Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came towards Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little Faith l," he said "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a Storm and looking around all you see in chaos and no way out. Maybe like the disciples you thought you were never going to see the end to it. Waves so rapid, or in some cases like mountains. Panic rises from the depths of inside you. Fear, sorrow and doubt creep through and take over your mind. Where's the way out, where is the hope of anything going back to normal. Can you think of a time in your life where you found yourself in a similar situation like the disciples on the boat. I can, well, I wasn't in the middle of the see of Galilee, but we were in the middle of a field. In the part of the UK where the locals say they get a lot of storms. The camping holiday didn't get off to the best start. They reserved us the space which happened to be where the wind current was. We soon found out our tent didn't stand a chance. We gave it a good try. But instead of building a temporary home, the tent poles snapped. Thankfully the people who own the ground had a spare tent. Which took a good beating but didn't snap. Anyway getting to the point, one particular night a thunder and lightning storm headed its way over. Never in my life had I experienced it so close so I thought it would be fine. Boy, was I wrong. Far wrong. I hadn't anticipated the fact that the tent was material not bricks. And when thunder and lightning are directly above you, the sheer volume, the mass of bright light and the deafening noise of the mighty bang, are a force to be reckoned with. Thankfully the girls slept through. But I have never been so frightened in my entire life. I thought it was never going to end. You see, when storms happen where we live it lasts around 5 minutes. This one went on for what felt like hours. My entire body was shaking. My heart was pounding. Yet singing and praying out loud in heavenly tongues, directed my fear and put it in its place. With my heart pounding I was able to shift my focus and God instead of the chaos around me. So instead of sinking like Peter in those few verses in Matthew. I was able to be brought to peace.  

Many a time, we are so quick to be distracted by the things we see on a daily basis. When the savior of all creation, can heal the sick, open the eyes on the blind, bring back the hearing of the deaf, make those who have been paralyzed all their life walk. Why is it that we allow all our fears and anxieties feel like out of control giants and God to be something as small as a pet mouse. When in reality God is bigger than our universe (which please bare in mind, people haven't even found the ends of the universe) and our problems are but a blimp in the time lapse of eternity. Does this mean they are insignificant, no. God cares about every aspect of our lives. Though he knows the beginning from the end, he loves seeing the world through our eyes. 

So how do we get faith so like Peter we are bold enough to do the impossible knowing that God is in control. Well. The bible says we are all given faith by God. It takes faith to believe God exists. It takes faith to trust that the driver of the vehicle you are in will not cause you to crash. We all have faith and use it every day. But how do we grow our faith. Well that comes from a relationship with God. I used to have a hard time having the faith that God would use me with his mighty power. Yet over time I grew to trust him and my faith has come on in leaps and bound. 

Over and over again you see people claiming to be Christians yet fighting fellow brothers and sisters in social media or in church meetings. As soon as someone disagrees, they are labeled a false prophet/christian.. Why are you looking at life glass half empty. We the body of Christ, are all on a journey with Christ, the race has start, the gun went off the moment we received Christ in our lives. Yet individuals judge others on their progress, their way of thinking, on the level of their own walk. What God has revealed to you, does not mean the next person has had that same revelation. We are on the same walk to eternity. But we are not at the same stage. A life In Christ is a journey,

• corrections (this word, we shouldn't be afraid of, we all have done things in life, whereas at the time we didn't think were bad, just harmless fun but God shows us it from another angle, his angle. and Boom... We realize; we didn't make the best choice. Forgiveness is the gift that is given to us when we repent. One of the most powerful phrases on earth is I'm sorry.) 
• PEACE, like nothing you've felt before,
  
• love, true love, something the world thinks is found in lust, a lot of the time.
•  Relationship.
•  Transformation in spirit, mind and truth. 

Jesus said "you will do greater things than I" (John 14:12+13; Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.) come on, wow!! have you ever read the new testament, if not i highly recommend it... He made the paralyzed walk and the mute talk, he opened blinded eyes to see, he healed those with skin diseases, the deaf could here again, a man with a deformed hand, it was restored to a normal functioning hand. He calmed the storms like we read in the bible verse this blog opens up on. And this is just the peak of it all. And we shall do greater than this? That both excites me and terrifies me. A whole new world comes from seeking first the kingdom of God. One that has no words to explain because there is nothing perfect to fit the description of a relationship with the Messiah. Hallelujah. 

Anyway, we need to look at life, as a glad half full. We should be encouraged to pray like Elisha. For those who aren't familiar with who I mean. Elisha was a mighty man of God. Whose inspiration was Elijah. Elisha's servant was frightened because their city was surrounded by the armies of their enemies. Far to many men, it looked like they stood no chance. Kind of like our storms in modern days times. Sometimes the physical world just has so many impossibilities. Fear creeps in and we start to sink like Peter did when he saw the waves, he took his focus off the one who is bigger than any problem sent our way. (I love that saying, don't tell God how big your problems are; tell your problems how big your God is.) So Elijah prayed "Open his eyes to see who is really out there" and God did as Elijah asked, and his servant saw the heavens armies surrounding their enemy army. And well, fear melted away, confidence beamed from him.

