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673 | Keep Your Eyes on Jesus · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Woman at the Well Ministries podcast.
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With Kimberly Miller, where we believe that every man, woman,
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boy, and girl must come to Jesus just like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
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Our highest priority is helping you experience the reality of God in your everyday life.
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Whether you're listening in our app, on your favorite podcast platform,
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are on our website at watwm.org.
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We invite you to sit down with us as we open the scriptures to learn more about
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who God is and to strengthen your daily walk.
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You may not be able to control the wind, and you may not be able to stop the
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waves that enter your life, but you can decide where you will fix your eyes.
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Join Kim Miller in this podcast of Women at the Well Ministries as Kim takes
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us on a journey through the scriptures, teaching us not to focus on how high
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the waves are, but to focus on how great your Savior is.
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And if you find yourself sinking, don't give up.
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Cry out to Jesus because his hand is still able to save.
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Hello, and thank you for joining us in this podcast of Woman at the Well Ministries.
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When the storms of life arise, we must keep our eyes on Jesus.
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And no one shows us that more clearly than Peter, especially in this account,
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in Matthew 14, 22 through 33.
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It's interesting to me because he shows us that we are to keep our eyes on Jesus,
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to trust his word because he calls him to come and he comes.
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And then to remember that he's always near because one of the things that is
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so fascinating to me about this account in scripture of Peter walking on the water,
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is that Jesus is already there when Peter looks to find help.
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And that is a reassuring comfort. And as we read Matthew 14,
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22 through 33, I know that many of you already find yourself in a storm.
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But with Jesus by your side, the storm does not have to be the final word.
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Let's pray. Our kind and most gracious to Heavenly Father, Lord,
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I thank you for this another day. I thank you for your love and your mercy and your amazing grace.
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Lord, I thank you that when storms arise, that you're greater than our storm,
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bigger than our problem, and already there,
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lord have your richest blessing upon this message remove me as far as the east
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is from the west and lord may you be high and lifted up and draw all of us to
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you and in jesus name we pray.
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Amen in matthew chapter 14 verse 22 through 33 we read these words,
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and straightway jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship and to go
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before him unto the other side while he sent the multitudes away.
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And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray.
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And when the evening was come, he was there alone.
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But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves,
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for the wind was contrary.
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And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
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And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled,
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saying, It is a spirit, and they cried out for fear.
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But straightway jesus spake unto them saying be of good cheer,
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it is i be not afraid and peter answered him and said lord if it be thou bid
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me come unto thee on the water and he said come,
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and when peter was come down out of the ship he walked on the water to go to
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jesus but when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid.
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Beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
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And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto
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him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
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And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
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Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying of a truth,
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Thou art the Son of God. May God have his richest blessings on the reading of his word.
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Have you ever found yourself in a storm you didn't ask for?
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I think the answer to that for all of us is yes, because I highly doubt any
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of us would ask for a storm in our life, and none of us think we absolutely
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need them. But then again, we're not God.
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We don't know what's best for our lives. We don't know what we need to know
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for what's around the corner, but we serve a God that knows the front and the
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back and the sides and the future and the past and the present.
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And because of that, he knows exactly what we need, and we serve a God who loves
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us, and he says that he will provide for us all things if we but just trust in him.
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He says he'll supply the strength that we need to get the job done in Philippians
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4.13, and he says he'll supply all the needs we have in Philippians 4.19.
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So I submit to you that the storm in your life Your farewell may be what God thinks you need.
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Because remember this, the storm will never have the final word.
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The situation that you've been in.
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Maybe one that you've prayed, you've trusted God, you've held on,
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but you're still facing the trouble.
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I think that's because sometimes we think that if we're walking with the Lord,
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everything is going to go good.
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But in previous messages recently, we've talked about how that just isn't the case.
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Because God is silent doesn't mean he's absent.
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Because you're doing the right thing doesn't mean you're not going to have trouble.
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In fact, the Bible says, in this world, a man is born of a woman and a few days full of trouble.
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And he also says, in this world, you'll have tribulation, but be of good cheer.
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I've overcome the world.
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And we remind you that he also promises he'll never leave us or forsake us.
