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Stepping Out Of The Boat

Stepping Out Of The Boat

You know the scene…this storm comes out from seemingly nowhere and invades the disciple’s space. The violence of the waves begins to rise up pounding their boat, and the wind stirs a consuming fear in their present reality. Despite their efforts to control the boat, the storm pushes them off course out into the midst of the sea. Being the fourth watch of the night, they had been straining at their oars for hours and they were totally exhausted.

Then out of nowhere Jesus steps into the scene, piercing the darkness. Unaffected by the crashing waves around Him, Jesus approaches the boat on the waters surface, with an invitation to Peter simply just to “Come!”

Step out on faith and walk into your purpose.

—Germany Kent

Stepping out of the boat onto a surface he had no business being on, Peter begins his walk of faith towards Jesus. Peter does the impossible, but then things change when he takes his eyes off Jesus, his source of power and peace. Just moments earlier he was hiding in the boat from the storm and now the storm has fully exposed him. Jesus is showing him that what we fear defines the boundaries of our freedom.

Consumed by the storm raging around him, Peter begins to sink…Jesus reaches into the depths of the darkness and pulls Peter back to safety saying, “you of little faith why did you doubt?” When it comes to Peter walking on the water, people are quick to call him out for his lack of faith, but what about the others who stayed in the boat? If Peter had little faith, then they had none. It’s so easy to criticize others from the safety of the boat, isn’t it?

Here’s the rub…we all need to remember that we’ve been in this place before. We have all faced problems, a crisis or a storm before and we overcame them, forgetting how resilient and strong we truly are. We have all hit the wall without stepping into the tailwinds of God.

Imagine being the guys in the boat watching Peter and Jesus outside the boat, standing on water, having a conversation about faith? I could image Jesus sharing something like this with Peter, “you know before we go back to the boat we’re going to have a conversation right here in the middle of the miracle because I want you to learn how to trust Me!” Jesus wasn’t in a hurry; the wind was still blowing; the waves were still crashing, and the storm was still roaring all around them…and Jesus is having this conversation with Peter about his doubt and faith.

Most of us would rather have the conversation back in the boat, right? And then there’s Jesus who says that there’s no need to get back into the boat because you’re exactly where you need to be…having a conversation with Me! There was a distance between where Peter was and where he needed to be if he was going to walk with Jesus. Imaging the conversation Jesus has with him, “you think you’ve hit the wall and can’t go any further, but I’m not going to let you swim back and I’m not going to carry you back…you’re going to walk back to the boat with Me, step into My tailwinds and keep going!”

…And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

—Matthew 14:32

Jesus and Peter walk back to the boat and when they’re back in the boat the winds die down. Do you think that’s a bit coincidental? Perfect timing? For the wind to be raging while Peter’s outside of the boat and then for the wind to die down when he gets back into the boat? Seems like Jesus was orchestrating the storm, doesn’t it?

Sometimes we have to face our fears, embrace the adventure, and take the plunge. But what holds us back from risking it all? How do we overcome our fears? What do we do when we doubt that the new chapter of life God is writing is for us? How do we keep our eyes focused on the goal when everything is trying to distract us?

For some of us, we don’t know how much faith is waiting to be unleashed in our lives, we don’t know how much strength is waiting to be unlocked with us. We don’t realize how resilient, how powerful and how strong God is going to reveal to you — who you are. He’s going to take you to the wall where you will think you have nothing left. He’s going to take you to the wall where you’re at the end of yourself where your worried, exhausted, depleted and then when you get to that point where your only choice is to trust Him with your life. This is where He will empower you and regenerate the strength inside of you…you’re going to walk back to the boat and go further than you ever thought you could go. I think this conversation took place to teach Peter to once again to lock onto who Jesus is.

We will never step into the tailwinds of God if we never pressed into that wall!

…Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.

—Matthew 14:33

Some of us are drowning right now, overwhelmed by life and suffocating! Jesus wants to meet us there to refocus our faith on Him! What’s interesting is when they get back into the boat the others don’t talk about Peter and Peter doesn’t take center stage. There’s nothing about Peter in the epilogue of this great adventure — it’s all about Jesus and maybe that’s why we keep missing our opportunity to step into the tailwinds of God because we think it’s about us, when in reality it’s about God revealing Himself in us and through us.

So, stop living small and ask God to take you to the limit, to the place where you’ve given everything you’ve got just to ask Him to meet you there in that moment! It is in Jesus where we can find the strength to push through that wall and press on. God wants to put faith and courage inside of you and He wants to take you to the edge of the wall and show you that there’s breakthrough waiting for you!

If we keep focusing on all the winds blowing around us, we’re going to just sink every time, but if we start paying attention to tailwinds that God is waiting to unleash within us we become unstoppable!

