What fears are holding you back from boldly stepping into the abundant life God has for you?
God gives us the choice of how we wish to see the obstacles and mistakes that fill our lives. Like the other choices He allows us to make, we can either listen to the world and let failure consume us, or we can listen to Him and learn to succeed through Him.
“And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’ (Matthew 14:28-31 ESV)
Like Peter, when we try to succeed in something, we often start out strong. As believers we know we should seek Jesus, so with our eyes on Him, we step out in faith looking to succeed in what He has called us to do. Then, just like Peter, we usually run into an obstacle or two and become distracted. We are manipulated, lied to, or hurt; something in the world causes us to take our eyes off of our Lord and Savior.
If this has happened to you, you are not alone. Peter experienced distraction too and his life turned out remarkably. We know from Scripture that Jesus will always be there to grab hold of us and rescue us. We also know that there comes a bit of conviction from our Lord when we fail and take our eyes off of Him. What we sometimes forget is that His conviction is for our own good. It is a gesture of love, designed to bring us to repentance, which brings us closer to Him.
Each time we fail, we can grow closer to God as He teaches us how to succeed in Him and through Him. We have a choice: accept our failures and throw in the towel, or repent and turn our eyes back onto Jesus, learning to succeed in the will of our Father.
Many believers are afraid to even step out of the boat; fear of distraction or failure holds them back. Saints, failure is part of our growth process, and by God’s grace, it even brings healing.
Do not let the world put fear in you that keeps you from stepping out in faith and walking in the will of God. Let us cast away these fears and continue to walk in faith, knowing that His nail-scarred hand is right there to grab us when we fail.
Let us believe confidently that His grace and mercy is showering down on us to bring us closer to Him. Let us step out off the boat each and every day, letting our light shine in the dark places of this world. May our faithful steps glorify Him and His mighty name, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Lord, please give me the faith to trust You fully and obey You without reservation. Help me to see every failure as a chance to run to you so I can experience the life of Jesus living through me more and more each day. I choose to step out of the boat today. Amen
What fears are holding you back from boldly stepping into the abundant life God has for you? How could you overcome those fears through Christ?
by Daniel Forster
used by Permission
Further Reading