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So the truth of the matter is, is when our faith is in check and we fully understand
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who God is and we understand what
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he has for our life, then we are safely tucked within the arms of God.
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And when we're tucked within the arms of God, it doesn't matter what the circumstances are.
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When you're with the arms of God, it doesn't matter if you're just smoothly
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walking down the road. It doesn't matter if you're on a cobblestone road.
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It doesn't matter if you're in a gale storm. It doesn't matter if you're in a hailstorm.
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It doesn't matter if you are cold or if you're hot outside because you're going
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to be exactly what you need to be tucked safely in the arms of God.
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So when we find ourselves in a situation where we are completely miserable.
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I submit to you, something's wrong with our spiritual life.
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Because in the midst of the darkest night, Jesus was carrying Peter.
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But as soon as Peter got his eyes off of Jesus and began to look at the things
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around him, Jesus was no longer his focus.
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The storm was. So he began to doubt what Jesus was doing. He began to doubt who Jesus was.
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He began to doubt what he was doing through the power and name of Jesus.
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See, that's what happens in our lives. We are walking perfectly good with him.
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We see him. The power of God is working in us like it is in Ephesians 3.20,
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where he says, Now we can do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
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according to the power that works in us.
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And we are just humming along. We're moving mountains with our faith.
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We are subduing the devil left and right. we are seeing the blessings of God.
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We're building the kingdom and suddenly a storm happens and we take our eyes off of Jesus.
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We begin to doubt who we are. What can we do?
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We begin to think, well, we weren't called or we begin to think that we aren't
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equipped, but we begin to think that it's not our job. We begin to think that
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these words that other people are saying are more true than the calling of Jesus in our life.
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We begin to listen to the whispers of the liars, of those that are tools for
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the devil instead of realizing that when we look at the Lord,
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when we hear what he says, then we find ourselves in the center of his will.
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Obedience is better than sacrifice, but I'm going to submit to you the sacrifices
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required for obedience.
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We've got to sacrifice our will. We've got to sacrifice our wants.
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We've got to sacrifice our control as we submit and yield. And he says that
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we need to submit under the mighty hand of God, that in due time, he will lift us up.
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See, it's important to know that we learn a lot from Peter.
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We learn that his word can be trusted. He said, come.
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And Peter was able to do a whole lot of things he'd never been able to do before.
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One that none of you and I can do, which is walk on physical water.
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But each of us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, walking in complete submission, in utter belief.
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Can walk on the waters of the storms of this life without ever feeling them,
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knowing them, touching them, and sometimes, I think, even recognizing them.
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Because Psalm 23 tells us a truth that most of us don't live in.
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He says, the Lord is my shepherd, and he leadeth me beside the still waters to the green pastures.
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So if I'm following him, my soul is always going to feel the still waters and
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the peace that comes only from God.
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My body and my flesh, it may experience something else.
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What the world may look upon me and see, may look at something very differently.
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But when my face, as a grain of a mustard seed, is tightly tucked in the palm
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of his hand, scooched up.
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To his chest, hearing him when he whispers, my soul, who I am,
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is sitting beside the still waters and relaxing in the green pastures.
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You see, I'm more than what you see. I'm a child of the Most High God.
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My bank account doesn't define me, and it certainly doesn't make me a child of a king.
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My accomplishments, they aren't who I am,
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and they will never stack up to the riches and the reward and the love of Jesus,
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that flows through me daily and showers me with his blessings.
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This is who I am. I'm a child of God, bought with a price.
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And you can't take me out of that. You can't remove me from his presence.
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And you can't take me out of his family.
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But I can open my mind, just as Peter did when he sunk.
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And I can begin to listen to your lies. I can begin to listen to your definition of who I am.
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I can begin to listen to what you think my future holds.
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And with every word, perhaps even every syllable, I'll find myself sinking a little deeper into sin.
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A little deeper into the flesh, a whole lot further from where he wants me to be.
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See, the storm you're in isn't meant to break you.
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It may be meant to correct you and clean you up a little and draw you a little closer,
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but i know one thing is definitely meant to do if you are a child of the most
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high god in matthew chapter 5 verses 14 through 16 he says this you don't hide
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your light under a bushel,
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but you put it on a candlestick so that all can see and then in verse 16 he
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says let your light so shy before men that they may see your good works and
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glorify your Father which is in heaven.
