Stepping Over Fear

Have you ever been called by God into something new, and fear gets in the way?

There is a story in the book of Matthew that teaches us how to step over our fear.

“And in the fourth watch of the night, he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 

“And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.” (Matt. 14:25-29, ESV)

Henry Ford said, “One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do.” 

Imagine being in that boat and hearing Jesus call you out onto the water! Keep in mind there were at least ten other men in the boat with Peter. But none of them got out of the boat to walk on the water to Jesus. That’s because steps of faith never make sense to other people. Have you ever taken a step of faith into something and the people around you think you are crazy? I remember telling my mom that I felt God calling me out of the NFL and into the ministry. She thought I was crazy!

Steps of faith don’t make sense to the people around us because God didn’t speak to them about the step we need to take. He’s a personal God who talks to us individually. 

When Jesus calls you to come and take a step of faith, He’s asking you to come towards Him.

You know, I’ve heard people say, “What would you do if you had unlimited time and unlimited resources and you knew you wouldn’t fail?” That’s not a question about faith. A better question would be, “What would you do if God called you but there was the possibility of failure?” That takes faith, doesn’t it? It takes faith when you don’t know how it’s going to end. But we can take comfort knowing that when Jesus calls us to take a step of faith, it’s always going to be a step moving closer to Him. 

The promise of Jesus is that He will always be with you, no matter what you’re going through. Jesus was right there waiting for people to walk on the water and come towards Him. He knew that Peter was going to start sinking, but He also knew that He was right there with Peter. When Peter realized that he was walking on the water, and saw the waves around him, he started to sink. And at that moment a hand came down and grabbed him.  It was the hand of Jesus. 

Peter was the only disciple that had that story to tell.  He is the only one who had the hand of the one who made the world grab him and pull him out of the sea.  WOW!  

Remember the verse that old song, "Put your hand in the hand of the man who made the water." Peter did, and boy did he have a story to tell! Arent our best Jesus stories the ones where He comes through to save us again. 

Maybe it is time for you to take that next step! Remember, "Faith is spelled. RISK." (John Wimber)

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Published on November 6, 2019.