Feel Like You’re Sinking?

We do sometimes! Depending on what’s happening in life, it might be constant, once an hour, or for most people at least once a day we get that “I am in over my head” feeling.

How do we get out of it?

Here’s what happened to Peter. He saw Jesus walking on the water and he wanted to go too. (Did you know it’s not only OK but ENCOURAGED for you to ask God to do things that you know you can’t do by yourself? God LOVES it when you have faith in Him to move in your life.)

Peter, after just having Jesus tell him to do it, stepped out of the boat and was rocking it – for a minute. That’s like us right after church, just after you and I finish a Facebook LIVE together, when you get done reading this blog or you just listened to the FaithChurch.com podcast. Right after we have heard from God, we are strong. (Hint, Hint – when you’re feeling overwhelmed, hit the WORD one of these ways).

But then… Waves come, we see the bad stuff, and JOLT. We start to sink.

It’s ok. Peter did it too. He began to DOUBT because he took his eyes off of Jesus and started looking at the problem.

Here’s a concept that goes deep. Doubt is disobedience. Huh? God commands us to have faith in Him, to believe Him, to trust Him. So if we break that command. Ugh. Disobedience. Most of the time, not intentional, willful disobedience. Just…oooooops!

Obedience is the blessing exchange. When we obey God, when we follow Him, when we are faithful over the little opportunities to believe, we abound in blessing.

When Peter was walking in obedience and faith, he was walking on water. Walking in the blessing. When he disobeyed and doubted. When he believed the waves he could feel more than the God he couldn’t touch at that moment, he started to sink.

I love ‘started to sink’. We don’t ‘start to sink’ in water. We KERPLUNK. God never leaves us and He is right there with us. The SECOND Peter cried out, IMMEDIATELY Jesus caught him. Jesus does that for us too. The SECOND we cry out, He catches us.

But then Jesus did challenge him, so that he could teach him. “Why did you doubt?” Jesus doesn’t want Peter or us sinking. He wants us to walk on the water. He saves us and challenges us to have more faith. To obey Him in believing even when we can literally FEEL the wetness of the waves splashing our faces.

So how do we not doubt? The MOMENT we catch ourselves slipping, just like Peter – CRY OUT! Jesus, I know you have me. Jesus, I have faith in You. God, I believe You are bigger than the circumstance. Father, I know You love me. I trust You Jesus!

The mind has to stop and listen to what the mouth is saying. There is power in the name of Jesus and God is faithful to move when we use it. Use it right now! Cry out in obedient faith if you feel like you are sinking, believing that the God that saved you continues to do what He started!

“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 toward 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,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:28-31 NIV