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This storm you're in, it's one so that everybody can see who God is.
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But more importantly, I believe it's one to show you more clearly who He is
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to you and who He is for you.
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See, the storms in your life are not always about disobedience.
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Sometimes they're about growth sometimes they're about shining the light for others.
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The disciples were in the middle of the sea, and the wind was blowing,
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and the waves were tossing their boat.
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They were experienced fishermen. They were exactly where they were supposed
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to be. God had told them to go.
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And they find themselves in a place well beyond their control and in their darkest
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night, completely in a position where no one could possibly help them.
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Here comes jesus walking on the water before they had asked him and what seemed
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like this incredibly difficult scary frightening situation,
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became an opportunity for them to see jesus,
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in a whole new way they knew him as teacher they'd seen him as healer they no
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doubt seen him as provider,
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they followed him as leader.
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But now they were going to see him as God of all.
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As powerful, as one who had complete control over nature, as one who knew their
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need before they knew they needed it and who was already there.
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Peter teaches us that faith will sometimes call us out of our comfort zone.
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I don't know about you, but I don't even know what my comfort zone is anymore.
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I'm almost comfortable being uncomfortable. It's almost the measuring stick,
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or as we said in our science classes, the litmus test of I'm doing the right thing.
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Because I'm uncomfortable when things are smooth. I'm uncomfortable when things
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are going the way I thought they would or they should go. Not because I'm ungrateful,
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but because I'm wondering where the devil is.
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Why isn't he upset with me? Why isn't he attacking me?
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Why isn't he shooting arrows at me? Why isn't he stepping in my way?
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Because 1 Peter 5a says that we need to be careful, be vigilant because your
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adversary, the devil, walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
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I like knowing that Jesus is on my side.
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I love the verse in front of that when the caster cares upon him for he cares
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for you. But I also like knowing that,
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But I'm in the center of God's will. There's a peace that comes with that.
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But for me, my first notice is the devil's after me.
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And I want to get up in the morning and put the devil on high alert.
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I want him to say, oh my. All right, you demons of hell.
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Get on the ready. She's up. You may think that I'm just trying to be funny or cute.
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But I'm not. But I have but one life to live on this earth.
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And there's nothing that I could possibly do to ever earn his salvation.
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There's nothing I need to do to ever earn his love because nothing will separate
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me from the love of God in Romans 8, 38 and 39.
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But let me tell you this, my friend,
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I'm going to go to my grave trying to show him how much I love him.
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Not because it's required for salvation, because for by grace are you saved
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through faith and not of yourselves.
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It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2, 8, 9.
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Because when you love somebody, you do things for them. It's called love stuff.
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You're drawn to help, to assist, to want to be near.
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When you step out in faith, you got to keep your eyes on the one who called you.
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So when you're in the storm, don't stay in the boat. That's what you want to
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do. You want to stay in the boat. You want to hide. You want to tuck.
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But you're not going to do amazing, wonderful, incredible, phenomenal,
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divine things sitting in the boat.
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The boat gets you to the place where you get to do the great stuff,
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through the power and might of jesus christ see that's why don't be upset in
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the storm don't be upset when they're lying about you putting rumors out about
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you picking others over you,
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saying things that are just not true where opportunity seems like it's going
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somewhere else where things don't
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look like they're adding up in your life man you got to get in a boat,
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to get to where god's getting ready to bust a wide open and just perform amazing
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great miracles through you because of your love for him,
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because of your faith in him and because you got out of the boat peter got out
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of the boat let's look at three things.
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Love the number three. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
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In my family, we do a thing called three things.
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And that's all we say is three things. I use that with some of my very close friends.
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And that means tell me three things that you love about me. Tell me three things
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that you think are amazing about me.
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Tell me three things that you think you couldn't live without that I give.
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Why do we do three things? Because everybody needs to know they're loved.
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But Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit has three things, three people,
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three amazing gifts, and I can't live without any of them.
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So three is my number. And today we've got three lessons, critical and important
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that we're going to learn from Matthew chapter 14, verses 22 through 33.
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In verses 14, 22 through 24, Jesus has instructed his disciples to get into the boat.
