Today, we continue our series entitled “Laser Focus,” with the point being that we should live with a Laser Focus on the Fixed Purpose God established for us before the world began.
This is the main scripture we will be looking at this year.
(Proverbs 4:25 TPT)
Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions.
Yesterday we started to look at this passage as well:
(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.”
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
Setting the stage.
The message yesterday blessed so many people. I hope you are saving these notes. We must hold on to what God is giving us in this series. This is meat and not milk. As we go through this, please open your heart to receive what the Holy Spirit is saying.
1. When you are focused, you will be able to discern God’s will, even in troubling times.
— Jesus showed up (on the water) when it was the fourth watch of the night. The first watch is from 6 pm to 9 pm. The second watch is from 9 pm to midnight. The third watch is from midnight to 3 am. The fourth watch is from 3 am to 6 am. 3 am to 6 am is generally the hardest for people to stay awake and alert. The disciples, in the middle of the water, were facing a physical storm and battling against natural human weakness and fatigue.
— Between 3 am and 6 am, you can be so tired that you start hallucinating. You can be tired physically and mentally. The disciples were out there, on the water, without Jesus, and they were so tired that they thought they saw a ghost.
— It was at this moment that, once Jesus announced Himself, Peter felt a prompting in his heart to get out of the boat and join Jesus on the water. With everything going on in their situation, God still led Peter to join Jesus in a supernatural experience, and the amazing thing is that Peter was sensitive enough to discern what God was leading him to do. We don’t know if God was leading anyone else to get out of the boat, but we know that Peter was the only one who spoke up and asked for it.
— Sometimes, you are led to do the most powerful things at the most unexpected times. This will happen for you, over and over in your life, when you remain sensitive to the divine promptings of the Holy Spirit.
— While 11 of the 12 men in the boat were freaking out, Peter was led to ask, in faith, for an invitation into the supernatural realm.
— I want you to know that it takes a certain level of focus to hear God’s voice and sense God’s Spirit when things are going haywire all around you.
— Sometimes, when you face feelings of isolation and vulnerability (like the disciples were facing that early morning on the sea), you can open your heart to believe all kinds of crazy things (like seeing a ghost). But sometimes, these seemingly crazy moments can lead to a significant encounter with God.
— God’s call can come at the most unexpected moments, often when we feel least prepared, just as it came to the disciples amidst the storm.
— The disciples’ fear upon seeing Jesus walking on the water reminds us that God is always speaking. Those who do not hear His voice will fear. But those who can hear His voice will receive comfort and peace, even in seemingly troubling times.
— God can reveal His strength and direction if you can remain focused, even in moments of weakness and tiredness. When He does, one Word from God can turn a trial into a triumph in a moment.
— So, even amid life’s storms, please stay focused. If you are attentive to God’s voice, His direction will bring you peace and power so you don’t just survive the storm; you can thrive through it all!
— God’s voice can penetrate through any storm or confusion, guiding us toward His fixed purpose.
2. Never underestimate the power (grace) you can tap into with a single step of faith!
— Just like Peter heard a word from God and took action, we must learn to believe, receive, and respond to God’s Word.
— A single act of obedience, in faith, can align us onto a path of extraordinary possibilities.
— Think about Peter’s one bold move of stepping out of the boat. Your single step of faith, however small, has the potential to open up massive doors of opportunity and lead to significant breakthroughs.
— You may think that you are waiting on God, but God may be waiting on you to get out of your boat.
— Every time you step out in faith (based on what God tells you), it is the start of something big.
— Embrace the divine power of even the simplest act of faith. Just as Peter’s faith enabled him to walk on water, your faith holds the power to radically change your circumstances.
— Remember, your faith taps into God’s grace, and once you tap into God’s grace, there is no limit to what you can experience (because God will be the one doing the work).
— Hold on to God’s Word and never let it go. His Word has the power to propel you into a life of purpose (His purpose), leaving behind the limitations of your humanity.
