Podcasts about truly you

April 25, 2025 - Equipped 2025 - Day 2 - 1:30PM Session   Bud leads a bible study reflecting on Isaiah. As an inspired profit of God, Isaiah would be aware of coming savior and the potential eternal punishment for those who have rejected God.   Isaiah 40-45 - God's People Are Comforted 40 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. 2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord's hand Double for all her sins.” 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 6 The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” 9 O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” 10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance? 13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has taught Him? 14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding? 15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. 16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering. 17 All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless. 18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? 19 The workman molds an image, The goldsmith overspreads it with gold, And the silversmith casts silver chains. 20 Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks for himself a skillful workman To prepare a carved image that will not totter. 21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. 23 He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. 24 Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, When He will also blow on them, And they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble. 25 “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the Lord, And my just claim is passed over by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Israel Assured of God's Help 41 “Keep silence before Me, O coastlands, And let the people renew their strength! Let them come near, then let them speak; Let us come near together for judgment. 2 “Who raised up one from the east? Who in righteousness called him to His feet? Who gave the nations before him, And made him rule over kings? Who gave them as the dust to his sword, As driven stubble to his bow? 3 Who pursued them, and passed safely By the way that he had not gone with his feet? 4 Who has performed and done it, Calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord, am the first; And with the last I am He.' ” 5 The coastlands saw it and feared, The ends of the earth were afraid; They drew near and came. 6 Everyone helped his neighbor, And said to his brother, “Be of good courage!” 7 So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith; He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil, Saying, “It is ready for the soldering”; Then he fastened it with pegs, That it might not totter. 8 “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. 9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: 10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' 11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. 12 You shall seek them and not find them— Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing. 13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.' 14 “Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the Lord And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. 15 “Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, And make the hills like chaff. 16 You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away, And the whirlwind shall scatter them; You shall rejoice in the Lord, And glory in the Holy One of Israel. 17 “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 18 I will open rivers in desolate heights, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water. 19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, The myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine And the box tree together, 20 That they may see and know, And consider and understand together, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it. The Futility of Idols 21 “Present your case,” says the Lord. “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob. 22 “Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show the former things, what they were, That we may consider them, And know the latter end of them; Or declare to us things to come. 23 Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together. 24 Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination. 25 “I have raised up one from the north, And he shall come; From the rising of the sun he shall call on My name; And he shall come against princes as though mortar, As the potter treads clay. 26 Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know? And former times, that we may say, ‘He is righteous'? Surely there is no one who shows, Surely there is no one who declares, Surely there is no one who hears your words. 27 The first time I said to Zion, ‘Look, there they are!' And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings. 28 For I looked, and there was no man; I looked among them, but there was no counselor, Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word. 29 Indeed they are all worthless; Their works are nothing; Their molded images are wind and confusion. The Servant of the Lord 42 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. 4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.” 5 Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it: 6 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house. 8 I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Praise to the Lord 10 Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them! 11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, The villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, Let them shout from the top of the mountains. 12 Let them give glory to the Lord, And declare His praise in the coastlands. 13 The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. Promise of the Lord's Help 14 “I have held My peace a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once. 15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills, And dry up all their vegetation; I will make the rivers coastlands, And I will dry up the pools. 16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them. 17 They shall be turned back, They shall be greatly ashamed, Who trust in carved images, Who say to the molded images, ‘You are our gods.' 18 “Hear, you deaf; And look, you blind, that you may see. 19 Who is blind but My servant, Or deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is blind as he who is perfect, And blind as the Lord's servant? 20 Seeing many things, but you do not observe; Opening the ears, but he does not hear.” Israel's Obstinate Disobedience 21 The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness' sake; He will exalt the law and make it honorable. 22 But this is a people robbed and plundered; All of them are snared in holes, And they are hidden in prison houses; They are for prey, and no one delivers; For plunder, and no one says, “Restore!” 23 Who among you will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come? 24 Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, He against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in His ways, Nor were they obedient to His law. 25 Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger And the strength of battle; It has set him on fire all around, Yet he did not know; And it burned him, Yet he did not take it to heart. The Redeemer of Israel 43 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!' And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!' Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth— 7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” 8 Bring out the blind people who have eyes, And the deaf who have ears. 9 Let all the nations be gathered together, And let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this, And show us former things? Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.” 10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior. 12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the Lord, “that I am God. 13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?” 14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I will send to Babylon, And bring them all down as fugitives— The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships. 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.” 16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters, 17 Who brings forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick): 18 “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. 20 The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. 21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise. Pleading with Unfaithful Israel 22 “But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have been weary of Me, O Israel. 23 You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, Nor wearied you with incense. 24 You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities. 25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. 26 Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted. 27 Your first father sinned, And your mediators have transgressed against Me. 28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; I will give Jacob to the curse, And Israel to reproaches. God's Blessing on Israel 44 “Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, And Israel whom I have chosen. 2 Thus says the Lord who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: ‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring; 4 They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses.' 5 One will say, ‘I am the Lord's'; Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord's,' And name himself by the name of Israel. There Is No Other God 6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. 7 And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them. 8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.' ” Idolatry Is Foolishness 9 Those who make an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They are their own witnesses; They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed. 10 Who would form a god or mold an image That profits him nothing? 11 Surely all his companions would be ashamed; And the workmen, they are mere men. Let them all be gathered together, Let them stand up; Yet they shall fear, They shall be ashamed together. 12 The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals, Fashions it with hammers, And works it with the strength of his arms. Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails; He drinks no water and is faint. 13 The craftsman stretches out his rule, He marks one out with chalk; He fashions it with a plane, He marks it out with the compass, And makes it like the figure of a man, According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house. 14 He cuts down cedars for himself, And takes the cypress and the oak; He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it shall be for a man to burn, For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it. 16 He burns half of it in the fire; With this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” 18 They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 And no one considers in his heart, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire, Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” Israel Is Not Forgotten 21 “Remember these, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! 22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” 23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, And glorified Himself in Israel. Judah Will Be Restored 24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; 25 Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness; 26 Who confirms the word of His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,' To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,' And I will raise up her waste places; 27 Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers'; 28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ' Cyrus, God's Instrument 45 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: 2 ‘I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob My servant's sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; 7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.' 8 “Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord, have created it. 9 “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?' Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands'? 10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?' Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?' ” 11 Thus says the Lord, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me. 12 I have made the earth, And created man on it. I—My hands—stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded. 13 I have raised him up in righteousness, And I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city And let My exiles go free, Not for price nor reward,” Says the Lord of hosts. The Lord, the Only Savior 14 Thus says the Lord: “The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush And of the Sabeans, men of stature, Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; They shall walk behind you, They shall come over in chains; And they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you, And there is no other; There is no other God.' ” 15 Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior! 16 They shall be ashamed And also disgraced, all of them; They shall go in confusion together, Who are makers of idols. 17 But Israel shall be saved by the Lord With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever. 18 For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain'; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. 20 “Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save. 21 Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. 22 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath. 24 He shall say, ‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him. 25 In the Lord all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.' ”   Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrvkBVo1Cd4 Duration 35:38

Have you ever wondered about the connection between self-awareness and truly being yourself in business and life? In this episode of The Coaching Hub Podcast, I'm thrilled to be joined by Lisa Hopper, an ICF PCC accredited coach, founder of the UK School of Coaching and Self Mastery mentor, and best-selling author of "Truly You".Lisa shares her fascinating journey of discovering her authentic voice, especially in writing her book, and how she learned to trust her inner wisdom even when it went against conventional business advice. Together, we explore moving beyond our conditioned thoughts and stories to find our true selves, and how this self-mastery becomes the foundation for genuine success in both coaching and entrepreneurship.Here are the Highlights:00:00 Introduction03:26 Initially inspired by a colleague's desire to write a book08:28 Breaking familiar patterns to create change12:49 Change takes time and isn't immediately visible15:52 Take action without waiting for the perfect feeling20:27 Experiment independently; question and reflect.About Ruth Kudzi:Ruth is the founder of Optimus Coaching Academy and a well respected and successful coach, speaker and author who has worked across sectors including leadership, career and more recently business and mindset. She has over 10,000 coaching hours and has completed hundreds of hours of training and coaching supervision. Ruth is a MCC level coach with the ICF and is our course director and CEO. Prior to becoming a coach Ruth was a senior leader in education.Find out more here: https://ruthkudzi.com/Book:How to Feel Better: 4 Steps to Self-Coach Your Way to a Happier More Authentic You eBook : Kudzi, Ruth: Amazon.co.uk: Books Connect with Ruth:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ruthkudzi2/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruthkudzi/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ruthkudzicoachLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthkudzi/ About Optimus Coach Academy:Optimus offers best in class coaching training for individuals and corporates.If you want to know more about what we offer: https://optimuscoachacademy.com/coach-training We also offer business support as standard at Optimus, find out more here: https://www.optimuscoachacademy.com/Connect with Optimus Coach Academy on Social Media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Optimuscoachacademy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/optimuscoachacademy/ Linkedin:

Matthew 14:28-33 New King James Version   28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

Matthew 14:27-33 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” Contact us at: thewavecolumbus@gmail.com, or www.thewavecolumbus.com