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And I cannot stress to you enough how important it is that you got to get in
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the boat. You got to be part of the family of God.
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You've got to sign up with him. You've got to give your all in all.
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You've got to place your faith in him you got to trust him as savior you got
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to get in the boat but then you got to get out of the boat.
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But not immediately, and not turn your back on him.
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But you get in the boat, you tuck yourself safely in the loving arms of Jesus Christ,
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and then he takes you on life's storms, and he stops you in the one completely created just for you.
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The one in which all that you're supposed to learn, it's going to give it to you.
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The one in which you're going to come out victorious because thanks be to God
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who giveth us the victory.
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And you can do all things through Christ which strengthens you and he'll never
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lead you where he doesn't equip you.
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So you're in the boat and he takes you to the storm.
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So often, as I mentioned earlier, we think that the storm means he's abandoned us.
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They were doing exactly what Jesus told them to do, yet they found themselves in a storm.
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They were in a storm, and they were obeying Jesus.
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They weren't in a storm because they disobeyed. So first of all,
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I would suggest that you get the whole idea of judging other people out of your system.
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You don't have time for it to keep yourself straight and in the center of God's will.
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But you don't have the authority to do it either. That's God's job,
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and you don't want that job. So you're in a storm.
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I don't even think you need to know the why, the when, the how, and the where.
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Because I think if you trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not into
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your own understanding, and in all your ways acknowledge him,
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he shall direct your paths.
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And then don't be wise in your own eyes. Depart from evil and fear the Lord.
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I think we need to do that.
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Know all you need to know. He
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said, go, you're going. You got in and you ride until he says to get out.
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So here they find themselves in the midst of the storm.
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Just in case it hasn't happened to you or you're in it and you don't understand
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it, you can be serving God faithfully and still face opposition.
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You can be praying fervently and earnestly and still experience problems.
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You can be faithful and find yourself in troubled waters.
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These disciples, they were straining against the wind. They were doing everything
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they could to get themselves through this storm, but their strength was limited.
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Their progress was slow, but even though they couldn't see Jesus,
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He knew exactly where they are.
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Listen to me. He knows where you are.
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In Hebrews 13, 5, he said he would never leave you nor forsake you.
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So I got something one step better than that. Not only does he know where you
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are, he has put himself right there with you.
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He who commands the winds and the waves, who says peace be still,
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is right in the midst of your storm.
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Maybe your life's a struggle.
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Maybe you've been praying for your family. Maybe you've been praying for your
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health. Maybe you've been praying for your finances.
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But the winds are blowing. The waves are high. Again, do not mistake that as God's absence.
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He's right there. How do I know that?
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Because he makes himself visible to Peter in the boat.
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Not going to always prevent that storm, but you can trust him to be faithful,
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to be in the middle of it with you.
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He's not going to call you anywhere. He isn't because he's with you all the time.
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When trouble comes, don't immediately give up on God. That's when you need him
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more than you've ever needed him. Keep praying. Keep believing.
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Keep obeying what his word says.
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Listen closely. Your circumstances may change, but God's character doesn't.
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And if you don't know God's character, get in his word.
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He reveals himself from Genesis to Revelations, the greatest love letter ever
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written. And it was written just for you.
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The same Jesus who sent the disciples across that water knew what they were
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going to face all along the way. And that same Jesus is in the boat with you.
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That same Jesus is leading you. That same Jesus is guiding you.
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That same Jesus loves you. That saying, Jesus has a call on your life and he's
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going to keep it until the day of his coming.
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I believe in whom I believe and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which
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I've committed unto him against that day.
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Philippians 1.6, Jesus loves me.
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This I know for the Bible tells me so.
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So the first lesson we learn is that the storm does not mean God has abandoned you.
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And we need to stop asking why for the storm and just start telling the storm how big God is.
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The second lesson we learn from Peter, we learn a lot, but the second of the
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three that we're going to discuss today is that when Jesus calls,
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faith requires us to step out.
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Truth of the matter is that Matthew 14, 25 through 29 reveals to us a scenario
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that all of us face on a regular basis.
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So let's read that passage in your hearing one more time.
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And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went into them walking on the sea.
