“But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, 0 thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” Matthew 14:30-31
Don’t Look at the Storm
by Kenneth Copeland
If there’s any way the devil can get your eyes away from the Word, he’ll do it. He’ll cause trouble. He’ll make the circumstances around you pitch and roll like a rowboat in a hurricane. He’ll do anything he can to get you to concentrate on the realm of the physical senses and the situation around you instead of on the promise of God―because he knows that if he doesn’t, you’ll take that promise and beat his brains out with it.
That’s what he did to Peter. When Peter first jumped out of the boat that day in response to Jesus’ word, what happened? He walked right across that water without a problem. His whole being was fastened on that word Jesus had spoken to him, “Come!”
But when he took his eyes off that word, he started looking at the storm. He started looking at the impossible thing he was doing. After all, he was a fisherman. All his training and experience told him when the waves were that high, you were going under. He started to focus on what he knew in the natural instead of what Jesus said. When he did that, his faith slipped out of gear and he started to sink.
Don’t let that happen to you. Once you get a revelation from the Word of God, hang on to it. Don’t focus on anything else.
The devil will do everything he can to get you to turn loose of it. He’ll stir up things around you. He’ll try to get you into fear. He’ll push every button he can from the past to get you back into your old way of thinking.
But don’t let go. Keep your eyes on the Word of God until it’s more real inside you than anything else. If you do, you’ll be able to walk your way across the water just fine.
Matthew 14:22-33
22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 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. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31Immediately 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. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”