Are You A Water Walker?

"Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the 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!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” 

Matthew 14:22-33 (NKJV)

Jesus made His disciples get into the boat.  Did you notice that? And while they were out on the sea Jesus was up on the Mountain praying to the Father. What do you suppose He was praying about? Do you think He was unaware of the circumstances the disciples were about to find themselves in? Of course not! He sent them ahead of Himself in that boat and knowing all things, He knew what they would encounter and He prayed.  We have an intercessor who stands before the Father praying for us. Isn't that a comfort? 

Not only did He know what they were going through but He let them go through it for awhile.  Think about that. A storm was brewing, they were in the will of God, He sent them there and yet He waited until the fourth watch of the night (just before dawn) before He stepped out onto the water.  Imagine for a second. They had been rowing against the waves fighting the wind all night, while Jesus prayed and just before dawn He steps into the storm! 

The disciples thought it was a ghost. But not Peter. He recognized His Lord in the midst of all that was transpiring around him and with eyes on Him shouted, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”  Jesus said "Come" as He calls for all of us when He beckon us to walk on water.  

Peter, momentarily, abandoned all for Jesus and stepped out of the boat and toward Jesus.  Peter was a water walker.  But all too quickly his eyes darted away from Jesus and onto the winds, his surrounding circumstances, and he began to sink. How often do we start out eyes on Jesus only to glance away at our circumstances? Or are you like the other disciples still too afraid to step out of the boat?  

Jesus immediately reached out His hand for Peter. You see, it's not the other way around. We can't save ourselves when we are sinking. 

But Jesus wants to grow our faith past just trusting in Him for saving faith.  He is always going to be there to save us.  “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Gently admonishing Peter and us. He wants us to learn to walk on water with Him. 

If we will keep our eyes on Jesus despite the storms, the surrounding circumstances, step out in faith and walk on water toward Him, He will lead us to the boat and stop the storms and when that happens all who witness will worship Him for they will see "Truly [He is] the Son of God.” 

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" 

Psalms 46:10 (NKJV)

Feeling Anxious?

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." - Psalm 139:23, 24 (NKJV)

“It’s OK to be afraid. It’s not OK to be afraid and disobedient.” - Chip Ingram

What is God asking you to do?  Preach?  Go into the world and teach?  Pray?  Serve a specific group of His children?  Feed the hungry?  Clothe the needy?  Give?  Love the unlovely?  Are you obediently answering His call or are you afraid you lack the necessary qualifications?  Are you allowing feelings of insecurity keep you from doing the work God has gifted you to do?  

If you allow anxieties to control your actions, you may tend to tread cautiously, if you take any action at all.  This lack of boldness in activity highlights a lack of faith.  ^"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).  It is with this knowledge that you can confidently face your fears and take steps of obedience.

He is Risen!

"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." Matthew 28:6  

This is the cornerstone to our faith.  

Jesus was crucified on a cross, buried in a tomb and rose on the third day. 

Jesus is the lead instrument in God's Orchestra, so to speak.   It is through His sacrifice that we are all afforded eternal life.  

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16

There Are No Coincidences

The title of this entry, “There Are No Coincidences,” was selected after a conversation I had with a friend. He had been convinced after conversations with others and science journals on the inner workings of the brain, that what I deem as an ‘Orchestration of God’ is a coincidence. 

My position is if it is only a coincidence, and he believes in God (which he says he does) then refusing to see God at work in the situation is the same as not believing in God at all. It is written, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” 

What differentiates a person who says in his heart “There is a God” from one who says in his heart “There is no God?” This question, I believe, is the core of the difference in being able to see “God’s Orchestra” at work versus not and labeling unexplainable or random series of events as coincidences.

The differentiating factor is faith.  As it is written, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This has to be done with the heart, not the head/brain.  By trusting in the creator of the Universe. The God who is bigger than you. The God who made you, loved you and sent His son to die for you; Jesus.   

By trusting your own thoughts on a topic (like a coincidence), another person or scientific journal, you are putting faith and trust in your understanding or that of someone else; not God. 

Bottom Line: Your trust is not in God. If you are not trusting God: your faith is not in God.  

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.”  Proverbs 3:5-7 (NKJV)

Postscript: 

This article came about as a result of my having read Psalms 14(see below), four days ago.  

The next day, I met a young man at a restaurant.  During our conversation, a woman came in and made a remark on the exact topic we had been having before her entrance. 

After she left, the young man exclaimed, “How weird, we were just talking about that!”  

I told him, “That is not weird, God Orchestrated it.”   

Immediately, he uttered, “Let’s not go there.” I asked if he believed in God and he said he did not. He said he was a good person and did good works. 

For the next several days, articles on my social media news feed and national television news programs featured atheists. Coincidence, or God wanting to reveal Himself to men?  

 Psalms 14 

The fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt,

They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.

The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

They have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one.

 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call on the Lord?

There they are in great fear,
For God is with the generation of the righteous.

You shame the counsel of the poor,
But the Lord is his refuge.

Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.