Walk on water

Matthew 14:22-38 AMPC

 

Then He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent away the crowds. And after He had dismissed the multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was still there alone. But the boat was by this time out on the sea, many furlongs [a furlong is one-eighth of a mile] distant from the land, beaten and tossed by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch [between 3:00—6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they screamed out with fright. But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I Am! Stop being 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 he came toward Jesus. 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]! Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat knelt and worshiped Him, saying, Truly You are the Son of God!

 

Let us take a further look into each scripture verse.

 

Scripture Verse 22:

"Then He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent away the crowds." 

 

Jesus had to get alone with His Heavenly Father, leaving the stress of life behind to spend time in His presence. Nothing in this earth realm could stand in the way of His intimacy with His Heavenly Father. We should have the same desire to spend quality time each day with the Lord. We can find the greatest affirmation in His presence, clarity for the call of God on our lives. Jesus heard things that other people couldn't hear because He was one with His Heavenly Father. Jesus went to the cross and became sin for us to have fellowship with our Heavenly Father. And now we have the same access as Jesus had with our Heavenly Father, just like when He prayed. Jesus had to clear His hectic schedule and make allowance for quality time with the Heavenly Father. He gave clear direction for His disciples to go ahead without Him. Can we honestly say that people can go on without us so we can make room for the Lord in our busy schedules?

When you have a healthy prayer life, you will see breakthroughs, souls saved, miracles of healing, and supernatural direction.

 

 

Action items:

 

• Watch out for things that waste our time when we could be spending that time with the Lord.

• Stop doing lifeless activities that benefit the flesh and not the spirit. 

• Be mindful of not entering into spiritual rituals or ruts.

• Make sure not to spend too much time on social media, movies, and neglect your daily bible reading.

 

Scripture verse 23: 

"And after He had dismissed the multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was still there alone."

 

This verse is a key to Him walking on water; He went from a place of prayer and solitude to a place of power. When Jesus prayed, He heard affirmation from Our Heavenly Father. If Jesus had to get alone with His Heavenly Father, we wouldn't be exempt from following His example. 

 

Action items:

            • Take time to get alone with God each day.

            • Spend time in prayer, reading, and worship. 

 

 

Scripture verse 24 & 25:

"But the boat was by this time out on the sea, many furlongs [a furlong is one-eighth of a mile] distant from the land, beaten and tossed by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch [between 3:00—6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea.

 

Notice the verse says the boat was in the midst of the storm!" Jesus didn't let them off the hook just because they were in the midst of a storm! Perhaps He wanted to confront one of their greatest fears see (Matthew 8:23-27). It's the last hour, and you might be wondering where the Lord is? Have you ever thought to yourself that the disciples were probably tired and exhausted? And all of a sudden, Jesus came and walked on water and brought peace to the situation. When you are at your wit's end, Jesus always comes to the rescue.

 

Action item:

 

• Don't grow weary when you declare the promises in God's Word, and you don't see the immediate results (This is where most Christians are getting tested and frequently fail). There will come the point when your heart grabs hold of the promise; keep decreeing and declaring what God said about your situation.

• Overcome the spirit of fear by moving in the opposite heart, which is faith. Sometimes the trials and storms of life can appear suddenly, and we have to face them with our knees knocking, but we have to respond by faith.  

 

Scripture verse 26 & 27: 

"And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they screamed out with fright. But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I Am! Stop being afraid!"

 

The sense realm will try to talk you out of a miracle and discredit the laws of faith. Let's take a look at (1 Cor 2:14-16) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. You see! The natural man (mind) can't understand the things of the Spirit of God! The disciples let fear grip them instead of them realizing that it is Jesus who calms every storm. A spirit of fear made them call Jesus a Ghost! Come on! Snap out of that funk of fear!" Let's move over to the realm of faith so we can believe God for the impossible in our lives. In the Old Testament, when the children of Israel rejected what God had done for them, they complained and murmured. As Christians, we should never contradict God's promises by opening our mouths, contrary to scripture, to belittle miracles that God has done in our lives. Choose life by speaking life (God's Word) over your situation. Prov. 18:21 states, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."

 

Action items:

• Never forget past victories and miracles that God does for us. 

• Praise Him! Your faith needs a point of contact, and praise is the language of faith. 

• Watch your words and speak faith only!

 

 

Scripture verse 28-33:

"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 water, and he came toward Jesus. 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]! Instantly, Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat knelt and worshiped Him, saying, Truly You are the Son of God!

 

Walk on water or better yet, walk on the water of His Word. Jesus wants us to take bold actions of faith that produce supernatural results in our lives. Peter walked by faith, not by a mere sense of knowledge but by the spoken word of Jesus. Peter just believed and took a simple faith step; Peter didn't overthink the analysis paralysis. If he did, he wouldn't have had a testimony that he heard the word "come," and got out of the boat and began to walk as Jesus walked on the face of the water. Peter's testimony was different from the other disciples, the others just stayed in on the boat (comfort zone), and they watched.  

The wind and the waves represent any opposing spiritual or natural force that contradicts God's Word. 

• What happens when the wind and waves start talking?  

• What demonic force is in the way of your blessing or causing you to take your eyes off of Jesus? 

 

People often highlight in this passage of scripture that Peter sank. Jesus stretched out His mighty hand to save Peter when He began to sink. But that's the negative side; at least He walked on water! My Pastor has said many times, "I would rather be a water walker than a dry boat sitter." When Jesus and Peter return to the boat, the wind ceased. The disciples were no longer getting tossed by the winds of life because Jesus stepped in the boat! One of God's names is Emmanuel; God is with us. In other words, you are never alone even while you sin or about to commit a sinful act. God is not so far removed from your situation that you may be facing that He doesn't know what you’re feeling. When you encounter the winds of adversity in life, you have to keep your eyes on Jesus, hold on to His unchanging hand. You can guarantee that you will find supernatural help in times of trouble. 

 

Action items:

• Stand on the promises of God.

• Speak out what God said about your circumstance.

• Pray/meditate on the scripture.

• Ask God for revelation about what you are declaring in prayer.

• Find a scripture and personalize it.

• Remind Him of His word and start praising Him in advance for what He has already done!

 

In conclusion,

"He is right there with you in the midst of your situation." Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." Those words are more beautiful than music to my ears. What are you facing that is troubling you today? God is too big for any situation you are facing, and every problem is too small for our God. Hallelujah! He is right there with us in every situation that arises in our life. He is right there with us. He is closer to us than He was to His disciples in this passage. And the reason being is Jesus didn't go to the cross yet. Jesus lived a sinless life, died, went to Hell, and ascended on the right side of the Father, and now is living in our heart. God is with you STRONG, and He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you. 

 

"I prophesy to you that He has a perfectly tailored miracle with your name on it. God will come in a way that your mind will not be able to compute, but your spirit will understand."