Note: I was recently appointed to the National Advisory Board of the Salvation Army, and today we are headed to Capital Hill. I have to leave soon, so I did not make Today’s Word as long as usual. Don’t worry. God will speak to you in a mighty way through the two points I will share with you this morning.
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.
For a few days now, we have been also looking at this passage:
(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.
1. Balancing Human Limits with Divine Possibilities.
— Peter walking on water wasn’t about defying physics; it was about stepping into a realm where human limits don’t apply. He had been with Jesus for years. He was there when He caused the blind to see, lame to walk, dumb to speak, and dead to rise. He wanted to participate in what Jesus was doing. Jesus was superseding the law of this present world, and he had the courage to ask Jesus for the invitation to do the same.
— Our human limitations are real, but not the end of the story—God’s supernatural power can kick in when our natural ability runs out.
— Jesus was naturally supernatural, and He is not offended when we attempt to live the same way. As a matter of fact, He welcomes it.
— God calls us to do things that exceed our human power, ability, and strength, and He does so because, once we are Born-Again, He wants us to know that the supernatural is actually natural to us.
— I told you before that “no Word from God is without the power to perform it.” So, when God calls us, He enables us to do what seems impossible.
— What is faith, then? Faith isn’t about denying our limitations. It’s okay to acknowledge your limits as a human. Faith acknowledges them and trusts that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. When we’re weak, He’s strong. God can do (through us), what we could never do without Him!
— God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. Peter became a water walker because Jesus called him out onto the water. Therefore, whatever God calls you to do, He is inviting you to do it in His power, and your limits (at that point) do not matter.
— The line between possible and impossible blurs when we align with God’s purpose. What seems unrealistic in the natural becomes achievable in the spiritual.
— Said another way, when you walk with God, and you believe everything the Holy Spirit tells you, you will seem unreasonable, illogical, nonsensical, and irrational to those who are simply doing life from a human point of view. But this is the life of faith, and it is how we are called to live!
— Don’t limit your potential by what you can achieve alone. Partner with God, and you’ll step into a realm of divine possibilities.
— Our human logic might say, “It can’t be done,” but faith says, “With God, all things are possible.” Let’s choose faith over logic and see God work miracles.
2. The Consequences of Shifting Our Focus.
— Peter’s sinking is a clear illustration of what happens when we shift our focus from God to our problems. We lose our spiritual buoyancy. We risk falling into what we were previously walking on (with God) because we shifted from the divine to the human.
— Losing focus of God and His promises is like drifting at sea. Without a fixed point to aim for, we’re at the mercy of life’s waves.
— Shifting focus from God doesn’t just slow us down; it can bring our spiritual progress to a halt. Like Peter, we can go from walking on water to sinking in doubt. This is why you will hear me teach so much about ignoring distractions in 2024.
— When we focus on the size of our problems instead of the size of our God, we give power to our problems. Keep your focus on God, who is bigger than any problem.
— A shift in focus is often subtle, but its impact is significant. It can be the difference between thriving in faith and sinking in doubt.
— Our spiritual health depends on where we direct our focus. Your life will produce whatever you focus on.
— Fixating on challenges weakens us, but focusing on God strengthens us.
— Remember, where your focus goes, your faith flows. Keep it fixed on God, and you’ll stay steady and strong in your spiritual walk, no matter how many challenges you face this year.
— The lesson from Peter’s experience is clear: our spiritual stability is directly tied to our focus. By keeping our eyes on Jesus, we can navigate through even the fiercest storms.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I live with a laser focus on Your fixed purpose for my life this year!
I commit to living beyond my human limits by tapping into Your divine possibilities.
I acknowledge my human limitations, but I refuse to be bound by them. Instead, I choose to operate in Your supernatural power, where the impossible becomes possible.
I embrace the call to live a life that is naturally supernatural. I am not afraid to step out in faith, believing that You will do through me what I cannot do alone.
I stand on Your Word, knowing that no Word from God is without the power to perform it. I am confident that when You call me to something, You equip me for it.
I reject the logic of this world, choosing instead to walk by faith, not by sight. I believe in the miracles You can perform when I align with Your will.
I refuse to give power to my problems by focusing on them. Instead, I fix my eyes on You, Father, knowing that You are greater than any challenge I may face.
I understand the importance of maintaining my focus on You. I will not let distractions derail me. I will stay steady and strong in my faith, no matter what comes my way.
I am ready to walk on water, to do the unthinkable, to step into a realm of divine possibilities. With You, Father, all things are possible.
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!
