[Faith-talk] FW: [thefamilyoffaith] What about you, friend? - Girlfriends in God
Eric Calhoun
eric at pmpmail.com
Sat Mar 5 13:33:12 UTC 2011
Original Message:
From: "TONY_at_FloridaHealth" <FloridaHealth21 at verizon.net>
To: <thefamilyoffaith at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [thefamilyoffaith] What about you, friend? - Girlfriends in God
Date:
Sat, 05 Mar 2011 08:30:17 -0500
March 5, 2010
Get Out of that Boat!
Mary Southerland
Today's Truth
"Between three and six o'clock in the
morning, Jesus came to them, walking on the water. When his followers saw
him walking on the water, they were afraid. They said, 'It's a ghost!' and
cried out in fear. But Jesus quickly spoke to them, 'Have courage! It is I.
Do not be afraid.' Peter said, "Lord, if it is really you, then command me
to come to you on the water." Jesus said, 'Come.' And Peter left the boat
and walked on the water to Jesus. But when Peter saw the wind and the
waves, he became afraid and began to sink. He shouted, 'Lord, save me!'
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter" ( Matthew 14:
25-31, NCV).
Friend to Friend
Jesus and His disciples fed more than
five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Now that
is what I call a miracle! The disciples not only saw the miracle Jesus
performed but were the ones Jesus actually commissioned to distribute the
bread and fish. Witnessing the miracles of Jesus was not a new experience
for these men. In fact, I am sure they considered themselves mature,
devoted and unshakable disciples. But when Jesus sent them out onto the
water in a small fishing boat while He went up into the hills to pray -
their faith was put to the test.
Everything was fine - the disciples'
faith in tact - until the storm hit. It is easy to believe God when the
skies are blue and the nets are full of fish. How strong is our faith when
we are clinging to the side of a rocking boat in the death grip of a brutal
storm? The disciples cried out in fear and Jesus came - at the right time
and in the right way. Like the disciples, we often question God's timing
and His ways. When they don't translate into methods that we can
understand, we surrender our faith to the tyranny of fear. Fully devoted
followers of Christ are willing to forsake the known for the unknown. They
choose to trust God and walk by faith - not by sight or human logic. The
response of Jesus to the disciples' fear was encouragement and a call to
step out in faith and obedience. The only taker in the boat was Peter.
Matthew 14:28-29 (NCV) "Peter said,
'Lord, if it is really you, then command me to come to you on the water.'
Jesus said, 'Come.' And Peter left the boat and walked on the water to
Jesus."
Faith demands a willingness to give up
what we can see in exchange for what we cannot see. "Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews
11:1 NKJV). This verse indicates a persuasion or conviction in response to
unseen evidence. But just because we can't see it, does not mean it isn't
there.
John Paton and his wife were missionaries
in the New Hebrides Islands. One night, hostile natives surrounded the
mission headquarters, intent on burning the Patons out and killing them
both. Paton and his wife prayed all night, asking God to strengthen their
faith. At dawn, they were amazed to see their attackers simply turn and
leave.
A year later, the chief of that tribe
became a Christian. Paton asked him what had kept him and his men from
killing them that night. The chief answered with a question, "Who were all
those men with you?" Paton answered, "There was no one with us. My wife and
I were all alone." The chief said they had seen hundreds of men standing
guard, big men in shining garments with drawn swords. God is not only able
to answer our prayer of faith, He delights in doing so. The problem is that
we don't always like His answers.
As a fisherman, Peter knew all about
boats and storms. However, I feel safe in saying that Peter had probably
never tried walking on any kind of water, much less tempestuous water. It
didn't matter. Jesus said, "Come." Jesus wrapped a world of truth in that
one word. Strength for every trial, faith for every storm, courage for
every conflict, the promise of His presence and absolutely everything we
need to obey is promised to those who are willing to leave the safety of
the boat and "come" to Jesus. God never forces us into obedience. He
invites us to obey and leaves the choice to us.
Peter chose obedience when he slipped off
his sandals, hitched up his robe and climbed over the side of that boat.
Peter left the "known" behind and stepped through his fear in a radical
faith that pleased God. Peter then did what we all have done at some point
in life. He took his eyes off Jesus. And when he began to sink, Peter cried
out in fear. I love the fact that Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed
the flailing hand of Peter. I would probably have let the doubting disciple
sink like a stone to teach him a lesson. Not Jesus. Grace covered it all -
the storm, the sin and Peter's plea for rescue. Love heard Peter's cry.
Mercy saved him.
What about you, friend? Are you trapped
in a storm, clinging to the sides of a rocking boat and wondering where God
is and why He is silent? Is your heart in the grip of fear and doubt? Cry
out to God. Take one step of faith, and He will meet you there.
Let's Pray
Father, my heart is filled with doubt and
I am afraid. I want to believe You, Lord. I want to step out in faith,
trusting You to meet me at the point of my greatest need, but I am so weak.
Please teach me to listen for Your voice above the crashing waves of fear
and the deadly whispers of human logic. Give me the strength to keep my
eyes on You - no matter what my sea of circumstances may be.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
Read Psalm 56:3 (NIV) "When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you." What do you think it means to "put" your trust in
God?
Read John 14:27 (NIV) "Peace I leave with
you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not
let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." Does peace help us
control emotions or do controlled emotions produce peace? Right now, take a
step of faith by making the choice to let peace rule in your heart.
More from the Girlfriends
Peace is not the absence of conflict, a
lack of trouble or scarcity of problems. Peace is not a feeling. Peace is a
Person - Jesus - and when we know Him, we can experience true peace.
Need peace? The "Fear Factor" is not just
a television show. Fear is a faithful companion in a world filled with
broken people, many of whom live at the mercy of their fears. Mary's Bible
Study, Getting a Grip on Fear, will help you discover God's plan for peace
by identifying five ways to face and deal with fear.
It's not too late to enroll in Mary's
weekly online Bible Study, How to Handle Hurt and have access to all of
2011 studies.
Need a friend? Connect with Mary on
Facebook or through email.
Seeking God?
Click HERE to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ.
Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
info at girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com
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