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And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled saying,
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it is a spirit. And they cried out for fear, but straightway Jesus spake unto
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them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid.
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Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the
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water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship,
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he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
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The first thing we see is they're in trouble. It's the fourth watch of the night.
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It's the darkest part of the night.
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Jesus knows what's happened. He knows what's going on. And he's certain of what's
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happening in the future.
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And he's positioned himself so they could see him.
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He's never left them, but he positions himself so they could see him and they
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still couldn't recognize him. this is very evident in our lives today.
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God places himself right where we can see him. He does important things for
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us. He does small things for us.
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But if we're looking for God, if we're looking for God's sightings, as my family says,
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if we are looking for his hand to be evident in our life, it happens every single
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day, in multiple times a day, in various sundry ways.
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These disciples walked with Jesus and couldn't recognize him,
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through eyes of faith we walk every day with him through eyes of faith we hear
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his voice through eyes of faith,
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we we read his word and he reveals to us amazing great things in Jeremiah 33
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3 says call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not,
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he wants to speak to you In Revelations 3.20, he says, Behold,
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I stand at the door and knock.
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And if you open up the door, he'll come in and sup with you,
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hang with you, fellowship with you.
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He's a friend that sticks closer than a brother. There isn't any greater love,
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than a man would lay down his life for his friends.
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The disciples were frightened because they thought they saw a ghost. And it was Jesus.
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So you're in good company when you don't recognize his presence.
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Least be like Peter and say, hey, you remind me that you might be Jesus.
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Hey, how about affirming it?
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At least Peter had enough faith to not think it strange that Jesus would be there.
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They were frightened because they didn't know who they were looking at.
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But then I want you to see that Jesus immediately speaks to them.
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He reveals who he is in verse 27 when he says, be of good cheered as high, be not afraid.
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That still small voice that's telling you, hey, I've never left you nor forsake you. Hey, trust me.
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Hey, obey my word. Hey, I've got you right where I want you.
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Hey, don't listen to the voices around you.
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Calm and shut the sounds around you out of your mind.
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Listen to me. Follow me. Hold me. He's revealing to you. He's with you and who he is.
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Before he calmed their fears, he spoke who he was.
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I have to believe that he did that because that should have calmed their fears.
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He wanted them to know he was with them.
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Knowing that he was with them should have been enough for them to not care the
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storm was still going. Yep, and that's what I said.
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If you love him, really love him, he says you'll keep my commandments.
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In fact, he says you'll know that you are his disciples because you keep his commandments.
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So if you love him, you're doing what he says. One of the first things he says
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is to deny yourself and pick up your cross and follow him daily.
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And he says to believe in him.
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In fact, in Mark chapter 9 and verse 23, he says, if thou canst believe that
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Jesus said it to them, if thou canst believe, all things are possible,
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to him that believeth.
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Nothing is impossible with god luke tells us.
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So that's right when he said be of good cheer it is i be not afraid,
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that should have brought peace to their soul nothing needed to change about
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the winds or the waves and peter shows us this,
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because before jesus calmed their fears and reminded of him his presence,
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Peter is asking, bid me come.
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Soon as Jesus says, it is I, be a good cheer. Don't be afraid.
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What do you think he meant, be a good cheer? Settle down, folks.
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Chill out. It's me.
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You know what I can do for your benefit and my benefit. Let's talk about what we know he can do.
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Let's just start with the biggie. He raised Lazarus from the dead in John chapter 11.
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About the first miracle ever recorded where you turn water into wine how about,
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you have a conversation with a woman with the issue of blood,
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and ask her what she thinks he can do she touched the hem of his garment and
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he was in the midst of a big crowd and he knew that something had passed from him,
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all those hands all those people he didn't have to look at her didn't have to speak to her.
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She got in his presence and she was healed.
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That's something to think about.
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How about the widow that Elijah goes to visit?
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She's cooking up her last meal, just a little bit of flour and a little bit of oil.
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The man of God says, give to me first. So she cooks the last meal.
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Can't imagine what she must have thought of him. But she followed.
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She feeds him first. And the barrel of flour never went dry and the cruise oil never ran out.
