We all know the story of Peter and how he walked on the water when Jesus called him. Many preachers like to focus on his BEGINNING to sink (remember, he didn’t completely sink because Jesus caught him by the hand), but I don’t want to focus on his nearly sinking. What I want to focus on is the fact that he stepped out in the first place! He stepped out of his comfort zone. And even though the other disciples in the boat probably called him crazy, at least he made a move.
What lesson can we get from the Apostle Peter? The lesson I want you to walk away with is that sometimes, you’ve got to step out by yourself. By nature, we as humans follow crowd. We are social beings and we like to go with the flow. Society dictates to us what is “normal” and that’s what we do. At no point in the existence of mankind has walking on water been considered the norm. It is extraordinary and I don’t personally know anyone who has done it.
The problem is, what God has for you is NOT normal. As a matter of fact, there is nothing ordinary or normal about a supernatural God! You’re getting ready to accomplish some things that have never been accomplished before. You don’t have a “reference point”. For example, even something as simple as going to college can be a step toward your destiny. Maybe no one in your family has ever been to college. Maybe you want to open your own business and you don’t know any business people. This means, you have no reference point. You’ve never seen it done before, but you know you heard God say it could be done.
That’s where faith comes in. Faith is not based on what you have seen in the past or what you are currently seeing. Faith is based solely on what God SAID. (Romans 10:17) Our faith is based on what He said and not what we see with our natural eyes. What He spoke is the only evidence we have to be able to hope for what we cannot see. (Hebrews 11:1)
Peter had a revelation of who Jesus was, that’s why he could step out. Not only did he know who Jesus was, but he had faith in who he was. He said “If that is you, bid me to come”. He knew walking on water was crazy, but he also knew that if Jesus said it, the impossible would immediately become the possible!
That’s what you need to remember. No matter how crazy your vision or your dream sounds, if God said it, what was impossible in your mind and in the mind of others just became the possible! The Bible says that God glories in the impossible. He wants it to be impossible. He wants it to be so hard that you’ll have to trust him to accomplish it. He wants everybody to see that you can’t do it, so he can show you and everybody else that HE can do it. Simply put, He wants to get the glory!
Faith is blindly trusting in God. Faith is not controlled by your logic. God always challenges us to do things that we’ve never seen done before. He calls us into areas that we’ve never been in before. But if you are fearful of the unknown, you’ll miss what He has for you.
It’s time to rock the boat! It’s time to make some waves! That means you’re going to have to walk alone. If you want something that you’ve never had, you’ve got to do something that you’ve never done! It’s sink or swim; live or die! Your faith must go beyond simply believing. You must act on what you believe. Faith without works is dead!
Peter didn’t have anyone with him when he stepped out of the boat. But the awesome revelation about the whole ordeal is that they were all in trouble. Peter wasn’t the only one who needed to step out; they all needed to step out! Life as they currently knew it was a storm. What am I trying to say? If you stay in the boat, you’re going to stay in the storm and you’re going to suffer. But if you get out of the boat and start walking toward destiny, even though the storms is still raging, you’ll be where Jesus is. Where Jesus is, there is abundant life. Where Jesus is, there is safety, covering and salvation.
Psalms 91:1 says: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high, shall abide under the shadow of the almighty”. Proverbs 18:10 says: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run therin and are safe.” When you get to your destiny, you’re still going to have storms, but you are protected. You can do what God has for you to do and walk in purpose much easier when you’re covered and protected.
People in the boat are going to talk about you. But Psalms 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way.”
LISTEN: This is not the time to get scared; this is the time to trust God. This is the time to trust that God has ordered your steps before the foundation of the World. You have to trust that God knows what He is talking about. You’re already in a storm, so you have nothing to lose by trusting God.
This is a great and fruitful season in your life, but you’ll never walk in it until you get out of the boat and start walking on some water. Eyes have not seen, neither have ears heard, but you’ve got to step out of the boat and trust God!
Be bold. Be strong. Be innovative. Rock the boat!