The time to play it safe is over! Get out of the boat, step onto the surface you have no business being on and focus on Jesus!

heartstonePick up a copy of my book, Heartstone: A Journey out of the midnight of my soul.  

Heartstone is a journey of destiny, a story of a life turned upside-down for the best possible reason. Step into the story and discover what happens when a broken life has a head on collision with a broken world! [WARNING] This book isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for those who have the courage to face life head on and walk it out with God!

November 13, 2020 Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: faith, featured, Jesus, life, storms

Why Your Testimony Has Tremendous Power

Why Your Testimony Has Tremendous Power

“…for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” (Revelation 12:10-11)

Not trying to label followers of Jesus, but I have noticed two distinct camps. The folks in one camp enthusiastically shares or teaches Biblical knowledge to others and the folks in the other camp have a genuine testimony of what God has done and continues to do in their lives. The folks in the first camp are definitely genuine in their motive but are missing one essential ingredient to being effectively used by God – a testimony.

The power of testimony was prevalent in the early Church and during that time, people were able to give powerful testimony of events and experiences that could only be explained as a work of God. I didn’t know it at the time, but through the encouragement of one of my life mentors I filled up 6+ journals of my adventures/experiences during my divorce. I had no idea that someday these very scribbles would become a book.

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June 20, 2017 Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: courage, faith, featured, God, Jesus, journey, life, story

Do You Know Him?

Do You Know Him?

Wanted to share an inspiring video (that you’ve might have seen before) to kick off the week after celebrating Easter. The video called “That’s My King” shares the highlights from Dr. S.M. Lockridge’s sermon and powerfully describes the King of kings and Lord of lords – Jesus Christ.

Dr. S.M. Lockridge was the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego, CA from 1952-1993. As a minister, he participated in the Civil Rights Movement during 1960s and was a prominent speaker and Baptist leader. His legacy includes years of faithful service preaching in a variety of settings around the world.

This is the true gospel – that God is relentlessly pursuing us with his love. This is why God stepped into human history as a man. That’s why Jesus is God Himself who walked among us, because in matters of love you have to go yourself! Jesus came to us, engaged us, and pursued us. He bled for all mankind sacrificing Himself to set us free, to set the record straight and to pave the way for relationship with God Himself – because He loves us that much.

Watch the video, soak in the sermon and be inspired to know Him!

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April 18, 2017 Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: featured, God, Jesus, relationship

How Picking Up Stones Changed My Life

How Picking Up Stones Changed My Life

We finished lunch with a couple of other hikers on the back deck of the AMC hut and began our final ascent. It was getting colder, and we began putting on warmer gear as we navigated through more snow and ice. With the thinning of the air, the tighter gripping of the cold, and the thickening silence, an overwhelming desire to run ahead came over me. I motioned to my friend that I was going to run up ahead a bit, which he had no issue with. Closing in on the summit, with my heart pounding and my lungs stinging from the cold air, I somehow knew that a milestone of this journey was at hand. I saw a large rock come into view, converging with my path, and I soon found myself standing upon this large rock. It was as if the Lord had gone ahead and had prepared this place of peaceful solitude and comfort so I could clearly hear His voice without all the other distractions. Standing there upon the rock, I took a deep breath, lifted my head to the Heavens, and began to have a conversation with Him. Time relaxed for a moment. It was awesome.

It was here at this place of desolation, on this rock, on this mountain, where He spoke to my heart. Do you want to know what He said to me? He asked me to collect four stones when I got to the top of the mountain. So, standing in my own strength, leaning on my own understanding and ending the tranquil scene He had prepared for me, my response was, “You want me to do what?”

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April 4, 2017 Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: featured, God, journey, life, story

Why The Resurrection Offers Hope For A Brighter Tomorrow

Why The Resurrection Offers Hope For A Brighter Tomorrow

Having a right set of doctrines is not enough. This truth was put to the test in the trials and storms of my journey, and it drove me beyond my superficial acceptance of the truth into a deeper understanding of God’s very nature.

Did you know that the core of Christianity is not a set of philosophies, a religion, a world view, or even the teachings of Jesus? It’s the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is alive and He cleared the way for us to have an intimate relationship with the living God. We spend a lifetime in hopeless pursuit of everything else expect God, ignoring that the very heart-cry of our soul is for a relationship with Him.

We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.

—A. W. Tozer

Do you have a clear and accurate picture of who God really is?

Do you really know God? Do you?

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February 21, 2017 Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: broken, faith, featured, hope, Jesus, life, relationship, story

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Favorite Quotes

The great objective of this life is character, for it is the only thing we can carry with us into eternity. And gaining as much of the highest character possible is the purpose of our trials. -Austin Phelps

Cool Scripture

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. -Psalm 147:3 (NIV)

Never Out Of The Fight!

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