— Taking a leap of faith based on God’s word opens you up to the supernatural. This is what happened to Peter when he stepped out into the unknown. It’s about stepping out of your norm and into God’s extraordinary plans.
— Deciding to step out in faith means aligning with God’s plan and rhythm. Just as Peter aligned with Jesus’ call to step onto the water, your decision to move in faith aligns you with God’s bigger picture for your life.
— Each step of faith you take brings you closer to realizing God’s purpose for you. Building trust step by step, just as Peter did, deepens your relationship with God and aligns you more closely with His will for your life.
3. Your faith must go beyond the initial leap.
— Jesus referred to Peter’s faith as “little,” not in terms of its power or potential, but in terms of its duration. The duration part is critical. On New Year’s Eve, my spiritual father, Pastor Tony Brazelton, said this: “God does not just test our faith with the size of the problem. God tests our faith with the length of the problem.”
— Understanding that, let’s consider why Jesus said Peter had “little faith.” It could not have been “little” in type because he walked on water. So, the issue was not the kind of faith he had but the duration of his faith. What Peter exhibited was a short burst of faith.
— God is not looking for a short burst of faith from you (or a series of short bursts). God is looking for consistent and sustained faith.
— Like Peter, you may start strong, but the real test comes in maintaining that faith consistently, especially when challenges arise. This is where focus comes in. When you are exercising your faith, you must remain focused and ignore all of life’s distractions.
— Enduring faith is about maintaining your focus on God and His promises, even when the situation looks impossible. Peter’s momentary doubt (he shifted his attention for just a few moments) teaches us the importance of not letting our circumstances dictate our faith.
— Peter shifted his attention to the wind and the waves. To be clear, the wind and waves represented a clear and present danger. But while Peter was focused on Jesus and the WORD He spoke, Peter was walking on water. This teaches us that real distractions can be present, but we don’t have to give them our attention.
— Know that when you launch out in faith, and you start tapping into God’s grace, things may start going crazy in your life. The devil will do all he can to distract and derail you from what God is doing.
— Sustaining faith beyond the initial leap means not getting overwhelmed by the ‘winds and waves’ of life’s challenges. When you’re tempted to shift your focus from God’s promises to your problems, remember Peter’s experience and refocus on God.
— If you lose your focus, you will sink. But if you don’t, you won’t. Remember Peter’s story and use this as an example of how important it is to remain focused!
— The lesson from Peter’s walk on water is that faith is not just for starting well; it’s for finishing strong.
— In this season, we will develop a level of trust and confidence in God that will endure the long haul, even when the initial excitement of a spiritual experience has waned.
— In this season, we will develop a habit of faithfulness, where we trust in God daily, no matter the conditions, sustaining our faith beyond the initial steps.
— Sustaining faith is a journey, not a destination; it’s about growing in trust and reliance on God, day by day, step by step. In this season of fixed purpose, this is the type of faith we will develop.
— God never said it would be easy. Recognize that sustaining faith is a journey of ups and downs, where each challenge is an opportunity to deepen our trust and reliance on God.
— This is a season where we will raise up a generation who will remain focused, who will believe God, who will not just have a SHORT BURST of faith, but we will be a people who operate in strong, consistent, unwavering faith. We will be locked in, laser-focused on our fixed purpose, and we will not be moved by what we see!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I live with a laser focus on Your fixed purpose for my life this year!
I commit to keeping my eyes fixed on Your plan for my life.
I trust in Your promises, Father, as the foundation of my faith journey.
I will discern Your voice, even amidst life’s fiercest storms.
I embrace every opportunity to step out in faith, knowing Your grace sustains me.
I am determined to sustain my faith through trials and triumphs.
Your Word, Father, is my guiding light, leading me towards Your purpose and promise.
I reject the distractions of this world, focusing solely on Your divine direction and wisdom.
I have developed a faith that endures, a trust that persists, and a focus that never wavers.
Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. AMEN!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