“Jehovah is Exalted Far Above All gods”   Psalm 97:7-9 7 Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, Who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods. 8 Zion hears and is glad, And the daughters of Judah rejoice Because of Your judgments, O LORD. 9 For You, LORD, are most high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.   The theme of Psalm 97 is the exaltation of Jehovah and His reign over all the earth! He is exalted on His throne, He is exalted over His enemies, He is exalted over idols and false gods, and He is exalted among His people! He is the Most High God! Oh, how we should love and worship Him and exalt Him in our own lives every day!   Today we are looking at verses 7-9 where we see “Jehovah is exalted far above all gods.”  In the ancient Near East, when one nation conquered another, people interpreted the victory to mean that the gods of the conquering nation were greater than those of the defeated nation. But the Jews were taught that Jehovah was the God of all the earth and that the idols were nothing.   The psalmist repeats this truth over and over again throughout the Psalms. Psalm 95:3, “For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods.” Psalm 96:5, “For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.” At least twice in the Psalms God reminds His people and us that the idols, that represent the gods of the pagan unbelieving people of the earth, are nothing more than a stick or a stone, or a piece of gold or silver. “Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. Nor is there any breath in their mouth. Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them.” (Psalm 115:4-8; 135:15-18)   In Jeremiah 10:3-5, the prophet mocked the people who would take a tree, cut it down with an axe, decorate it with silver and gold, and then worship it as their god and depend on it to protect them. He basically said, “How can you put your faith and trust in a piece of wood that you dressed up and have to carry around from place to place, when it can't even carry itself.”   Th prophets predicted that God would allow Babylon to defeat the Jews because the Jews had greatly sinned against the Lord, not because Babylon's gods were stronger than Jehovah. The defeat of Babylon by the Medes and Persians was the work of the Lord and not of their false gods. Isaiah put it this way: “Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior! They shall be ashamed and also disgraced, all of them; They shall go in confusion together, Who are makers of idols.” (Isaiah 45:15-16)   Israel's release from captivity was proof that Jehovah was in control (Jer. 25:1-14; 29:1-14). God's victories over the idolatrous nations put the idols and their worshipers to shame (v. 7; see Isa. 45:15-17). No wonder the people of Israel rejoiced, for God's victories were evidence that He alone is "Most High over all the earth" (v. 8, Psalm 83:18).   In America today, people may not bow down before ugly manmade idols, but there are certainly plenty of false gods for them to worship—money, power, possessions, sex, pleasures, recognition—for whatever people serve and sacrifice for, that is what they worship (Matt. 4:10). Anything that comes between you and God is an idol.   Is it any wonder that there is so much confusion and chaos in Washington DC and throughout our nation today? May the LORD lead us to repentance and cause us to turn back to the only true Most High God that is alive and can save us!   God bless!

https://youtu.be/I_kB66ehvEI Sermon notes: WE ALL NEED OUR OWN PERSONAL CALL AND ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS. 21ST MAY 2023 The last few times I have spoken about the need for each one of us to be, “Transformed by the renewing of our minds”. Romans 12:2 - Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. I highlighted some of the hindrances to that happening – Our Fears; Not listening to God; and the way we can come with ‘Confirmation Bias', only wanting to hear what we have decided we want to hear.   I would like to look briefly, at what I think can be another problem area, and that is:-   NEAGATIVE THINKING Most of us have used the phrase ‘what is the worst that can happen' in relation to something we might be trying for the first time. Verity mentioned a few weeks ago at one of our Leadership Meetings, ‘what's the best that can happen'. I remember growing up after the war in Manchester - Going to church on a Sunday morning - seeing groups of men gathered on bombed sites where houses had stood. They were stood in a circle all flipping coins in the air – gambling – heads or tails. Imagine a coin; on one side it reads, ‘what is the worst that can happen' and on the other side, ‘what is the best that can happen' Why does it always seem to come down on the, ‘what is the worst that can happen' side. (The coin seems biased that way. Maybe that is reflective of our ‘natural thinking'. WHAT IS THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN – WHAT IS THE BEST THAT CAN HAPPEN Has anyone ever played bowls? Bowling Ball – not a perfect sphere - has an inbuilt bias, which always turns away – our thoughts seem to turn to worry and negativity. A well known Christian leader who had seen an amazing move of the Holy Spirit in his life and in the church did one of these ‘negative thinking tests' and found that 80% of his thinking was negative. I believe Negative Thinking is as much a part of renewing our minds as dealing with fear is.  WHAT WE FEED GROWS – that is why Philippians 4:8 shows us the antidote to Negative Thinking.   –  POSITIVE THINKING – OR FOCUSSING ON THE POSITIVE. -  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things. HOW OFTEN OUR THINKING  - POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE AFFECT OUR ACTIONS AND BEHAVIOUR. Matthew 14:22-33 - Jesus Walks on Water – After the feeding of the 5,000 –(Mark 6:45–52; John 6:16–21) 22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. 23After He had sent them away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, 24but the boat was already fara from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25During the fourth watch of the night, (3am to 6am) Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. 26When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It's a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear. 27But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” 28“Lord, if it is You,” Peter replied, “command me to come to You on the water.” 29“Come,” said Jesus. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.  30But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” 32And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!” PETER WALKED ON WATER – THE CALL OF JESUS ‘PERSUADED HIM TO HAVE THE FAITH (BE PERSUADED TO GET OUT OF THE BOAT) – WHY DID YOU DOUBT – WHICH CAU...

Help me to continue to make and share great Biblical content everyday.https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comHow to Walk on Water.I.             In The Hour of Trouble, Do Not Be Afraid. 22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14: 22-33)II.            How to Recover From a Loss of  Faith. 28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”(Matthew 14: 28-33)III.           Many Touch Him and Are Made Well34 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.(Matthew 14: 34-36).......................................................................................The Bible Project Podcast (Daily - Monday-Friday)https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com.This podcast was brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon.The Lady Hewley Trust,  Hilary Tulloh, Adeline Israel, Stefanie Eichenberg, Stephen Longton, Bob Clough, Valerie Sims, Lisa Look, Robert Holloway, The Creative  Fund, John  Van Mulligen, Sergey  Kochergan, Bobbi  Patchin, Thomas  Unitt, Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comThe LIFE Podcast - The Bible Project | FacebookJeremy McCandless is creating podcasts and devotional resources | Patreonlinkedin.com/in/jeremy-mccandless-68353b16

Chaplain Don Moldstad was preacher for this service. Matthew 14: 22-33: Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God."

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 167 - How Lovely Shines the Morning Star: vv. 5-7 - Matthew 14: 22-33: Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God." - Devotion - Prayer #26, p. 150 - Hymn 205 - If Thou But Trust in God To Guide Thee: vv. 1-3 & 7 - Blessing - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Dennis Marzolf (Pianist)

On This episode of a Quick Shot of Romance – It is an author spotlight. We are chatting with author Claudia Burgoa and spotlighting her latest release Truly You. Truly You releases On January 10, 2023. 

Grandpa Bill today gets all of  what we CTFO'ers, and most assuredly welcomed new members, should pay strict attention to on jumpstarting YOUR TEAMS. Vision Boards 2023 Whats Yours Look Like?  Add Interesting Associations To The Words & Ideas In Your Presentation  New Product has the 4 S'S SCIENCE Sizzle Sexy Story It is Not juice, powder or  tincture,It of Course is Exclusive to CTFO with World Wide Distribution Exclusive to CTFO only  2 things sit & wait Presidential Director Michael Swilling informs The Legacy Team of the headsup of What We ALL Should Do Next TELL EVERYBODY Associate  Cutting Edge Intuitives Love to be Part of something new Talk to People Now!! Help a Few If you want to wait A have as many as possible blessings  Looking for a home with better health How would you like to position yourself before the $29.97 TRULY  You cant start a lawn mowing business, lemonade stand, whatever for as little as this.  

Advance research and methodologies have been applied to solve many complex problems on the human level. What many scientists struggle with is the idea of a God that can not be discovered through means of scientific tools and analysis. Who is this God that hides from men? Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior! Isaiah 45:15 NKJV Men conclude because they can't find Him in their human wisdom that He does not exist. Paul on his trip to the city of Athens saw many gods but there is one particular inscription that struck him. “To The Unknown God” – This God who is unsearchable in wisdom (Acts 17:23). This is the God who sent His Son into the world to die for humanity. God though incomprehensible cannot be denied. Trying to search Him out will be a waste of time and resources. He is way ahead of us all and our minds are too small to comprehend this God whose throne is heaven and the earth His footstool. The High and lofty One who inhabits the eternity.

