What is one thing you would step out and do if you were absolutely sure that God was in it? Very likely it is something you feel is outside your realm of ability. There is probably some measure of risk in it. Maybe there would even be some opposition to you doing it. It could involve healing a broken relationship or it could be a business venture or a place of ministry. Perhaps it involves building a relationship with someone who desperately needs to hear the Good News about Jesus.
Whatever that thing is for you, you can recognize it by the fact that it keeps coming back to your mind. You can't shake it. You know you are supposed to do something about it, but you don't feel like you can do it, so you have done nothing.
I want to encourage you, my friend: It's time to walk on the water!
To walk on the water is to overcome fear and doubt and to step out, in spite of what you see going on around you. In spite of what you see as limitations. In spite of everything inside you that says "I can’t" you step out and say “With God’s power I can.”
Easier said than done, right? Absolutely! I know it very well. I really have "been there" and I really have "done that." I have had to face the nagging feeling that God was asking me to do something that I felt completely powerless to accomplish. But, like the apostle Peter, I have learned to say, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you walking on the water." And then...somehow....I've learned to step out of the boat.
So now the question is “How?” How do I get to the place where I can step out and do it?
First, I have to give up the safety of the boat and take the risk. If I really believe that Jesus is calling me out, then I have to trust Him to give me the ability to do what He's asking, even if I don't feel I can. Isn't that what Peter did? To walk on the water is to do the thing I could not possibly do without God's power.
Second, I have to recognize that the power of God is outside the boat. He asks you and me to do things we couldn't do without Him. When I step out, I am choosing to trust in God's power instead of my own. Isn't that worth the risk?
Third, I need to listen for the voice of Jesus. If He is telling me to step out, then He is the one responsible for the outcome. When I succeed I don't prove my own faith. I prove His power. You know it's His voice you've been hearing. When you step out of the boat you are inviting Him to prove it!
You and I both know that safe is not faith. Faith isn't comfortable, but it does bring comfort. Stepping out is just the beginning of a walk that requires more than I've got. What I start with God's power I cannot complete in my own power. I have to keep relying on Him with every step. I need to keep telling myself: "Your calling is outside your comfort zone."
Can I encourage you with something that I've found to be true? When you step out of the boat and walk on the water you give others a reason to worship God. It really never is about you. It's always about the One who enables you.
A Scripture to consider: Matthew 14:22-32
"Then Peter called to him, 'Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.'
'Yes, come,” Jesus said.' "
A YES challenge: In what area is Jesus asking you to "step out of the boat?"
Prayer:
Lord, I know that You have been calling me to step outside my comfort zone. You have asked me to do something I feel incapable of accomplishing. Is it really You? I think of all the "what if's" and "I can'ts" but even so, my heart knows You are saying "Yes, come" You want me to come to You walking on the water. I don't know how You are going to make it happen, but I choose to step out of the boat and trust You to empower me to walk and prove it really is You! Amen.
Whatever that thing is for you, you can recognize it by the fact that it keeps coming back to your mind. You can't shake it. You know you are supposed to do something about it, but you don't feel like you can do it, so you have done nothing.
I want to encourage you, my friend: It's time to walk on the water!
To walk on the water is to overcome fear and doubt and to step out, in spite of what you see going on around you. In spite of what you see as limitations. In spite of everything inside you that says "I can’t" you step out and say “With God’s power I can.”
Easier said than done, right? Absolutely! I know it very well. I really have "been there" and I really have "done that." I have had to face the nagging feeling that God was asking me to do something that I felt completely powerless to accomplish. But, like the apostle Peter, I have learned to say, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you walking on the water." And then...somehow....I've learned to step out of the boat.
So now the question is “How?” How do I get to the place where I can step out and do it?
First, I have to give up the safety of the boat and take the risk. If I really believe that Jesus is calling me out, then I have to trust Him to give me the ability to do what He's asking, even if I don't feel I can. Isn't that what Peter did? To walk on the water is to do the thing I could not possibly do without God's power.
Second, I have to recognize that the power of God is outside the boat. He asks you and me to do things we couldn't do without Him. When I step out, I am choosing to trust in God's power instead of my own. Isn't that worth the risk?
Third, I need to listen for the voice of Jesus. If He is telling me to step out, then He is the one responsible for the outcome. When I succeed I don't prove my own faith. I prove His power. You know it's His voice you've been hearing. When you step out of the boat you are inviting Him to prove it!
You and I both know that safe is not faith. Faith isn't comfortable, but it does bring comfort. Stepping out is just the beginning of a walk that requires more than I've got. What I start with God's power I cannot complete in my own power. I have to keep relying on Him with every step. I need to keep telling myself: "Your calling is outside your comfort zone."
Can I encourage you with something that I've found to be true? When you step out of the boat and walk on the water you give others a reason to worship God. It really never is about you. It's always about the One who enables you.
When you step out and attempt to do something for God that you have been holding onto for a long time and have been too afraid and insecure to try, when you step outside your place of comfort and do the thing you think you cannot do, that thing that keeps echoing inside of you and won’t go away, then you allow God to prove His power in you. Your small faith taps into His big power. You walk on the water and others will say, “Truly He is God!”
What is God asking you to step out in today? Isn't it time to get out of the boat and let God show His power in you?
Key Thought: Stepping out is not about the size of your faith, but the power of your God.
A Scripture to consider: Matthew 14:22-32
"Then Peter called to him, 'Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.'
'Yes, come,” Jesus said.' "
A YES challenge: In what area is Jesus asking you to "step out of the boat?"
Prayer:
Lord, I know that You have been calling me to step outside my comfort zone. You have asked me to do something I feel incapable of accomplishing. Is it really You? I think of all the "what if's" and "I can'ts" but even so, my heart knows You are saying "Yes, come" You want me to come to You walking on the water. I don't know how You are going to make it happen, but I choose to step out of the boat and trust You to empower me to walk and prove it really is You! Amen.