To Find Out we Must Step Out-Encouragment Wednesday- April 24

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Welcome to another Encouragement Wednesday! God is so amazing, the way he tests our faith. They are often a setup to something great! God is testing our faith constantly. He wants to grow our faith so that we can endure long. Whatever attack comes against us from the enemy God wants us to lean on him and trust him. Not all the time can we accuse the enemy often God is wanting to use the struggle for his glory. 

 Today I want to focus on Jesus sending his disciples out into the storm in Matthew 14. He sent them out knowing that there was a storm coming. Funny that God would send them out into a storm, it says in scripture that Jesus made them get in the boat. Today I want to focus on Peter's faith in that story. We often look at Peter with the attitude that he had no faith. We must think about this though, he had to have some kind of faith for him to have gotten out of the boat. He was the only disciple to step out of the boat. All the other disciples sat in the boat and watched him cry out to the Lord. Peter was a man of faith. When Jesus said to Peter You of little faith, I don't believe he was actually talking about him having none. I believe he meant the length of Peter's faith. Because he started sinking when things around him started to change. When what he saw was not matching what he heard.
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
-Matthew 14:28-33

 The driving point to this scripture is that this story had nothing to do with Peter, and everything to do with Jesus. Because God's glory shined. It says that when Peter started to sink He immediately grabbed Peter. He probably didn't even get much water on him because Jesus pulled him out so quickly.

 Peter didn't fail, God succeeded!

 I hope from the message we can learn that, To find out we have to step out. To have the kind of faith that Jesus wants us to have we must get out of the boat.

 I pray that each of one of you will lean on Jesus and know that he is good. He wants our faith to be strong. It will take some stretching, but it will be worth it!

 @chrisburkmenn

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