Matthew 14:28 And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. 29 He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. AMPC
Did you ever think about this? If you don’t believe —nothing is going to happen. If Peter didn’t believe he would not have stepped out of the boat onto the water. If he didn’t believe he would have never walked on the water. As well, he would have never had that experience of walking on water. That experience of walking on water gave him the confidence to know the impossibilities he could conquer in the power of God in his future.
Walking on the water gave him needed experience to tuck under his belt to believe God further in his ministry. The experiences he had with Jesus I believe had everything to do with his confidence in walking in the power of God even after Jesus left.
The same is true for us, if we never put our foot out there and trust Him —we will never have any experiences to have tucked away to look back to, to think upon — and to go forward in doing His work.
My very first adventure in trusting God gave me great confidence in Him to believe —I could through Him conquer more and more.
The thing I learned though —the thing that stops us along the way— is looking away. As did Peter, if we look away from Jesus we will fail. Peter looked away from Jesus, at his circumstances and then he started to sink.
Matthew 14:30 But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! AMPC
But — even though he looked away, the next right thing he did is call out to Jesus to save him. Of course Jesus was there for him as He will be there for us when we fail at keeping our eyes on Him.
Matthew 14:31 Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? AMPC
To be of little faith is to look away from Jesus, but when we keep our eyes on Him then we can stay in faith. Don’t look away but keeping your eyes on Him means to be in constant fellowship with Him.
In receiving my first huge miracle there was absolutely no effort on my part in believing Jesus —because I spent day and night devouring Him and His Word. Because I took the time to constantly hang out with Him, it just seemed natural to do what He does. And when you do the same, take that time to hang out with Him, you will find yourself doing what He does as well. But, when you look away you will find yourself sinking just like Peter did.
Like Peter we have to get out on the water to make that thing change we are looking to change. Sadly though many never make it to that step. The reason is they don’t, is they don’t accept the importance in spending that time with Him needed to gain their confidence in Him. Peter spent all of his time with Jesus and that is why he didn’t think twice to do what his Lord was doing. He didn’t hesitate to get out on the water, but he hesitated only when he looked away.
If we don’t take the time to know Jesus and keep in fellowship with Him, we won’t have faith in Him. If we don’t have faith in Him then we don’t believe —and then nothing will happen.
Sometimes we think we believe something when we really don’t and the proof of that is in our outcome. If nothing you think you believe is happening then, really you don’t believe or it would have happened.
Peter got out on the water. Many don’t take that faith action as to get out there on the water, they just say it. If I say I am healed, but don’t act it out that I am, then I didn’t get on the water and if I didn’t get out on the water, nothing will happen.
If I say I believe but I act opposed to what I say I believe I am not really in faith but I am just saying I am. If I didn’t get out on the water, if I just said I did, it was because I was afraid to. If I am afraid to it is because I am not hanging out with Jesus.
We can’t expect something to happen when we don’t hang out with that Someone we need to trust who can make it happen. If we believe it is because we know Him and then we will step out on the water. Our faith to step out on the water will be in our relationship with Jesus.