Kingdom EncountersSample

Peter was the first to allow his fears to be overcome by faith. He called back to Jesus and asked Him to tell him to come to Him on the water. He wanted to know it was Him. He wanted to experience his kingdom encounter right then and there.

The disciples had been straining and huffing and puffing as they tried to make progress toward the shore. But Jesus was walking, casually, as if it were easy. Peter wanted a piece of that. Peter wanted to experience that. Peter wanted out of the boat. So Jesus told him to get out and come. Now, I don’t know about you, but my heart would have been racing when Jesus told me to get out of the boat. My thoughts would have been questioning my sanity. I may have asked Jesus to repeat Himself, just to be sure. But not Peter. The Bible tells us that Peter got right out of the boat and started to head toward Jesus.

Peter took the step of faith. The problem was he still had his fear. Peter hadn’t left his fear in the boat. Fear and faith don’t mix well, as Peter found out. Seeing the wind and the waves splashing all around him, he took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink. The moment he shifted his focus from Christ to his circumstances, he started to go under. One moment he was walking with Jesus on top of his problem. The next moment, Jesus was still walking there, but he was sinking.

If you are sinking in your circumstances, you’ve lost your focus. If you are feeling overwhelmed by all that rages on around you, you are paying the wind and the waves too much attention. I’m not saying you should ignore the circumstances. I’m not recommending that you act like there is no storm. The issue at hand doesn’t involve the presence of the problem. The issue is what authority does that problem have over your life? Are you spending your time looking at the problem, trying to solve the problem, analyzing the problem, and worrying about the problem? Or are you resting in the calm and confidence Christ has given you to enable you to walk on top of your problem rather than be swallowed up by it?

The difference between great faith and little faith is the object of focus. If you look at Jesus, and Him alone, your faith will be great. If you look at your circumstances, it will be small. Where you choose to focus will determine your faith. Never focus on the storm. The storm cannot save you. Always look at the One who holds the power over the storm. Stop giving your circumstances that much attention. If Jesus tells you to “come,” then trust He will give you all you need to get there. If Jesus tells you to get in the boat and cross over to the other side, then He will give you all you need to cross over. Whatever God calls you to do, He will do. Trust Him. He is not going to ask you to step out in faith only to leave you hanging.