If you appreciate this work, consider supporting it - https://www.patreon.com/seekgodtogether Today we will read Luke 24 verses 13-15 and then verses 25-27. They say, “Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. Together they were discussing everything that had taken place. And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus Himself came near and began to walk along with them. He said to them, ‘How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken! Didn't the Message have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?' Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for the them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” Happy post Passion Week! Jesus has risen from the dead! The Resurrection and reconciliation of all things has begun with the Savior Himself! But we're between Christ's resurrection and His ascension, when Jesus takes up His throne and authority. That will come in a few weeks. For now, He's in His resurrected form. And there are admittedly, some oddities associated with it. For instance in this story, two of Jesus' disciples are discussing, or arguing rather about everything that had taken place when suddenly Jesus Himself joins their discussion. They don't even recognize it's Him. Is it because they were too distracted by the discussion? Did He have a face covering? Were their minds kept from seeing Him for Who He was? Or is it possible that His resurrected body was somehow different than His pre-resurrected body? Nobody knows. And the biblical writers didn't consult us or our curiosities when writing. We're forced to marvel. In any event Jesus listens to their discussion for a while before rebuking them for being unwise and slow. Rather pointed. It seemed obvious to Him that scripture was crystal clear that the Messiah had to suffer. Scripture at this point, mind you, was the Old Testament. So Jesus unpacks all the ways the Old Testament tells about His suffering. The journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus was about 7 miles. That's roughly 2 hours of walking. As a pastor friend once told me, if you can't talk about Jesus from the Old Testament for 2 hours, then you're reading it wrong. Well guilty as charged. But let's take a look at a few interesting passages. Genesis 3:15, God curses the serpent and prophecies about Eve's quote “seed.” Regarding the seed, the serpent will injure Him by striking His heel. But the seed will crush the serpents head. Genesis 40. Joseph is unfairly accused of a crime he didn't commit, and was thrown into prison. Who is he there with? The cupbearer, and baker - the wine and the bread. Sound familiar? Exodus 12, the Hebrews are instructed to sacrifice a lamb, and take its blood and spread it horizontally over the door, and vertically against the posts - strangely cross-like. The blood of the lamb protects the firstborn from death. Daniel 6, a scheming plot is set against Daniel. The Kings servants hoodwink him into signing a law forbidding any worship and prayer except to him - the height of hubris. Of course Daniel's routine is to pray towards Jerusalem 3 times a day. This is no exception and the servants know it. So they catch him in the act and tattle. The King is in a tough spot for he cares for Daniel. But the laws is the law. Daniel is thrown into the lion's den. It's a tomb. And a stone is rolled over the mouth of it until morning. When dawn comes, Daniel is found to be alive and is brought up seemingly from the dead. Jonah Isaiah 53 Jesus, you amaze me! And the wisdom of God to put it in scripture over thousands of years and by various authors. Truly You are the only wise God. Show me more. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Kritische Schlagzeilen, Unsicherheit. Doch wie gehst Du damit um? In dieses Thema nehme ich Dich in dieser Podcastfolge mit. Meinen zweiten Podcast "Mein Tanz mit der Angst" findest Du hier:

Chaplain Don Moldstad was preacher for this service. Matthew 14: 22-33: Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God."

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 209 - Jesus, Lover of My Soul - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - Psalm 23 (p. 177; Tone 2) - Matthew 14: 22-33: Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God." - Homily - Canticle: Nunc dimittis in d minor J. Stainer - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 569 - Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadow: vv. 5 - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Kaleb Schmidt (Organist), BLC Concert Choir (Choral Group)

Message John 6 : 16-21 - Pastor Jim Apgar John 20 : 31 31but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. Mark 6 : 52 52For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. John 12 : 24 24Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. John 6 : 16-21 16Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. Exodus 24 : 9-11 9Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 11But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank. Daniel 3 : 24-25 24Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” Daniel 3 : 27 27And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. John 6 : 68-69 68But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” II Chronicles 7 : 13-14 13When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Matthew 14 :33 33Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

Message John 6 : 16-21 - Pastor Jim Apgar John 20 : 31 31but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. Mark 6 : 52 52For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. John 12 : 24 24Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. John 6 : 16-21 16Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. Exodus 24 : 9-11 9Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. 11But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank. Daniel 3 : 24-25 24Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25“Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” Daniel 3 : 27 27And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. John 6 : 68-69 68But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” II Chronicles 7 : 13-14 13When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Matthew 14 :33 33Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

Season 3, Episode 27 is about OUR POWER. Do you know how powerful you are? Truly? You’ve created everything in your reality and continue to do so - through your thoughts, your beliefs, and the actions that results from them. We’re diving deep into owning our power in this episode. Listen on your favorite podcasting app! Your support means everything! Please subscribe and review in iTunes or your other favorite podcast app. For more info: https://kaitlynkessler.com/posts/s3e27

Conversations with Karel, The Next Three Months Do This You’ve voted, now what? Well, it’s time: time to get back to life, even in lockdown. Enough waiting for something to happen, time to look to the future as if there is one. So, what will you really do if he wins? Truly? You have to have a plan. Stay where you are at? OK, but doing what? How? Move someplace Blue? Where, how? Actually start seeing life past the election because now, the election is passing. Perhaps it’s time to get back to actually thinking about your family and not Donald Trump’s; maybe it’s time to focus on things that truly effect you, not the nation. Plus, the absolute best show on TV right now is….. Listen daily at all streaming services, look for the relaunch of reallykarel.com and support the show at patreon.com/karel

1. Sink or Swim the Choice is Ours - God and Satan Want Our Focus Heb 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith ● Looking – undivided attention, looking away from all distractions in order to fix one's attention on one object, (All eyes on Jesus only) Matt 14:29-31,33 “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me! And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Then they worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God. (Fear lost his worship all eyes were now on Jesus) 2. Keep Your Eyes on Jesus as the Prince of Peace #yourinheritance Jn 14:27 Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ● Peace - rest, quietness and calmness, absence of strife, tranquility Jn 16:24 Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full Phil 4:6-9 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. Now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about Is 26:3 You (Jesus) will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! ● Peace also means harmonious relationships with God and man Col 3:13,15-16. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. (worship Jesus not fear) Phil 4:9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you 3. All Eyes on Me - Jesus is the Author and the Finisher of our Faith Phil 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ ● Keep your eyes on Jesus who protects and delivers you from the fire Dan 3:25 “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” ● Look at Jesus on the cross so you could be healed Num 21:8 “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” (Gal 3:13) ● Keep your eyes on Jesus who defeated death and hell and the grave Phil 2:9-10 God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and those under the earthWebsiteFreedom FacebookFreedom InstagramFreedom SoundcloudP. Jason Lozano FacebookP. Jason Lozano

In this episode, you will hear my story and why the words Truly YOU stuck out to me! + Hello I'm Erika! + How I overcame being told I couldn't. + My motivation to move forward with a GROWTH MINDSET! Let's talk about removing those labels we put on ourselves and learn to grow together!

By Pastor Gil Dirmann Scriptures (All NKJV) - Philippians 4:7-8 - “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” - Mark 4:39-41 - “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him.” - Luke 4:1-4 - “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” - Matt 14:22-33 - “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now n the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But…when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then, those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” - Matt 26:36-39 - “Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” - Acts 2:22-28 -“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; More-over my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’” Message Points 2 common mistakes in understanding Jesus: 1) Over emphasize Jesus deity on earth 2) Over emphasize Jesus sinless humanity Jesus had… 1. A heart full of the Word 2. A life filled with the Spirit 3. A mind set towards faith-filled obedience.