Take a look at the story of David, he was but a young man, if not a boy. Yet he knew and trust God. So even though the odds were against him. He didn't doubt for one second that God would help and not just sit there and do nothing. I can just imagine how immense that would have been if Elisha's prayer had been prayed for the Israelite army. And they saw what Gods heavenly army did that day that stone was launched at Goliath's head. Wow wow wow.  Come on I can't be the only one to get excited. Can we give God a hallelujah.

So instead of whose real and whose fake, how about we focus our energy and attention on something that really matters. That will really make an impact. Prayer! Prayer isn't some flippant words spoken or written in to nothing. What we don't see when we pray, is the real battle. The bible says our fight isn't against flesh and blood, no; our fight is in the spiritual realm. I don't care if I've said this before, I'll say it a thousand times more. The real battle, the real enemy, is the devil. (Ephesians 6:1;For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms) The devil isn't some myth, some made up film/story character. No. He's as real as you and me, and he's out to create damage, to reek havoc, to tear down peace. To put a stop to anything good, because good comes from God. When he got thrown out of heaven, he made it his mission to bring as many as he could down with him. He knows his day is numbered, that he's running out of time. Only God knows the exact date Jesus will return, but he knows enough that he is destined for eternal destruction. 

So our mission shouldn't be to point out whose not righteous enough, because if we are to face the facts, we all fall short. But our misson should be to pray for our fellow brothers and sisters, that their eyes are opened like Elisha's servant, so when things don't happened like we anticipated, we won't be filled with discouragement. We will smile and rise, because God has our back. 

Let's stop focusing on sin, yes we fall short. But God knows a repentant heart, and he forgives, with forgiveness there is no questions, there is no focus on sin, the bible says Jesus took all that on himself, when he died on the cross. So put down your binoculars of sin, pick up your cross and rise as the forgiven, loved, cherished, fearfully and wonderfully made child of God. 

Don't go out your way to publicly point out those who don't think like you, and shame them as though not a lovers of Christ. We don't know the journey they are taking, we haven't walked a mile in their shoes. We don't know what it took to get to where they are, the trials, the challenges, also the good. We don't know where or how the holy spirit is leading them. We all have a past that needs healing. We all have a present situation we need help with. I have learnt, you can't change a person, only God can. So pray, and trust God to deal with it as he seems fit.

All sin to God is the same. Yet far to many people who claim to follow Jesus spend their time pointing out a fellows sin greater than their own. Just like the pharisee did when he prayed in the synagogue and along near him was a tax collector. The pharisee prayed aloud with a 'look at me' kind of prayer. The tax collector, knew he was a sinner, he had done many things wrong. He sought repentance, and found forgiveness because he humbled himself and didn't exalt himself.

Luke 18:9-14; To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Anyway, before we finish; lets tie the testimony of Elisha and his servant to the testament of Peter walking in water to Jesus. Peter took his focus off Jesus and looked upon what was raging around him and knew the reality it could/would kill him. For that breath moment he and the servant of Elisha forgot just how big and great God was and is and will forever be. If they both focused and trusted in the one with them, fear wouldn't of been able to enter their hearts and mind. It's so easy for us all to loose focus, I know, I have had many times I've forgotten to give it all to Jesus and found myself in emotional and mental chaos. But when we focus on the one who sets us free, gives us authority and calls us his own. We can knock down any Goliath's that come our way.(Luke 10:19;Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.)  Will it be easy and smooth sailing. No. Jesus said we'd face rough seas (trouble) but he will never leave us or forsake us.(Deuteronomy 31:6; Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”) To quote a line from the magnificent film war rooms, "if your wife's fighting with you, you could win, but if God's fighting for her, you can hit the gym all you like but it ain't looking to good for you" 

Give it all to God, he's listening and he's waiting for you. Most importantly he loves you. 

Let's pray 

Father, it's hard some days to push forward when the enemy attacks. But you are bigger and greater than anything we can encounter. Father give us a heart to pray for others even when we don't see eye to eye with each other. Your ways are higher than ours, your thoughts are higher than ours. Help us to love our neighbors around us and all over the world as you have loved us. Help us to give grace and mercy when we come to a disagreement. But when you do want us to gently correct a fellow brother and sister in Christ, fill our mouths with the words that calm a quarrel and not create a storm. Only you truly know a person and whats in their heart. We only see what is physical. Help us be open and patient with what is going on beyond our naked eyes. Give opportunities to bless and pray with each other, give us boldness to share the good news in ways that isn't going to cause someone to permanently reject you. Soften our hearts towards the church and towards the communities at large. Everyone longs to be loved and everyone longs to be accepted. Help us to show your loving acceptance and walk with your people and not leave them alone to get on with it. Fill our minds with those who need prayer. In Jesus name Amen. 

have a blessed day.