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Because when we put God first, we have all that we need. he is all we need there
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he is saying be of good cheer it's i he lets them know who he is,
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how about noah he was kind enough not only to put noah and his family and all
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the animals in the ark but he shut the door himself so noah didn't feel like he had done it,
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then he gave him a rainbow and all of us rainbow to remember he keeps his promises he's faithful,
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then there's the three Hebrew children in a fiery furnace who wouldn't bend
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or bow. They get thrown in.
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There's a fourth man in the fire. They went in before he made himself visible.
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That's faith. That's dedication.
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I don't think any of us have ever been in a firestorm like that.
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The people right in front had just died. People lived through storms in the sea.
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Didn't look good for the disciples, but And these three Hebrew children,
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they saw somebody die doing something they were getting ready to get thrown into.
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And they didn't care what the outcome was there because that didn't change who they saw God was.
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Then there's Daniel in the lion's den. He trusted God, so he shut the lion's mouth in the den, slept.
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I've watched him shut some lion's mouths in my life. But even if he didn't,
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just because you say I'm something doesn't mean that's what I am.
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But when he says I'm his, that's who I am. Don't forget that.
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He began by explaining the wind or the waves. He began by revealing who he was.
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Peter's still not sure, so he says, Lord, if it be thou bid me come into thee on the water.
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Jesus understands, especially in our storms, that we are easily confused.
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We can be tossed to and fro.
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Our faith can be fragile.
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So I believe just like he kept it simple for Peter, he keeps it simple for us. Do the next right thing.
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Do the next thing God says.
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Stop trying to figure out how the next step is going to lead you to where you
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want to be, unless where you want to be is where God wants you to be.
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And that's all you're willing to give as a suggestion is, Lord,
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keep me in the center of your will. Lord, keep me usable.
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Lord, keep me doing what you would have me to do.
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Lord, let me know the peace of being in the center of your will,
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and then you accept his will, whatever it might be.
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But God keeps it simple for me, too. I think me and Peter might have a lot in common.
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So he says, come, you know, deny yourself, pick up a cross, follow me,
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love me, keep my commandments.
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Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not lie,
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thou shalt not have no other gods before me, thou shalt not commit adultery,
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thou shalt keep the Sabbath and keep it holy.
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The big ten are pretty simple, but then he gave us two.
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Love the Lord thy God with all thy soul, all thy might, and all thy strength,
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and your neighbor as yourself.
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Upon these, too, are the foundation of the law, the foundation of mercy,
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the foundation of grace, the picture of Jesus.
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Word. I think he's saying that today. I think he's saying that to you.
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I think he's saying that to me.
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I know he's saying that to you who aren't in the boat.
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Today's the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time. Believe on the name
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of the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
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But some of us, he's saying, come enter into service with me.
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Come walk this journey and let other people know about what it means to have Jesus in your life.
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But for all of us, just like Peter had to leave the comfort of the boat.
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Hey, when we get saved, it's an amazing thing.
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And we love Jesus and we're in that boat. And then he takes us out in the middle
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of the storm and he says, get out.
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But I'm going with you. You got the life preserver.
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Some of us are saying, come. So Peter leaves the safety of the boat,
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and he steps into something that he knew was impossible. He knew it.
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The laws of physics would not allow a human being to walk on water.
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He didn't have anything to hold him. But he had faith.
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He had the word of Jesus.
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And you can depend on it. That's what he teaches us.
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Faith wasn't in his own ability to walk on the water. It was on his faith that
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the one who told him to come would hold him, would get him there, would enable him.
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Look, I don't know what your storm is. I don't know what you're having to step
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out onto. I don't know what you have to step out into.
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But what I do know is Jesus has called you.
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He's going to equip you. And if you keep your eyes on him and you keep focused
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on him, regardless of the storm that you're in, you're going to have peace.
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You're going to know love. You're going to understand joy.
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You're going to have direction and you're going to be okay because he who has
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begun a good work in you will complete it.
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He's not going to tell you to come and then drop you. Many times,
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if not all the times, sometimes God calls us to take steps that scare the thunder out of us.
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They make no mental sense to me.
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God has never called me or rarely called me to do something that I felt was
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logical or that I felt equipped to do.
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But I know, like Peter, if I can just keep my faith on him and my eyes focused
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on him and drown out the words of the devil and those that are being used of
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him, then I'm going to be just fine doing what he asked me to do.