There were many miracles associated with Jesus, including his birth and resurrection. Below is a partial list of miracles that Jesus performed during his ministry, as recorded in the New Testament of the Bible. 1. The virgin birth (See Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38) In the Bible's New Testament, Jesus is the Messiah (the Christ) who was promised by the Bible's Old Testament prophets. Jesus is fully God and fully human. God allowed himself to be born as a person, to live among people and to teach people about God's plan of salvation and to die for our sins. Because Jesus also is human, he can be called the Son of God and the Son of Man. Jesus was born to a woman named Mary about 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem, Israel. Mary was a virgin when she became pregnant with Jesus. The miracle of the virgin birth of Jesus is recorded in the New Testament books of Matthew and Luke. 2. Changing water into wine (See John 2:1-11) Before Jesus began his public ministry, he performed a miracle of changing water into wine at a wedding banquet in the village of Cana, in Galilee, which is a region in the land of Israel. Jesus, his mother, Mary, and his disciples were guests at the wedding. The supply of wine ran out, and through the urging of his mother, Jesus had six water pots filled to the brim with water and the water was miraculously turned into wine. The master of the banquet then called the bridegroom over "and said, 'Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now' " (John 2:10, NIV). In the next verse, John the Apostle wrote: "What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him" (John 2:11, NIV). 3. Healing of the royal official's son (See John 4:46-54) A royal official, who had a sick son in Capernaum, heard that Jesus had traveled to the town of Cana. The official went to Cana and begged Jesus to go to Capernaum to heal the official's son, who was about to die. Jesus told the man that his son would live. The man believed Jesus and left Cana. While the man was returning to Capernaum, his servants met him on the way and told him that his son was alive and that the son's fever had gone away at 1 p.m. the day before. The man realized that that was the same time that Jesus had told him that his son would live. 4. Healing of the possessed man in Capernaum (See Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:33-37) As Jesus was preaching in a synagogue in Capernaum, a man possessed by a demon was present and began shouting "Why are You bothering us, Jesus of Nazareth - have You come to destroy us demons? I know who You are - the Holy Son of God!" Jesus commanded the demon to say no more and to come out of the man. The evil spirit screamed and convulsed the man violently and left him. The news of this miracle spread quickly through the entire area of Galilee. 5. Healing of Peter's mother-in-law (See Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38-39) After Jesus healed the possessed man in the synagogue in Capernaum, He and His disciples went over to Simon and Andrews home, where they found Simons mother-in-law sick in bed with a high fever. Jesus took her by the hand and helped her sit up, the fever suddenly left, and she got up and prepared dinner for them. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SITE Proof of the accuracy of Bible prophecy See how the Bible accurately predicted the history of the Holy Land, the future of the world, the fall of empires and the rise of a Messiah. 6. Healing the sick during the evening (See Matthew 8:16; Mark 1:32; Luke 4:40-41) After Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law in Capernaum, Jesus healed many people during the evening of all kinds of illnesses. As explained in the Gospel of Luke: "At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, 'You are the Son of God!' But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah" (Luke 4:40-41, NIV). So why would Jesus want to prevent the evil spirits from proclaiming him as being the Messiah? A Bible scholar named Victor Prange wrote the following: Jesus did not want the witness of these evil spirits. They witnessed from evil intent and with the purpose of undermining the true purpose of Christ's mission. Too easily people would come to think of the Messiah only as a miracle worker and not as the Servant of God come to redeem sinners from eternal death and hell. Source: Prange, Victor H.: Luke. Milwaukee, Wis. : Northwestern Pub. House, 1988 (The People's Bible), S. 52   7. Catching a large number of fish (See Luke 5:3-10) Stepping in Simons boat, Jesus asked Simon to push out a little into the water, so that He could sit in the boat and speak to the crowd on shore. When He finished speaking He told Simon to go out in the deeper water and let down his nets. Simon replied "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if You say so, we will try again". And this time the nets were so full, they began to tear. A shout for help brought in another boat and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. It was during this miracle Jesus told Simon "Do not be afraid, from now on you will be fishing for the souls of men. 8. Healing a leper (See Matthew 8:1-3; Mark 1:40-42) After preaching the "Sermon on the Mount" (Matt 5-7), Jesus came down the hillside followed by a large crowd. A leper approached Him, knelt before Him worshiping, and pleaded, "if You want to, You can heal me". Jesus touched the man, and said to him "I want to, be healed". And instantly the leper was healed. 9. Healing a centurion's servant (See Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10) In Capernaum, a Centurion came to Jesus asking to have his servant, who was close to death, healed. When Jesus said He would come and cure the servant, the Centurion answered that he was not worthy to have Jesus come under his roof, but to only speak the word, and his servant will be healed. Jesus was amazed at this and told His followers, that not even in Israel had He found such faith. Jesus then told the Centurion "Go, let it be done for you according to your faith". And the servant was healed in that hour. 10. Healing a paralytic (See Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:18-26) There was a large crowd around the house Jesus was staying, in Capernaum. With no room left in or outside the house, four men dug through the roof and lowered a paralyzed man on a mat, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw how strongly they believed that He would help, Jesus said to the sick man "Son your sins are forgiven!" Some of the Jewish leaders thought this was blasphemy, for only God can forgive sins. Jesus let them know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, and said to the paralytic "I say to you stand up, take your mat and go home". The man stood up took the mat and went out before all of them, so that they were all amazed and Glorified god, saying, "We have never seen anything like this". 11. Healing a withered hand (See Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6) In a synagogue Jesus entered, a man was there with a withered hand. Being it was unlawful to work on the Sabbath, they watched to see if Jesus would cure him. Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to them "I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?" He then told the man to stretch out his hand, and as he did so, his hand was restored. The Pharisees then left and conspired against Him. 12. Raising a widow's son (See Luke 7:11-17) Approaching the town of Nain, the dead and only son of a widow, was being carried out. When Jesus saw this He had compassion for the widow and told her not to weep. He then touched the bier and said "Young man, I say to you, rise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. The people seeing this, glorified God, and the word about Him spread throughout Judea, and all the surrounding country. 13. Calming the stormy sea (See Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25) Jesus got into a boat with His disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee. A great windstorm arose, causing high waves. The waves beat into the boat so that the boat was being swamped. Jesus was sleeping on a cushion in the stern, when His disciples, fearing they will die, woke Jesus. He rebuked the wind and said to the sea "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased and there was a dead calm. Jesus said to them "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" The disciples were filled with great awe and said to one another "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" 14. Healing the Gerasene demoniac (See Matthew 8:28-32; Mark 5:1-13; Luke 8:26-33) After Jesus calmed the wind and sea, He and His disciples landed in the country of Gerasenes. A man full of demons, who lived among the tombs met them. He bowed before Jesus and shouted "What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure You by God, do not torment me". Jesus asked the demon what was his name. The demon answered "My name is Legion for we are many". He begged Jesus not to send them back to the abyss, but into a herd of swine that was nearby. Jesus told the demons to leave the man and gave them permission to enter the swine. The unclean spirits came out and entered the swine, and the herd, numbering about 2000 rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea. 15. Healing a woman with internal bleeding (See Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48) A woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years, and had spent all that she had on many physicians, and was no better, but rather grew worse, had heard about Jesus, and came up behind Him in a crowd and touched His cloak. For she said "If I but touch His clothes, I will be made well". Immediately her hemorrhage stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Jesus was aware that power had gone forth from Him, turned around and asked "Who touched My clothes?" The woman knowing what happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. Jesus said to her "Daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace, and be healed of your disease." 16. Raising Jairus' daughter (See Matthew 9:18-19, 23-25; Mark 5:22-24, 35-43; Luke 8:41-42, 49-56) A leader of the synagogue named Jairus came to Jesus, and begged Him to come and lay hands on his little daughter who was near death. As Jesus went, the crowds pressed in on Him and He felt power had gone forth from Him. It was at this point He healed the woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years (see miracle 13). While He was still speaking to the woman, someone came from Jairus' house and told him his daughter had died. When Jesus heard about this He replied "Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved." Jesus entered the house with Peter, John, James, and the child's father and mother. The people in the house were all weeping and wailing for her, but Jesus said "Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping." He then took her by the hand and called out "Child get up." Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then He directed them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astounded, but He ordered them to tell no one what happened. 17. Healing two blind men (See Matthew 9:27-31) Two blind men followed Jesus, crying loudly, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" Jesus said to them "Do you believe I am able to do this?" They said to Him "Yes, Lord." Then He touched their eyes and said "According to your faith let it be done to you." And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them "See that no one knows of this." But they went away and spread the news about Him throughout that district. 18. Healing a mute demoniac (See Matthew 9:32-33) After the two healed blind men in miracle 15 left, a demoniac who was mute was brought to Jesus. And when Jesus cast the demon out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed and said they had never seen anything like this in Israel. 19. Healing a 38 year invalid (See John 5:5-17) Jesus saw a man who had been ill for 38 years, laying by the pool of Bethesda. Jesus knew the man had been ill for a long time and asked him if he wanted to made well. The sick man answered Him that he had no one to put him in the pool when the water is stirred up, and while he is making his way, someone else steps down ahead of him. Jesus told the man "Stand up, take your mat and walk." The man was made well at once, and he took up his mat and began to walk. Note: Crowds of sick people lay on the platforms by the pool, waiting for a certain movement of the water, for an Angel of the Lord came from time to time and disturbed the water, and the first person to step down into it afterwards was healed. The Jewish leaders started persecuting Jesus for He worked on the Sabbath in doing this miracle, and telling the man to carry his mat. Jesus replied "My Father is still working, and I also am working." 20. Feeding 5000 men and their families (See Matthew 14:16-21; Mark 6:35-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:5-14) A large crowd gathered around Jesus at a deserted place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was late and the people had no food. Jesus told His disciples to give them something to eat. They replied there is nothing here but five barley loaves and two fish that was carried by a boy. Jesus had the food brought to Him, and ordered the crowds to sit on the grass. Then He took the five loaves and two fish, and looked up into Heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people, and He divided the two fish among them all. The food was multiplied, and all 5000 men and their families ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. This miracle is recorded in all four Gospels. 21. Walking on water (See Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:16-21) After feeding the 5000, Jesus made His disciples get into a boat and go ahead to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He then dismissed the crowds and went up the mountain by Himself to pray. By this time the boat was far from land, and was being battered by wind and waves. Early in the morning He came walking towards His disciples on the sea. When His disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying "Its a ghost." But Jesus spoke to them "Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid." Peter answered Him "Lord if its You, command me to come to You on the water." Jesus told Him to come, and Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened and beginning to sink he cried out to Jesus to save him. Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him, saying to him "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they got into the boat the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped Him, saying "Truly You are the Son of God." 22. Miraculous healing of many people in Gennesaret (See Matthew 14:34-36; Mark 6:53-56) After performing the miracle of walking on water on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus and his disciples anchored their boat on the shore at Gennesaret. The residents saw Jesus and went to him to be miraculously healed of a variety of ailments. Even the people who touched Jesus' clothing were healed: "When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went-into villages, towns or countryside-they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed" (Mark 6:53-56, NIV). 23. Healing a demoniac girl (See Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30) Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. A woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Jesus and she came and bowed down at His feet. The woman was a Gentile of Syrophoenician origin. She begged Jesus to cast the demon out of her daughter. Jesus replied "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." But she again asked for help and Jesus replied "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." The woman answered "Yes Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table." Then Jesus answered "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done as you wish." She went home, found her the child laying on the bed, and the demon gone. 24. Healing a deaf man with a speech impediment (See Mark 7:31-37) Jesus left Tyre, and in the region of Decapolis, a deaf man who had a speech impediment was brought to Him. He took the man aside away from the crowd, put His fingers into the mans ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to Heaven, He sighed and said to him "Ephphatha", that is, "Be opened." Immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one, but they were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well, He even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." 25. Feeding the 4000 men and their families (See Matthew 15:29-39; Mark 8:1-10) Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, and went up into the mountain, where He sat down. Great crowds came to Him, bringing their sick, and He cured them. The crowd was with Jesus for three days and had nothing to eat. Feeling compassion for the crowd, He asked His disciples if they had any loaves. They came up with seven loaves and a few small fish. Then ordering the crowd to sit down, He took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, He broke them and gave them to His disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all of them ate and were filled, and the scraps were picked up, filling seven baskets. Those who had eaten were 4000 men, besides women and children. 26. Healing a blind man (See Mark 8:22-26) In Bethsaida some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged Jesus to touch him. Jesus took the blind man out of the village. Jesus put saliva on the man's eyes and Jesus put his hands on the man. Jesus asked the man if he could see. The man answered he could see people but they looked like trees walking around. Then Jesus put his hands on his eyes again, and the man's sight was restored and he saw everything clearly. 27. Healing a man born blind (See John 9:1-41) Jesus saw a man who was blind from birth. He then spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, telling him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man did this and was able to see. The people who had known the man were astounded and they brought the Pharisees to him. After many questions, which also included asking questions of the man's parents, the Pharisees still could not accept the fact that Jesus cured a man who had been born blind. Jesus made the statement "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." 28. Healing a demoniac boy (See Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:17-29; Luke 9:37-43) After the Transfiguration in which Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on a mountain, Jesus, Peter, James and John came down from the mountain and were met by a man who pleaded with Jesus to remove the demon from his son. The disciples at the base of the mountain had tried to cast out the demon, but could not. Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. When His disciples asked Him why they could not cast out the demon, He said to them "This kind can come out only through prayer." 29. Catching a fish with a coin in its mouth (See Matthew 17:24-27) When they reached Capernaum the tax collectors came to Peter and asked "Does your teacher not pay the Temple tax?" Peter said "Yes He does." And when he came home, Jesus spoke of the tax first and told Peter to "Go to the sea and cast a hook, take the first fish that comes up, and when you open his mouth, you will find a coin, take that and give it to them for you and Me." 30. Healing a blind and mute demoniac (See Matthew 12:22; Luke 11:14) A demoniac was brought to Jesus who was blind and mute. Jesus cured him so that the man could speak and see. The crowds were amazed and said "Can this be the Son of David?" 31. Healing a woman with an 18 year infirmity (See Luke 13:10-13) Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. A woman appeared with a spirit that crippled her for 18 years. She was bent over and unable to stand upright. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free of your ailment." When He laid hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 32. Healing a man with dropsy (See Luke 14:1-6) Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath. Just then, in front of Him there was a man who had dropsy. Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it lawful to cure people on the Sabbath, or not?" Everybody was silent. So Jesus healed him and sent him away. Then He said to them "If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a Sabbath day?" And they could not reply to this. 33. Healing 10 lepers (See Luke 17:11-19) On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus entered a village and was approached by 10 lepers. Keeping their distance, they called out to Jesus for mercy. When He saw them, He said to them "Go and show yourselves to the Priests." And as they went they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself and thanked Jesus. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked "Were not 10 made clean? But where are the other 9. Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except for this foreigner?" Then He said to him "Get up and go on your way, your faith has made you well." 34. Raising of Lazarus (See John 11:1-44) Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus of Bethany, sent Jesus a message that His friend Lazarus was ill. Jesus stayed two days longer in the place He was, before setting out for Bethany. When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Martha told Jesus that if He had been here, her brother would not have died, but Jesus said to her "Your brother will rise again." Jesus asked where Lazarus was laid out. Jesus began to weep as they walked to the tomb. The tomb was a cave with a stone laying against it. He asked to have the stone removed. Martha said to Him "Lord already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." Jesus answered "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the Glory of God?" When the stone was removed, Jesus looked upward and prayed to the Father. He then cried out in a loud voice "Lazarus come out." The dead man came out with his hands feet and face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them "Unbind him, and let him go." 35. Healing Bartimaeus of blindness (See Mark 10:46-52) As Jesus and a large crowd was leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth passing by, he shouted to Jesus to have mercy on him. Although he was told to keep quiet by many, he shouted louder. Jesus stood still and called Bartimaeus to Him. Throwing off his cloak the man sprang up and came to Jesus, asking Jesus to let him see again. Jesus said to him "Go your faith has made you well." Immediately Bartimaeus regained his sight and followed Him on the way. 36. Jesus curses the fig tree with no fruit (See Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14, 20-25) The Gospels of Matthew and Mark describe a miracle in which Jesus curses a fig tree that was producing no fruit even though it was sprouting leaves. When Jesus' disciples saw the same fig tree the next morning, they noticed that it had already withered and seemed surprised. Jesus told them to have faith: "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." (Mark 11:22-25, NIV). 37. Restoring a severed ear (See Luke 22:45-54) Jesus and His disciples were on the Mount of Olives after the Passover dinner. After He prayed a short distance from His disciples, He came to them and found them sleeping. While He was awakening them, a crowd came led by Judas. Judas approached Jesus to kiss Him. Jesus said to him "Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?" When those around Jesus saw what was coming they asked "Lord should we strike with the sword?" Then one of them struck the servant of the High Priest and cut off his ear. But Jesus said "No more of this!" And He touched his ear and healed him. They then seized Jesus and led Him away, bringing Him to the house of the High Priest. 38. The resurrection of Jesus (See 1 Corinthians 15, Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20) After Jesus was crucified - nailed to a cross made of wood - he died and was buried in a tomb. On the third day, he was resurrected, meaning that God had restored Jesus to life. In 1 Corinthians 15, which is part of the New Testament, the significance of the resurrection is explained. It says that Jesus died for our sins (see 1 Corinthians 15:3). It also says that our faith would be meaningless if there had been no resurrection (see 1 Corinthians 15:17). And it proclaims that Jesus was resurrected (see 1 Corinthians 15:20). 1 Corinthians was written by Paul who was one of the people who encountered Jesus after the resurrection. Paul traveled more than 10,000 miles by land and by sea, telling people about Jesus, his resurrection, and the promise of eternal life in the presence of God for those who have faith in Jesus. 39. Catching a great number of fish (See John 21:4-11) After the Resurrection, Jesus stood on the beach of the Sea of Galilee while several of His diciples were fishing, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. He called out to them and asked if they caught any fish. They answered "No." He then told them to cast the net on the right side of the boat, and they will find some. So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. Realizing the Man on the shore was Jesus, the disciples brought the boat to shore with the net full of fish. There was 153 large fish in the net, and though there was so many, the net was not torn. 40. The ascension of Jesus (See Acts 1:1-11) Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days after he was resurrected. During those 40 days he appeared to his followers and continued to teach them. The most detailed account of the ascension is recorded in the Bible's New Testament book of Acts, which was written by Luke: In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

