we want to live at this higher level, we can’t focus on the natural things that are going on around us.
Second Corinthians 4:17 (NLT) says, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.” Even when our troubles are big, we have to look at them as small because that’s how God sees them. And this verse also says that troubles won’t last very long.
Only Believe
Our responsibility is to believe God. He is the One Who has to figure out how to turn our situation around. And I don’t think He’s worried about how He’s going to do that.
Faith is believing that something has already happened. According to the Webster’s New World Dictionary, faith is an unquestioning belief without any proof or evidence. Regardless of what we see or feel, we don’t have to worry.
We only worry if we think God can’t or won’t take care of our situation. But I know my God. I know His abilities and His love for me. I know His moving on my behalf is as good as done.
We may know people who have the wherewithal to help us financially. Regardless of how much money we may need, they can cover the bill. If they said they would help us, we would quit being concerned about the financial expense.
God has the wherewithal to help us with anything: healing, finances, peace, protection. Whenever we open a bill or get bad news from a doctor, our mindset must be, “God’s got this. He has it under control. I don’t know how He’ll work this out, but that’s not for me to figure out.”
Thoughts always come first. The problem is when we let negative thoughts come out of our mouths. Matthew 12:37 (NLT) says, “The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”
The way to get what we want is to speak what we want. We have to stop saying things like, “I’ll never be able to buy a house.” “I’m always sick.” “I can’t get ahead.”
Start saying what you want. Find scripture that pertains to your situation, and keep speaking those verses.
Whenever my grandfather had a wave or wind pop up, he always said, “Just another opportunity to prove that God’s Word works.”
Anytime a storm arises, let’s keep our focus. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and walk on the water with Him until we cross over to the other side.
Author
Craig W. Hagin
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