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See, sometimes he's going to call you to step out into serving ministry.
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Sometimes he's going to call you to step out and forgive someone who has hurt you.
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Somebody who you feel, and most of a jury of your peers would feel,
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you don't have to forgive.
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But Jesus doesn't give us a pass on anyone.
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We have to love everyone because he loves everyone. And that person you can't forgive, he died for.
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And you know, I don't know, God has a very interesting way of doing things.
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I imagine the person I like least in this world is going to be my neighbor in heaven. I can feel it.
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I know her name. I can feel it.
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Praying that it doesn't take a new body to get me to be excited about that.
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Sometimes he's going to call you to obey God when it doesn't make sense,
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when it looks like the next step you're going to take, you're surely going to fail.
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It may require you to trust him when you can't see how everything's going to work out.
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When you may have to make a decision and people that you love,
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maybe people you've served do not understand that decision.
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But see, God didn't say you needed to please man and you can't.
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For every person you please tend to hate you.
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He said to please him. See, here's something I want you to hold on to.
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Faith does not mean that we understand everything.
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Faith means that we trust the one who does.
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Let's get that again. Faith does not mean that we understand everything that's
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going on in our life or that he's called us to do.
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Faith means we trust the one who does.
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So what is God asking you to trust him with today? Don't allow fear to keep
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you in the boat when the Lord is calling you to obey him.
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You may not know what tomorrow holds none of us do, but we can trust the one who holds tomorrow.
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Remember, Peter didn't walk on water because he was stronger than the other
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disciples. He walked on water because he responded to the word of Jesus.
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He sought the Lord and he found him. And when he sought the Lord, the Lord said, come.
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And Peter responded.
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Are you seeking the Lord? If you seek him and you love him with your whole heart,
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Jeremiah 29, 13 says you'll find him.
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Third lesson, when you take your eyes off of Jesus, fear can and most often will overwhelm you.
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The Bible tells us that Peter began walking on the water, but then something happened.
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But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid and beginning to sink.
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He cried saying, Lord, save me. Do you get that?
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When he saw the wind boisterous, he took his eyes off Jesus and started looking at his circumstances.
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Peter started well, but then he became distracted by the storm.
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He began to hear the wind blowing.
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He began to see the waves.
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He began to become more afraid than he was steady in his faith.
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Peter started well, but he became distracted. The wind had been blowing before
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Peter stepped out of the boat.
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The waves had been there before he began walking. The storm didn't just suddenly
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appear. He had been going straight through that.
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Sometimes that's how our life is. We begin with faith, but then the bills become due.
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We begin with faith, but then the doctor's report arrives. We begin with faith,
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but then the family problems arise.
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We begin with faith, but then we face disappointment.
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We begin with faith, but then the prayers seemingly are not being answered. Is there not on our time?
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And before we realize that our circumstances begin to look bigger than our Savior.
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That's what happened to Peter.
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The winds and the waves that were there when he was looking at Jesus and trusting
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Jesus and following the words of Jesus, they were no match for him.
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But when he decided this was craziness, he can't walk on water and look at those
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waves and look at that wind, and they became more important,
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more prevalent, took priority over Jesus, then he sinks.
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When we focus only on the storm, fear will begin to control our hearts.".
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Love casts out all fear, and anything done without faith is sin.
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But notice something wonderful about Peter's account.
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When Peter began to sink, he knew where to turn.
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He cried, Lord, save me.
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It was a short prayer, but it came from a desperate heart.
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Peter didn't have time for a long speech. He didn't have time to explain himself.
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He simply called on Jesus.
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And verse 31 says this, and immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and called him.
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Did you get that immediately? Now me and you, somebody calls us for help and
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we think they did this on their own or they've inconvenienced us.
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We watch them squirm a bit.
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We'd have gotten at least to their nose before we picked him up.
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We'd have let him bob a couple times, but no, immediately he says,
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Lord, save me, and immediately Jesus stretches forth his hand, catches him.
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Jesus didn't wait until Peter could save himself. He reached out and he caught him.
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Peter's faith wavered, but Jesus's power did not.
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Let that soak in. Peter's faith wavered, but Jesus's power did not.