Core Practice: Giving Away My Faith - I give away my faith to fulfill God's purposes.Ephesians 6:19, 20 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."I give away my faith to fulfill God's purposes" means "I walk it" and "I talk it"–my faith that is. People who "walk it" but don't explain their way of life are seen as enigmas at best and fanatics at worst. People who "talk it" but don't live up to their words are seen as hypocrites. Neither is very flattering. I give away my faith to fulfill God's purposes means "I tell other people about Jesus" and "I live so that others might see Christ in me.Introduction: There is a twofold concern for Jesus in this passage: to be in the presence of His Father, and to be present with His disciples in their time of need.Scripture: Matthew 14:22-36 22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” 34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 36 and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.The Message of this Passage: Having dismissed the multitude, Jesus sent the disciples away by boat. Not sure what the disciples were thinking or how they would meet up with Jesus again, but it’s obvious by the text that they didn’t expect what happened next. On their departure He went up on the mountain slope to pray. As evening arrived He was alone with God in prayer, while the disciples in the boat were caught in a storm and driven with the wind. However, Jesus didn’t act at once, but continued in prayer until the predawn hours. He came to them on the 4th watch of the night. Having no clue it was actually Jesus coming to them in their need, the disciples cried out in fear. And it was into that fear that Jesus spoke. It is I; do not be afraid.” Seeing Jesus, Peter, cries out, “Lord, if it is You command me to come to You!” And Jesus said, “Come.” Peter had his answer, and now it was a question of faith! It was Peter’s move next. All that Peter had upon which to act was the word “come.” This is the ultimate test of faith, to move on Jesus’ word alone. And Peter stepped over the side of the boat to go to Jesus. Faith focuses its attention solely on the Master who says “Come.” We know what happens next, but after that Jesus and Peter get back into the boat and the wind ceased and the waves became calm. Witnessing to the reality of the event that had just happened, the disciples fell before Him in worship, exclaiming, “Truly You are the Son of God”. The confession by the disciples was a step toward the great confession made later by Peter, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt.16:16 kjv).Answering Interpretive Questions:Define trust? Define fear? How do you see both of these words in the story?What will help you remember to keep your faith focused on Jesus and your eyes off your fears?Jesus “made” his disciples get in the boat. What does it say about Jesus that he led them into the storm?How do you feel knowing that God may lead you into a storm?What are some things that God has taught you during a storm that he couldn’t teach you any other way?What truth do you learn about God in this story?What truth do you learn about yourself after reading this story?What will you DO in response to this scripture? Specifically, how will you apply this passage to your life this week?How is making time to spend with the Father a discipline we ought to make happen in our lives?In the Bible we find 365 commands from God not to be afraid. These are not empty, wishful- thinking commands; they are backed by the power, character and love of God.The world sees committed Christians and churches, but very little activity that can only be explained in terms of God’s activity.

