steps in the water

come

peters faith failed him

courage to walk at all

moved for Jesus to the storm

perception of the storm

Perception made him afraid

stepped out of the supernatural/faith

Panic, sink

goes downhill---difficulties to disastrous

save me

stretched out his hand and took hold

However, when we do like Peter did & begin to look around, instead of at Jesus, we may find ourselves sinking in the waters of doubt. How many times have we started our like Peter, full of faith & courage, only to look around at people, the task, or the situation, and begin to doubt whether we can do it, even though we know our Lord has called us to it?• When Peter took his eyes off of Jesus – bad things began to happen. Notice that Jesus hadn’t move away from Peter, rather Peter had simply stopped focusing on the One who was his source of strength

when he saw the wind, he was afraid.” (v. 30). But the wind was there all along. The storm has been raging for hours. It’s not as if it let up when Jesus begins walking on the water. Jesus comes to them in the midst of the storm.

defines faith as “concentration on Jesus.” I find that very helpful because we all can get distracted, especially when the storms of life rage around us. It’s not easy to keep your eyes on Jesus in the middle of the night, when the raging storm of fear threatens to overwhelm you.

This text reminds us that, he reveals himself in the midst of the storm.

Second, Peter does rightly know what we all need to do when caught in situations like this and sinking like a rock: "Lord, save me!"

For a brief moment, he forgets about Jesus and remembers who he is and where he is. He is Peter, a Galilean fisherman who belongs back in the boat. In that instant he looks down at his feet and sees nothing but water underneath. His mind comes to a quick conclusion: “I’m not supposed to be walking on water. This is impossible.” When he lost his concentration on Jesus, he began to sink.

By the way, where did this conversation take place? It took place out in the middle of the lake. It’s still pitch dark, with the wind still howling and the rain beating down. The boat with the other disciples is rocking up and down a few yards away. Peter is sopping wet and scared to death. Jesus is standing on the water as Peter clutches his arm for dear life

I can tell you though, that when we follow what the Lord calls us to do, even if it seems like we would never be able to do it, it can feel like you are walking on water

We are going to repeatedly find ourselves in circumstances that are scary and that require courage.Maybe awaiting medical results from your doctorOr Bullying from others in your schoolOr facing the possibility of being downsizedOr maybe you are facing the possibility of or actuality being foreclosed onOr facing uncertainties of relationship challengesThose circumstances can be scary and uncertain.The disciples at this point are facing a circumstance that is scary and uncertain.

No matter what we are facing, the circumstance we are facing is not catching God by surprise. In fact, sometimes the things we face are the very thing He is going to use to grow us.

He is good, He loves you, He sacrificed greatly for you and He will be with you.Knowing those things in the midst of the storms of life will help us have the courageto walk on Water,to step out into the uncertainties of life anddo the things that seem impossible.Maybe you need courage to learn to live on less or find another jobMaybe you need courage be the one who takes the first step of reconciliationMaybe you need courage to make some decisions to cut back on some activities even if some of your family doesn’t like it.

Because, to my human sight, it appeared like I was risking the support of my family, to this decision.So, here I was, no job, no income, not done with school. Volunteering full time at the church I was at.It looked like I was taking a huge risk.But it only looked that way.That step of obedience onto what only appeared as choppy water, was really a safer decision than stepping on cement that I could see!

The real risky move was depending upon myself and my wisdom.Depending on yourself rather than God is always the risky move.The disciples were in a boat that appeared to keep them afloat, but the fact was that the boat was being buffeted all night by the waves and wind. Relying on their boat, really relying on what they knew, was not really that safe.It is always, 100% of the time, better and safer to depend on the Lord and follow Him.

Peter was not walking on water by his own strength. That is impossibleBut Peter’s walking on water was dependent on his faith.

We cannot rely on our past acts of faith, our past water walking, to keep us moving closer. We need to be taking new steps on the waters of faith that require continued trust in Him and an ever growing relationship with the Lord!If we rely on our past steps of faith to carry us forward on the waters of this life, we are going to end up sinking. We need to persevere in the faith.

It will only continue as you keep your eyes on Him and not on the scary circumstances around you,

What is the choppy and scary waters that the Lord is asking you to step out onto?SalvationMaybe it is to stop trusting yourself and to put your trust in Jesus for your salvation.

Have you been trusting in your money? Take a step toward tithing, giving 10% of what you make. If it is too scary to step out into that right now, start with something smaller. Sometimes you have to get to the edge of the boat before you can step onto the waters of faith.What are the waters of faith that the Lord is calling you to step out onto?SlideWrite it downOn your inserts today, on the back is an empty line.Write down that thing in your head that the Lord is calling you to stop out onto.If it is trusting him for salvation, write it downIf it is baptism, write it down,If it is financial sacrifice,If it is serving in the churchIf it is serving a neighbor, wirte down the neighbor’s namedown what it is that the Lord is calling you to step out in faith toward.We are going to pray as we close and let your prayer be that the Lord would help you to have the courage to be obedient and persevere in our next step of faith

need. We need to learn to accept the reality of His love for us, so that our fears do not control us.  says that perfect love casts out fear. If you're afraid of facing a person or a situation in your life, God's love can help you put your fears to rest. 

God is for you. He is not against you. Satan is against you, but the greater One lives in you! Let Nothing Separate You from God's LoveDuring hard times and moments of insecurity, Satan works overtime trying to convince us that God doesn't love us—that if He did, either we wouldn't be in this situation, or He would've delivered us by now. I confess with my own mouth the truth that God does love me during these attacks of fear. And I encourage you to say several times a day with confidence, "God loves me!" Don't allow the devil to steal this truth from you. , which I pray will comfort you right now, says: For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. As long as you refuse to let anything separate you from God's love, you will have the victory.