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That's good news for all of us.
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We may have moments of weakness. We may become afraid. We may struggle to trust God as we should.
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But when we cry out to Jesus, when we turn to him for help, he is there,
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he is willing, he is able, and above all, he is faithful.
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His power is unmatched and unlimited.
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When fear begins to overwhelm you, turn your attention back to Jesus.
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In Matthew about Peter shows us that when worry comes, we need to pray.
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When discouragement comes, remember God's promises.
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And when you fall short, repent and seek his help.
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And 1 John 1-9 will tell us that when we confess our sins, he's faithful and
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just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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When you fall short, repent and seek his help.
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And when you feel yourself sink, call on the Lord.
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You don't have to pretend that the storm isn't real. You just need to remember
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that Jesus is greater than the storm, and he's always near.
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That storm that frightens you can become where Jesus is seen more clearly.
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In Matthew 14, 32 through 33, Jesus rescues Peter and they climb into the boat and the wind ceases.
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The disciples responded by worshiping Jesus and declaring of a truth, thou art the Son of God.
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That storm that they came to, while being obedient and doing what they were
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supposed to do and finding themselves in a storm, even though they were exactly
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where they were supposed to be.
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Setting for a deeper revelation of who Jesus was. In the storms of my life,
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especially the recent ones, I've come to know him deeper than I've ever known him before.
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The disciples had already witnessed miracles. They had seen Jesus feed the multitudes,
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but now they had witnessed his authority over sea and the wind.
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The disciples came to understand more clearly that Jesus was not merely a teacher or a miracle worker.
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He was the son of God. They saw him high and lifted up. They saw him for who he was.
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When you're in the storm, if you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and you lift
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him above the storm, he will lift you with him because you are with him.
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Sometimes the most difficult seasons of life become the seasons in which we
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learn to depend on God in a deeper way.
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In your storm, you may discover his faithfulness when you have no strength left.
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In the storm, you may discover his peace when circumstances give you every reason to worry.
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But he says to be anxious for nothing. but in everything but prayer and thanksgiving,
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let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God shall keep your
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hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, Philippians 4, 6, and 7.
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In Isaiah 26, 3, it says, I will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed
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on thee, because he trusteth in thee.
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You may discover his comfort when everyone else has walked away.
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He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. And in your storm,
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you may discover his sustaining grace when you cannot understand why the storm has even come.
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And this doesn't mean that every painful experience is good or that every question
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will receive an immediate answer.
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It means that God can meet us in our suffering and work through even our hardest, darkest seasons.
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Don't let the storm be the only thing you remember about your experience.
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Remember how God sustains you. Remember the prayers he helped you pray.
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Remember the strength he gave you to keep going. Remember the people he sent to encourage you.
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And above all, remember Jesus.
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The storm may be part of your story, but it doesn't have to define your faith.
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It can display your faith. as we close this amazing message from God as given,
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in Matthew 14, verses 22 through 33.
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This story of Peter walking on the water gives us a powerful picture of our
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Christian life. Sometimes we are in the boat, afraid of what's happening around us.
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Sometimes we're stepping out in faith, trusting God's word. Sometimes we are
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walking forward with confidence and sometimes like Peter, we begin to sink.
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But through every part of our story, Jesus remains the one we need.
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Jesus is the answer for the problem you face today and the problem you face tomorrow.
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When the storm comes, trust his presence.
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When he calls, obey his word.
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When fear arises, turn your eyes back to him. And when you begin to sink, cry out for his help.
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Peter's story reminds us that even when our faith falters, we can still reach
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for Jesus because he's always able to reach us.
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Friends, you may be facing a storm in your marriage, your home,
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your health, your finances, or your spiritual life.
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You may feel like the waves are higher than your strength and the wind is stronger than your courage.
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But hear this message today. The wind may be strong, but Jesus is stronger.
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The waves may be high, but his hand is still able to save.
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Storm make you forget the Savior. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
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And remember, Jesus loves you. You are loved.
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Thank you for joining us for today's podcast. You can find quotes and scripture
49:43
references from this episode in the show notes.
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We pray today's message has been a blessing. If it has, please consider leaving
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a rating or review on your podcast platform.
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50:04
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