Today - we continue our series on ‘big audacious faith’ - stories found in the scriptures revealed through the lives of men and women who believed God inspite of their circumstances. These are men and women who cried out instead of shutting up. These are those who moved when others said you can’t go there. These are those who got back up when life pushed them down. These are those sacred ‘God’ moments in the lives of people who believed God. People just like us. These stories are found in moments and seasons of crisis, stress, great need, desperation, storms that are within and without. Audacious faith: showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks, bold, daring, fearless, brave, courageous, valiant, heroic….based on faith in Him, his word.Life is to be lived with a faith that is awake/alive….. Jesus said these statements about people and their Faith:  Have Faith in God.  How is that you have no faith.  I have not found such great faith.  Oh you of little faith.  Where is your faith?  O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Do not be unbelieving but believing. John 20:29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.1. Have faith in God.a. Jesus calls us to faith.  Mark 11:22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.”b. Jesus gives us a working description of a faith that is active. Mark 11:23-24 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.Faith speaks to the mountain. Faith does not doubt in his heart. Faith believes. Faith receives before physical having. These are signposts of faith. 1 Peter 1:8-98 whom having not seen[a] you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.2. Faith comes.Rom. 10:17 NKJV So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.If Faith comes this way: Then we should Stay Close. Keep yourself around Jesus. Keep yourself around God’s word. His presence. His people. His church.Keep yourself in a posture of hearing. Keep yours eyes open to the truth. Keep your heart free from clutter. Ask the Holy Spirit to Help.3. Peter & Audacious Faith.Let’s take a few minutes and look at a snap shot from the life of a man named Peter.A very normal guy, A very common guy, Rough around the edges, A fisherman by trade, One who answered the call to follow Jesus Christ.Matt. 14: Background - John the Baptist Jesus’s cousin has been killed. Jesus heads out to spend some time in a deserted place…..Matt. 14:13-33 Jesus departs to be by HimselfPeople find out and follow HimJesus saw the multitude and was moved with compassion & healed their sick5 Loaves and 2 Fishes miracle - 5000+ are fed vs. 22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.vs. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when the evening came, He was alone there.Jesus went to pray.vs. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.a. Jesus has put them in the boat to go somewhere - there on a mission and can’t seem to get anywhere. Just because Jesus sends us somewhere or gives us a vision doesn’t mean it’s a cake walk, without resistance or trouble.vs. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.b. In the middle of our storms - look for Jesus. vs. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost! And they cried out for fear.to cause one inward commotion, take away his calmness of mindto disquiet, make restlessto stir upto troubleto strike one's spirit with fear and dreadto render anxious or distressedto perplex the mind of one by suggesting scruples or doubtsc. To get to the somewhere Jesus is sending us too requires faith.vs. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.vs. 28 And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.vs. 29 So He said, Come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.vs. 30 but when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, Lord, save me!vs. 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught Him, and said to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?vs. 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.vs. 33 They those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him saying, Truly You are the Son of God.There’s 2 groups of people in this story: Those in the Boat.Those who walked on the water.4. Life in boats.Boatsitters:  In life it’s not always easy in the boat – These men had toiled all night to move forward and we’re stuck in the middle of an untamed sea. They had direction. Jesus had given them instructions. Go to the other side. there’s at least 3 groups of people that are in the boatpeople that have yet to see what’s going onpeople that watch what’s going on – make observations, make judgements ‘you can’t do that’ / ‘who do you think ur’people right in the middle of what’s going onFear came. In the face of fear. Faith is ALWAYS required. Don’t be content to just sit in a boat! Believe God. Waterwalkers: In the boat, Peter had the gall and audacity to ask the question – Can I walk to you on the water? Can I stand up and rock this boat? Faith can surely rock our boat. Nothing’s ever been done of significance in God’s kingdom without Faith.    Boatsitters: Tend to be governed by their emotions / circumstances / fear – vs. 26It’s a ghost? We can’t do that. What are you doing?p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Optima; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Optima; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; min-height: 14.0px} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 36.0px; font: 12.0px Optima; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} p.p4 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 36.0px; font: 12.0px Optima; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; min-height: 14.0px} p.p5 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 54.0px; font: 12.0px Optima; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} p.p6 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 54.0px; font: 12.0px Optima; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; min-height: 14.0px} p.p7 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 18.0px; font: 12.0px Optima; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} p.p8 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; min-height: 15.0px} li.li1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Optima; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none} span.s3 {font: 12.0px Symbol} span.s4 {font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'} span.s5 {font: 12.0px 'Courier New'} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre} ol.ol1 {list-style-type: decimal} ol.ol2 {list-style-type: lower-alpha} ul.ul1 {list-style-type: disc} ul.ul2 {list-style-type: square}

Sometimes life is overwhelming. Moments, situations, goals, whatever. You have no idea how this thing will work out. How will you overcome this situation? How will you accomplish this goal? How will you endure this moment? Maybe your family member has cancer. Maybe your spouse has left you. Maybe you’ve started a new job or created a new business. Whatever that thing. You wonder, how will this work out? And this is what you need to know - Jesus is God of the How. And that is our takeaway for today’s lesson. Jesus takes care of the How, we just need to be faithful. We are still pursuing the glory of God in Jesus Christ. To learn of God’s glory, we are looking at the seven signs performed by Jesus which are recorded in the Gospel of John. Today we continue in John 6. Let’s read John 6:16-21 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. Both Matthew and Mark record the same event. I want us to look at Mark’s version now and examine Matthew’s later. Here is Mark 6:45-52 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. 46 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. 47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. 49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. Now let’s put John and Mark together. Jesus puts the 12 in a boat and sends them back across the sea of Galilee. They rowed about 3-4 miles. But the going gets tough because of the storm. During the 4th watch or between 3-6 am Jesus comes walking across the water. At the end of Mark’s account, we learn that the hearts of the 12 were still hardened toward Jesus. In other words, many still did not believe that He is God. I was born in Jacksonville Florida. For the first 5 years of my life, we lived along the panhandle of Florida – Lake City, Tallahassee, and Panama City. But shortly after turning 5 we moved to Atlanta. When we moved to Atlanta my parents rented an apartment. The apartment complex had a pool. It was around this time that I learned the story of Jesus walking on the water. So, like any kid, as soon as the pool opened I had to try. And you know what!?! I mustered up all the faith I had and stepped out on the water.....and I sank. On the first step, I went straight to the bottom of the pool. Why is it we cannot walk on water? Boats and water bugs can move across the top of the water. Why can’t I? Sciencemag.org explains it this way. “There’s a simple reason you can’t walk on water: Humans are so big that the force of gravity overcomes the so-called surface tension of water, making us sink.“ So how did Jesus walk on the water? Jesus is fully God and fully human. Why didn’t He sink? Did He change the surface tension? HOW did He do it? I don’t know HOW He did it. The HOW does not matter. I only need to be faithful. We just need to believe. I don’t know HOW He did it. The HOW does not matter. I only need to be faithful. We just need to believe. Remember, that is today’s takeaway. Jesus is God of the How. We only need to be faithful. Let’s pursue this idea a bit further. Turn to Matthew 14:22. Here is Matthew’s version of the story. It is much the same but with something different and surprizing. Let's start at verse 25.Now in the fourth watch of the Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. Now in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” Before we look at the text I want you to answer a question. What in your life seems overwhelming or impossible? It should be something you must deal with, something that confronts you.  I have a few. Let me share one. I know that God called me to Wakefield to lead this church to a place of health and growth. And there was a time, about a year and a half ago that I thought we were on the way to such. Now not so. We have in the last year lost people, and I am very concerned. I want to figure out how to fix this problem. What about you? What is that thing that seems impossible? Maybe your spouse or child is far from God. You want desperately for them to turn to Christ. But it seems impossible. Maybe your marriage is struggling. Maybe your job offers you no future. Maybe......well you fill in the blank. You can see what this situation ought to be but you cannot figure out HOW to get there. Recently, Andy Stanley, in his book Visioneering reminded me that God is God of how and we just need to be faithful.  Look again at the story. As Jesus is walking up to the boat, Peter says in verse 28, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Now Peter has spent a lifetime on the water. He’s not some 5-year-old kid at the local pool testing the laws of Science. Peter knows that people sink when they step out on the water. But he has faith in Jesus. And if Jesus tells him to walk on the water, then walk on the water he will. Peter doesn’t know how he will walk any more than he knows how Jesus walks. Peter will let Jesus worry about the how. Peter will just be faithful. So in verse 29 Peter gets out of the boat and starts to walk on the water toward Jesus. It is natural that when God begins to take care of the how we either begin to take personal credit or become fearful of the things we cannot control, the things that surround us. And that is what happens to Peter. In verse 30 we read, “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And of course, Jesus saves Peter. I know your situation looks impossible. I know that the problem or goal you have is overwhelming. But you need only to be faithful. Do what God has called you to do and let God take care of the How. Now when I say that we only need to be faithful, I do not mean that we just sit passively waiting for God to work. As we respond in faith there are steps to take. Remember Peter did get out of the boat. And Peter did take steps toward Jesus. As God takes care of the HOW you should be doing what God has called you to do. God has called all churches to fulfill the Great Commission. At Wakefield, we made the Great Commission into our mission statement which is to Share Christ and to Build believers. I need to be faithful to that. I need to share Christ and build believers. Those who attend Wakefield need to be doing the same. We need to be doing our part. And as we do that, God will take care of the how. I asked you earlier to think about that overwhelming thing. Now here is a simple question to move you forward as God takes care of the how. What actions could you take as God takes care of the HOW? Take a few minutes. Write down what you can be doing. What will be your steps of faith? Here’s an example of what I am talking about. If your spouse is unsaved and that seems overwhelming, what actions can you be doing as God takes care of the how? Here are a few that come to mind: Pray Live the life that the Bible teaches you to live. Submit yourself to the direction and needs of your spouse. Share truth of Jesus with your spouse. At the end of Matthew, the 12 worshipped Jesus and declared Him to be the Son of God. Even after the feeding of the 5,000 they still did not understand who Jesus was. But when He walked on the water, when Peter did as well, and when Jesus reached down and saved Peter, they knew that He was God the Son. When we begin to walk in faith and allow God to take care of the how, then we will see Jesus for who He is - God the Son. All of what I taught today was taught with a believer in mind. So if you do not believe on Jesus Christ, here are a few short words for you. You really only have one overwhelming thing in your life. Only one thing!? Yes, and here it is. The problem is you have unforgiven sin. Now some of you are thinking, “That doesn’t seem so bad.” But truly it is. Because of unforgiven sin, you are far from God. You were created to be a child of God, to have a relationship with God, but your sin keeps that from happening. And some day, when you die, because you do not have this relationship, you will be sent to hell and ultimately the Lake of Fire forever. So HOW do you fix this? Don’t worry. God has taken care of the HOW. God the Father sent His Son Jesus to take care of the how. Jesus died for your sin. All you need to do is respond in faith. I love Romans 10:11, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” In other words, there is no hell for those who believe on Jesus. So listener, believe today. When you can, drop over to www.wakefieldbible.org and use the contact page to say hello. We would love to hear from you. I will see you next time. Bye.

