This morning, we continue our series, “The Miracles of Jesus.”
Before we get into the miracle, let’s look at the foundational scripture I will share be sharing with you all year.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us. I pray you get refreshed and restored as we study each miracle.
This miracle is covered by Matthew, Mark, and John ((Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:15-21).
We will look at Matthew 14.
(Matthew 14:22-32 NIV)
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,
24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
After catching up with His disciples in the middle of the water, in the middle of the night, Jesus’ disciples first thought Jesus was a ghost. Jesus said, “Don’t worry! It’s me! Don’t be afraid.” Peter replied, “Lord if that is really you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus responded with just one word, “Come!” Peter had the faith to get out of the boat, and by God’s grace, he literally walked on water. Peter performed the supernatural, just like Jesus. But then, after just a few steps, Peter shifted his focus to the wind and the waves. Once his mind was on his humanity, he sank. As Peter was sinking, he called out to Jesus, “Save me!” Jesus saved him, but He then said something to Peter that is very interesting. Jesus said, “You of little faith. Why did you doubt?” Jesus called Peter’s faith “little.” That’s what we will focus on today.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God is looking for consistent faith.
Peter did what only he and Jesus have ever done—walk on water. You would think Jesus would commend Peter for it. You would think Jesus would give Peter a pat on the back, an attaboy, or at least an acknowledgment. But no, Jesus was not impressed with Peter’s faith. Why? A few reasons:
a) God expects faith from all of us. So when Peter operated in faith, it was not special, and Jesus was not impressed. This is what Jesus expected of Peter every day. Guess what? Jesus expected faith from the other disciples as well, and He expects the same of you!
b) Faith is so key to our walk with God that we cannot please God without faith (Heb 11:6), which is why God is looking for faith on the earth. Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).
c) Although Peter operated in faith, Jesus’ comment brings out the fact that He would have liked Peter to have operated in it for a longer period of time.
d) Peter had faith, but it was what I call “a short burst of faith.” Anyone can operate in faith for a few seconds. What God is looking for from us is a consistent and enduring faith.
2. Peter’s faith was short-lived.
We all know Jesus walked on water. But many Christians don’t acknowledge the fact that Peter walked on water as well. Peter performed the supernatural. He superseded the law of gravity while he was walking on the WORD Jesus spoke. While this was a supernatural act of faith, we should take note that Jesus called it “little faith.” The “little” in Jesus’ statement is not a reference to the amount or type of faith Peter had. It was simply a reference to the duration of Peter’s faith. This tells us something about God’s expectations of us.
a) Peter’s faith was strong enough to walk on water, but his faith lasted but a few seconds.
b) Not only does God expect us to operate and live by faith, He expects us to do it consistently.
c) Anyone can have a short burst of faith, but God is looking for believers who will literally live by faith every second of every day.
d) Countless believers get excited when they hear a Word from God on Sunday, but by Tuesday, many have already forgotten what God said. God is not looking for you to dibble and dabble in faith. He has called you to LIVE BY FAITH!
3. Learn from Peter.
Don’t make the mistake Peter made.
a) When you launch out in faith, you must keep your focus on God and His Word. God knows your limits and factored them OUT when He called you to operate beyond them. But if you factor in what God factored out, it will lead to doubt.
b) Satan is a master of distractions. He wants to distract you because once you are distracted, you take your “eyes off the prize,” and that lack of focus will lead to doubt. Doubt will lead to fear, and fear will cancel out faith.
c) When you operate in faith, satan will ratchet up the pressure on you, hoping you will give up before you complete your assignment. Unfortunately, many believers start faith projects, but they give up before they finish simply because of the pressure they feel to quit. Satan cannot stop you, but if you give up before you complete your assignment, YOU STOPPED YOU!
d) Let’s think about what Peter did and learn from it.
— Speak the language of faith, like Peter did when he asked for the authorization to walk on water.
— Hear every Word God speaks through ears of faith like Peter did when Jesus said, “Come.”
— Then look at what God is calling you to do through the lens of faith like Peter did when he got out of the boat.
— But then remain in faith until you complete the assignment! This is where Peter when wrong.
e) Start in faith and then make up your mind that you will not give up, cave in, or quit. You will finish what you started by the grace of God!
4. Here are a few closing thoughts we can glean from Peter walking on water.
— Consistency is more important to the hot flashes of the supernatural on the spectacular. Far too many believers are looking for the spectacular, and they cannot see the importance of consistency.
— Every word from God comes with the power to perform it. But you won’t be able to walk in that power if you lose your focus.
— There is no limit to what you can do when you are locked in on what God said to you while you are walking in it. While you are locked in, you will be tapped into the grace of God to do what He instructed you to do. Why? Because the grace of God will be flowing to and through you. However, if you lose your focus and shift your attention to the things of this world, then your faith will fail.
Look at it this way, think of the word that came from God, and then imagine a steady stream of God’s grace flowing from heaven to empower you to perform all God said. When you are focused on the word that came from God, you’ll be walking in that flow of grace. So, while the grace flows, and you are aligned with it, it empowers you to do what you could never do without God. However, when you lose your focus, you shift outside of the steady stream of God’s grace. Once you do, you are left to operate as a mere human. Since you are outside of the flow of God’s grace, you no longer have the power to do what God said. That’s exactly what happened with Peter. While Peter was aligned with the flow of God’s grace, he performed the supernatural. When he shifted his focus, he went back to being a mere man, relying on his own human power, so he fell into the water.
Understanding that, let’s make the connection to you. In this case, for Peter, God’s grace was made available to walk on water. For you, it could be the grace to run your business, or the grace to operate in your career field, or the grace to go on Missions trips. Whatever the case, when God speaks to you about something, His grace is always made available for you to perform what He said. And while you are focused on what God said, locked in, your faith will tap into the flow of God’s grace for you to perform what God said. But on those occasions where you lose your focus, and you consider the things of this world and all the reasons you can’t do it, then you cut yourself off from the flow of God’s grace. As a result, you operate as a mere human. At that point, you are left to rely on your own power, ability, and strength. That’s what happened to Peter, and that’s what will happen to you if you lose your focus.
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I believe this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me!
As I study the miracles of Jesus, my faith is increased!
You have called and commanded me to walk, live, pray, fight and overcome the world by faith. I declare that I do.
I am the just, and I live by faith.
I speak the language of faith, asking You for things that exceed human limits.
I open my ears and my heart in faith to receive all You have called me to do.
I look at what You say to me through the lens of faith, seeing myself become the person You called me to be.
And I then launch out in faith, without a doubt, not wavering, remaining steadfast, with my focus staying on You, believing that You will bring to pass Your best in my life.
I refused to get distracted, and I will not lose my focus! Living this way, I get to experience the best year of my life! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
