The Daniel Fast Day 8 Devotional 9/30/13

Tips for When You're Walking on Water

"So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" Matthew 14:29, 30

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have experiences when we "step out in faith." The account of Peter getting out of the boat and stepping into the rough waters is surely a great example for us to use as we go through life.

Peter was the only one who stepped out in faith on that stormy night. We also will find ourselves in that same lonely place at times. God will call us through His Word, just like Jesus called Peter to come. But we may be the only one. Our friends may be content with business as usual. Our family members may be willing to just stay in the boat. But meanwhile, we will hear the voice of the Lord telling us to step out in faith.

 The Scripture doesn't say how the others reacted when Peter first got out of the boat. But it's totally plausible that they tried to keep him from stepping out. After all, they were sitting there frightened from the storm and scared of the sight of Jesus who they thought was a ghost.

But Peter heard the voice and he stepped out anyway . . . he paid no attention to the voices in the background. He only listened to the voice of the Lord.

Peter did fine, until he got his eyes back on the circumstances of the boisterous waves. Then he abandoned his faith and took up fear . . . that's when he started sinking. It was the fear that put him back in the clutches of the world and its deadly consequences.

Peter could have gone with the fear, but it was his faith in Jesus that got him back on track! Even while he was sinking he stirred up his faith again and called out to the Lord. The Lord rebuked Peter for his lack of faith (a rebuke means "sharp words to cause correction") and then reached out and pulled him up so he could continue in his walk of faith.

We are faced with times when we must step out in faith. These are the times when we must keep our ears and eyes open to the Lord and Him only. We cannot let negative voices, unbelieving comments, or stormy circumstances drown out the Word of the Lord.

The storms will come, but Christ will always be there for us. We must look to Him, ask Him to show us what to do, and when He does, we must confidently step out in faith and walk in the Spirit. If we make a mistake and fall back, we need only to call upon the Lord, take corrective measures, and continue our walk on to victory and success!

Be blessed.

 (From Daniel-Fast.com by Susan Gregory- Author, Speaker, Christian Life Coach)