August 13, 2017 by Pastor Jeff Alexander Matthew 14:22-33 It’s easy to begin sinking in life when we start “watching the wind.” Much like Peter did when Jesus called him to walk on water, the worries of life sweep over us when we forget to focus on the object of our faith: Jesus. But when we call on His name, He “immediately” saves us, showing us His true identity, and enabling us to confess: “Truly You are the Son of God!” (Matthew 14:33) Visit us at moconnect.org!

Learn how to invest tax efficiently from Senior wealth adviser Leslie McCormick of Scotia Wealth. Hear how to maintain a healthy scalp and hair from Tricologist Caroline Ruggiero of Truly You. Talk Vaginal Health with Dr. Fay Weisberg of the Fem Renew Clinic & Smoke cessation with Dr. Betty Rozendaal of Thornhill. Naturopathic Clinic and enjoy Happy Stories from others of Marilyn

Learn how to invest tax efficiently from Senior wealth adviser Leslie McCormick of Scotia Wealth. Hear how to maintain a healthy scalp and hair from Tricologist Caroline Ruggiero of Truly You. Talk Vaginal Health with Dr. Fay Weisberg of the Fem Renew Clinic & Smoke cessation with Dr. Betty Rozendaal of Thornhill. Naturopathic Clinic and enjoy Happy Stories from others of Marilyn's Team straight “From a Woman's Perspective”

In this episode, Senior Wealth Adviser Darren Farwell guides us to a successful retirement Tricologist Caroline Truggiero of Capilia by Truly You offers help for those suffering hair loss of any kind and Senior Move Manager Laurie Bell of Moving Seniors with a Smile explains our relationship with our stuff Also hear happy stories from Hearing Instrument Specialist Edmond Ayvazyan of Hearing Aid Source Centres of Toronto, Dentist Dr. Dana Colson, Accessibility expert Daniel Wiskin of Total Access Centre, as well as hear how the environment impacts our health from Dr. Betty Rozendaal of Thornhill Naturopathic Clinic and get a fashion tip from Marilyn Wetston the Wardrobe Doctor of Marilyn's in Toronto.

Talk Vagina with gynecologist Dr. Fay Weisberg of the Femrenew Clinic www.femrenew.ca Hear how to address thinning hair from Tricologist Caroline Ruggiero of Capilia by Truly You. www.trulyyou.ca Learn how to create a reliable Tax efficient,Lifelong Income from Darren Farwell of Scotia Wealth Management www.farwellwealthmanagement.com

In this episode, Senior Wealth Adviser Darren Farwell guides us to a successful retirement Tricologist Caroline Truggiero of Capilia by Truly You offers help for those suffering hair loss of any kind and Senior Move Manager Laurie Bell of Moving Seniors with a Smile explains our relationship with our stuff Also hear happy stories from Hearing Instrument Specialist Edmond Ayvazyan of Hearing Aid Source Centres of Toronto, Dentist Dr. Dana Colson, Accessibility expert Daniel Wiskin of Total Access Centre, as well as hear how the environment impacts our health from Dr. Betty Rozendaal of Thornhill Naturopathic Clinic and get a fashion tip from Marilyn Wetston the Wardrobe Doctor of Marilyn

Talk Vagina with gynecologist Dr. Fay Weisberg of the Femrenew Clinic www.femrenew.ca Hear how to address thinning hair from Tricologist Caroline Ruggiero of Capilia by Truly You. www.trulyyou.ca Learn how to create a reliable Tax efficient,Lifelong Income from Darren Farwell of Scotia Wealth Management www.farwellwealthmanagement.com

In this episode we meet Wealth Advisor Leslie McCormick of Farwell Wealth Management, Scotia McCleod talks estate planning, Hair replacement expert Amalia Ruggiero of Capilia by Truly You offers advice for anyone with thinning hair.Swim suit designer Maria Salajko of Coral Coast Custom Swimwear updates us on the bathing suit trends.Accessibilitiy experts from the New Reliable Living Centre explain how to make your home a € Forever Home€.

Marilyn Wetston gives it you straight €œFrom a Woman's Perspective€ on Zoomer radio every Saturday morning at 8 AM.This episode:Learn how to invest tax efficiently from Darren Farwell of Scotia McLeod.Hear how Ryan Taylor of Computers Made Easy gives in home computer lessons.Tricologist Caroline Ruggiero of Truly You deals with hair loss and Dr. Betty Rozendaal of the Thornhill Naturopathic Clinic talks prostate issues€¦

In this episode we learn how to best care for your eyes with Bruce Prouty of Pearl Vision.Hear how to deal with hair loss of any kind from tricologist Caroline Ruggiero of Capilia by Truly You.Get advice so you can €œRetire on your own terms€ from senior wealth adviser Darren Farwell of Scotia McLeod.Eliminate any myths you may have about dentistry from Dr. Dana Colson.Discover what it takes to make your home a € Forever Home€ from accessibilty renovator Daniel Wiskin of the new Reliable Living Centre. 

Marilyn Wetston  gives it to you straight From a Woman's Perspective on Zoomer radio every Saturday morning at 8AM.This Saturday Dentist Dr. Dana Colson updates us on the latest technologies that make a visit to the dentist life changing.We'll Discuss  financial matters with Senior wealth adviserDarren Farwell of Scotia McLeod.Hair replacement Amalia Rugierro, Capillia by Truly You, hearing with Edmond Ayvazyan of Hearing Aid source Centres.Electrical hazard detection with Birnie Current Safe and accessibility with the Total Access Centre.

In this podcast, more happy stories as you learn about several things ,Hair loss from tricologist Amalia Ruggiero of Capillia by Truly You.Funding your retirement from Darren Farwell of Scotia McCleod.Staying safe in your home with John Romanetti of Birnie Current Safe.Daniel of the Reliable Living Centre.AND also get wellness tips from Edmond Ayvazyan of Hearing Aid Source Centres of Toronto, and Bruce Prouty of Pearle Vision and more!

In this episode:Tricologist Caroline Ruggiero of Capilia by Truly You explains how we can deal with thinning hair€¦Continue to get useful advice from the various experts of Marilyn's team to help you make informed decisions:Hearing with Hearing Instrument specialist Edmond Ayvazyan of Hearing Aid Source Centres of TorontoOral health from Dentist Dr. Dana ColsonAll things financial from Senior Wealth Advisor Darren Farwell of Scotia McLeodCustomized home care by Ryan Blackwell of Retire at home.Moving and downsizing with Laurie Bell of www.movingseniorswithasmile.caHome Safety and accessibility with the Total Access Centre Team including Sleep disorders with Sleep-Sleep Expert Manoj Enjati of www.sleepmed.caDr. Betty Rozendaal of Thornhill Naturopathic Health Clinic explains how Naturopathic Medicine can address your health concerns, naturally!Real estate with ASA Katrina McHughLive entertainment at Flato Markham Theatre.

This episode learn from Downsizing Diva about their refreshingly different and effective way to help you downsize and move. They'll share some of their check lists and systems and explain how they take care of the whole moving process so you don't have to. Get well prepared for any move with help from the Downsizing Diva as well as get a preventative health care tip from award winning family physician Dr. Vivian Brown of Medisys, learn about accessibility from ReliableLiving, and get an understanding of hair replacement from Amalia Ruggiero of Truly You.

In this episode we talk to:Trichologist Caroline Ruggiero of Capilia by Truly You offers tips for those with hair loss of any kind.Senior wealth adviser Darren Farwell of Scotia McLeod explains a financial plan can help you keep more of what you make.Dr. Vivien Brown of Medisys health Group offers tips for those with Allergies.Hearing Instrument specialist Edmond Ayvazyan of Hearing Aid Source Centres explains how we recognize hearing loss.Dentist Dr. Dana Colson explains how to achieve a healthy and welcoming smile.The Reliable Living Centre offers solutions to those who wish to create their €œForever Home€

In this episode we learn how to best care for your eyes with Bruce Prouty of Pearl Vision.Hear how to deal with hair loss of any kind from tricologist Caroline Ruggiero of Capilia by Truly You.Get advice so you can

Dentist Dr. Dana Colson offers us the path to ageless beauty with a healthy smile (www.allsmiles.ca)Tricologst Caroline Ruggiero of Truly You deals with scalp health and hair loss,(www.trulyyou.ca)Senior Wealth Adviser Darren Farwell of Scotia Wealth Management ( www.farwellwealthmanagement.com) explains how to achieve financial wellness andothers of my team ( www.marilyns.ca)

In this episode we talk to:Trichologist Caroline Ruggiero of Capilia by Truly You offers tips for those with hair loss of any kind.Senior wealth adviser Darren Farwell of Scotia McLeod explains a financial plan can help you keep more of what you make.Dr. Vivien Brown of Medisys health Group offers tips for those with Allergies.Hearing Instrument specialist Edmond Ayvazyan of Hearing Aid Source Centres explains how we recognize hearing loss.Dentist Dr. Dana Colson explains how to achieve a healthy and welcoming smile.The Reliable Living Centre offers solutions to those who wish to create their

This episode learn from Downsizing Diva about their refreshingly different and effective way to help you downsize and move. They'll share some of their check lists and systems and explain how they take care of the whole moving process so you don't have to. Get well prepared for any move with help from the Downsizing Diva as well as get a preventative health care tip from award winning family physician Dr. Vivian Brown of Medisys, learn about accessibility from ReliableLiving, and get an understanding of hair replacement from Amalia Ruggiero of Truly You.

