Faith that Overcomes the Sea
Matthew 14
28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.…
Faith is gift from God the Father so that by grace we put our hope in God the Son for our salvation. Faith is the power of a future hope not seen, the resolve of a redeem soul living and walking in the power of God with a new identity in Christ. Faith calls us to leave behind what once was and press toward who God says we now are. Faith is the work of God, the love of God, and the will of God; this is summed up like this:
John 6 …39″This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40″For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
The will of God the Father is faith in Jesus Christ, thus reconciling us back to Him and us receiving eternal life. Faith in a sense is getting God. Faith is used to get us from point A to point B, were point B is where God is. The work of faith overcomes those things in between A and B. Faith moves us from A to B no matter what is in front of us. Faith reaches God because it is ordained by God and it is His will. When Peter says , “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Peter is not asking for a blessing or a product to be granted. Yes, Peter is speaking faith but he is not speaking faith in order to receive something for his personal pleasure. James tells us that we do not receive because when we prayer, we ask for things to be used for our personal pleasures. But here Peter is using faith to do what faith has been ordained to do; get him Jesus Christ. Peter doesn’t ask that Jesus make him walk on water like him. Peter ask to be able to come to where Jesus is. Peter was in distress in the boat without Christ so he wanted to be at peace where Jesus was in the midst of the storm. So he asked to command him to come to where he was. In Jesus commanding him to come, Jesus would be declaring His will for Peter to be near Him. We all know that what God wills or purposes, it will be done. Peter had no idea how he would get there just as long as it was Jesus’ will was his main concern. Peter’s desire in his heart was to be with Jesus and he want to go but only if Jesus wanted it too. Peter by faith was seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness which stood before him in the incarnate Christ Jesus. The blessing of walking on water was added to him.
When we seek to get to God by walking by faith and not by sight, we are saying no matter the storm around me I will press towards God. My situation will not change my heart. My situation will not stop my worship. My situation will not ship wreck my relationship with Jesus Christ. The greener grass will not lead me to leave the guidance of my shepherd. I will move from point A to point B, even through the wilderness because I trust in the promises of God. God is rewards those that diligently seek Him. Faith follows Christ not because their bellies are full but because he is their salvation. Jesus is the Lord and Savior of the completely bankrupted. If you think highly of yourself, you will always find yourself questioning something God has said no matter what it is. You will always seek to make concessions. You will always have a reason why the rules don’t apply or why your situation is different. Jesus Christ’s absolute Lordship is always a problem for those who are not the bad. These are the ones who would never step out of the boat. Jesus isn’t worth the risk without receiving something first.
Faith isn’t blind but its not for sale either. Is our faith in Jesus for the ability to walk on water or bringing us nearer to Him? We should pray that God helps us overcome the things in our lives that are preventing us to draw close; whether that is hunger or money. God will move the mountains and change the heart to fulfill his will.
Mark 9:23-25New King James Version (NKJV)
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe,[a] all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”
What was blocking this man’s faith, what was keeping Him from Jesus was the sickness of his son. He heard Jesus’ words and wanted to believe, he wanted to follow but there was something blocking his progression from A to B and it was his son. The man saw the best thing was Jesus not the blessing and asked to help him overcome what was blocking him. Jesus healed his son. The man didn’t say, if you heal my son I will believe but simply I believe in you but help me to overcome my unbelief. Our lives are filled with things to cause unbelief and these stumbling blocks are not meant to be moved by human hands. It is time to pray in a way that produces the first of us abiding in Christ; in that we want him and not the control over the objects blocking us. Today we all stand in the boat and the waves are crashing down around us. The storm will grow stronger in order to bankrupt us. This is done not out of spite but for the sake of refinement. There we stand looking out for answers, looking for a way for us to fix things. We see a figure out in the middle of the chaos. The surety of our abilities make our vision foggy. Our self-reliance blocks us from realizing the truth of Jesus always being there. Cast off self, leave it in the boat and call to Christ to help us overcome the fear, the situation, the lack, the world, the sin, and the storm that makes us believe that its better to parish in the boat instead of in the arms of our salvation. Let us recognizes what is really happening, it is an attack on your walk to God and with God and not your being in this world. Seek Him and watch what will be added.
Anointed Place Ministries 