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Jesus Does Not Force Us Out Of Our Boat




 MATTHEW 14:25,28-32 NKJ

25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

 Most people like to "play it safe." They don't even want their boat to rock, let alone consider getting out and "walking on water." God allows us to make choices. God's plan is that we would walk with Him in His realm of miracles, but He allows us to grow and develop until we are ready. He does not force us. Notice that Peter was the one who chose to walk on water. And Peter did walk on water, if only for a short time. As long as Peter kept His focus on Jesus he stayed in faith, but when he focused on the circumstances, he became afraid and sunk back into the natural realm.

 Jesus told us that all things are possible if we believe (Mark 9:23). Therefore, our limits are self-imposed, not imposed by God. If we change our beliefs to line up with God's Word, we can see amazing results. Right before Jesus and Peter walked on the water, Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000 men, plus women and children, starting with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Most think only Jesus could do such things, but Jesus told us in John 14:12 that those who believe in Him would do the same works He did. So if we believe what Jesus said in John 14:12, we must believe we can multiply food as He did. But Jesus was not the first, or only one, to supernaturally multiply food on earth. Not only did God supernaturally provide food (manna) for 40 years in the wilderness for all the children of Israel, but food was also multiplied through the ministry of Elijah (1 Kings 17:9-16), and Elisha (2 Kings 4:1-7, 2 Kings 4:42-44). JAMES 5:17 NKJ 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.... It is easy to think we could never do things like Elijah, but Scripture says Elijah was a man just like us.

 Obviously, we are being encouraged to believe great things can happen through our lives, too. The key is to realize that the power is of God and not of us. God has done great things through others, and He can do them through you, also! But you are the one who must choose to believe that God's Word is true. If you never "step out of your boat" and act on God's Word, you will not see miracles happen. God will not love you any less if you are afraid and choose to stay in your little boat. But you were not created to be imprisoned in a little boat. You were created to grow up to be like Jesus and walk with Him. It's great to "walk on water" with Jesus. So don't be afraid to launch out into new areas of faith. Step out in faith on God's Word. Even if you begin to "sink" Jesus will rescue you, so don't be afraid.

 SAY THIS: I must choose to leave my comfort zone and trust God for greater things to happen.

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