Marilyn Wetston

Dentist Dr. Dana Colson offers us the path to ageless beauty with a healthy smile (www.allsmiles.ca)Tricologst Caroline Ruggiero of Truly You deals with scalp health and hair loss,(www.trulyyou.ca)Senior Wealth Adviser Darren Farwell of Scotia Wealth Management (

In this podcast,

After meeting each other while working for a Fortune 100 company, Lorena Monde and Diana Karpowicz of Truly You realized they were soul sisters and weren't satisfied with the corporate lifestyle.  They leaned on each other and launched into entrepreneurship together.

The post Truly You are the Son of God appeared first on The Bridge Church.

Father, as we begin the world that we learned about you as a child, we freely sing the song that You Hold the Whole World in Your Hands. Sometimes, as we get older, we forget who You are and how big You are. Problems become bigger and greater and more intimidating. But, Father, help us to capture the faith of our youth, to see You for the God that You are, how big You are and how great You are. Let us see that greatness be manifested in our lives. I pray in Jesus name, Amen. Weve been sharing for 10 weeks in a row these scriptures. It would probably be good to recap the story one more time. As I read through it, my mind thinks of lessons that we talked about, about fear, courage, and patience. The story is rich in its content. We begin reading with Verse 22 of Matthew 14 (page 970 in pew Bibles), Immediately, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side while he dismissed the crowd. After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind against it. During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. Its a ghost, they said and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them, Take courage! It is I. Dont be afraid. Lord, if its 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? When they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. And heres our focal point this morning, Verse 33: Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, Truly You are the Son of God. God had become bigger in their eyes. This morning, we ask the question, How big is your God? I want to read a quote from our book today. He tends to like to quote C.S. Lewis in the Chronicles of Narnia. As you know, the lion figure represents the Lord. His name is Aslan. One of the children comes across Aslan after not seeing him for a long time. She says, Aslan, youre bigger. That is because you are older, little one, he answered. Not because you are? Im not, but every year you grow, you will find me bigger. And so its true with us. Every year we grow, and hopefully through this series that weve been on, we see God bigger than we did before. Were more willing to take steps of faith and spiritual risks, knowing that God is with us. Lets turn in our Bibles to 1 Kings, Chapter 18. Were going to stay here for a little while. This is a story about a man who really had a big view of God. His name was Elijah. Elijah lived in a time when Israel was trying to follow after many gods. There was the god of the Canaanites, the Baals and the Ashtoreth. There was Pagan worship that was everywhere in the land. Elijah was one of the few voices that stood up for the God of Heaven. One day, they squared off. Elijah verses 850 (count them), 850 Pagan prophets. It seems like hes outnumbered, doesnt it? The rules were Lets have it out. Lets have a show-down. Lets see whose God is the greatest God. Here are the rules: Were going to have a sacrifice, but were not going to start our own fire to consume the sacrifice. Were going to depend on the God of Heaven or Baal to send fire to consume the sacrifice. So, were going to see whose God is really powerful. Were going to see whose God really does answer prayers. So, Elijah says to all the people who had assembled to watch this spectacle, this showdown; in Verse 21 (page 350), Elijah addresses the people by saying, How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him. Theres not room in your life for two gods. If God of Heaven is God, He is so big that there is no room for any other gods. You need to make a choice. Are you going to follow the gods of this world, or are you going to follow the one true God? So the stage is set. Elijah, being the gentleman that he is, says to the prophets of Baal, You can have the stage first. So they do. They take the sacrifice, put it on the altar, and they begin to pray to Baal to send fire to consume the sacrifice. Things arent going well. From morning till noon, they cry out (Verse 26), Oh Baal, answer us! they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. This was not a beautiful dance like Elizabeth did this morning for us. They werent twirling and spinning. They were crying and moaning and cutting themselves. Now Elijah is going to go from being confident to cocky. Im afraid hes going to cross a line here. Elijah began to taunt them, Shout louder! he said. In sports, its called trash talking. Surely, he is a god. Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened. All right, Elijah, youre trash talking. That takes nerve! It takes nerve if your opponent is 850 strong, and theres only one of you. But he knows how big his God is. So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. What a fun religion that is! Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. If we just cut ourselves more, if we just shout louder, maybe hell answer us. But there was no response. No one answered-no one paid attention. So it is with everyone who puts hope in a God other than the God of Heaven. Any other thing, any other person you make your God besides the God of Heaven, youre going to find the same thing is true: therell be no response. Then Elijah said to all of the people, Come here to me. Hed earned an audience. They were willing to listen. He had them prepare the altar, and he did something unusual. He dug a trench around the altar, and he had them take these large jars of water, these four large jars, and dump water on the sacrifice. Then he said, Do it again. Then he said a third time, Do it again. So after the third time, it was just drenched with water. He drenched the wood and filled the trench hed made around the sacrifice. Then Elijah was going to prepare to call on God to send fire from Heaven. Imagine if youre Elijah. Its easy for us to sit here because we know the end of the story, but what if that had been you that day? What if the prophets of Baal are looking at you to find out that they are worshiping the wrong God? What if the people of Israel are looking at you to see if your God answers by fire? The pressure is on, right? What if you get up there and say, Oh God of Heaven, send fire! and no fire comes? Youre on the line, right? People are going to say, Well your God is not powerful either! Its a tie! There is no powerful God. Now we really have problems! Then it rests on your shoulders. That took a lot of faith, didnt it? Its called Fire from Heaven. Well, I have a buddy who is a pastor who has a bold faith. Its one thing I respect about the guy. He just has a bold faith. He went on a missions trip recently to Kenya. In Kenya, theyre going through a drought, and it had not rained in months. They were explaining that to him, and he says, We need to pray for rain. The pastor agreed, Yes, we need to pray for rain. Rain is good. Weve been praying for rain. He said, No! We need to pray for it to rain today. Im not sure thats such a good idea, Pastor thought to himself. So my friend got up to speak, and he prayed for rain today. See, a lot of people had asked for it to rain, but nobody had ever asked for it to rain today. He prayed the prayer. The people got excited. They clapped and praised God. They were excited because they knew their God was a big God! The leadership of the church confronted him afterwards and said, You shouldnt do that! You shouldnt get the peoples hopes up like that. His response was, Is not God a big God? Didnt He send rain in the Bible? Well, yes. Well, why cant He deal with today? Well, He can. But what if He doesnt? they would say. Guess what happened that afternoon? Storm clouds rolled in. He said it rained for hours and hours. He said, I changed my mission. I began to go around Kenya praying for rain everywhere I went. He said, And God sent rain. So its a no-brainer that his new nickname is Rainman. So, now when I see him, I say, Hey, its Rainman. Yup, definitely. Yup, definitely its the Rainman. Remember that movie? If youve not seen that movie, I just looked like a total idiot saying that. If you havent seen it, its Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. Its a good movie, rent it, and then I wont seem so dumb. He is a big God, and God sent rain in Kenya. So Elijah looks to Heaven and he says, Oh, Lord God, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. In other words, he wasnt just there showing off. Answer me, O Lord, answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. Then when he prayed that prayer, the fire consumed the sacrifice in the water. The fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, The Lord-He is God! The Lord-He is God! Was God bigger in their eyes at that point in time? Absolutely. God had become bigger. They began to realize who the true God is, that there was room for worship of no one else. I want to share a story with you. Do you like stories this morning? You could get some popcorn and come back and listen. I want to share a true story of a friend of mine. The reason I want to share this story is because it captures this truth. It brings it to modern times of somebody I know. His name is Greg Speck. He is a youth speaker extraordinaire. He was in youth ministry before I went into youth ministry, which was 1982, and he is still going strong, so hes like a guru. He travels around the world as a youth minister. Greg shared a story in the early 1980s. He was a pastor at a church called Temple Baptist in Rockford, Illinois. Its a good, solid church there. We worked with them when I was in Rockford. Pastor Ortberg who wrote the book that we just concluded studying was from that church. Gary Smalley, another well-known speaker, is from that church. Greg got his start there as well. It was after a Sunday night service that he received a phone call. One of his parishioners said, Hey, Greg, can you come out to the house? He said, Well, sure. Whats up? He said, Weve got a young man that showed up on our doorstep, and we think hes demonized. Were not used to doing anything about this because were Baptists. We dont know what to do. Can you help us? He said, Well, Ill try. So he gets in his car and drives over to the house. When he gets there, a young man, tall and thin in his early 20s, is on the floor on his hands and knees. He is making a growling sound. Greg says, What happened? He said, He rang the doorbell. We answered. This young man was covered in blood from head to toe. We began to clean him up, thinking hed been in some sort of an accident. When we cleaned him up, we saw no cuts, no injuries, nothing. We asked him what happened. He explained he was involved in a satanic ritual that night and had washed himself in the blood. He was confused and he was scared. They began to talk to him about the Lord, and as soon as they mentioned Jesus Christ, he went ballistic. He began to throw himself into things, crash into the wall. He ended up on all fours, and hes been like that ever since. Greg though he would just establish a rapport with him. So Greg said he went over to him and put his right arm on his left shoulder and said, Hi, Im Greg. When he put his arm on his shoulder, the young man reared up, eyes closed, and started swinging his arms in Gregs direction. Greg said, I reached up to cover because I knew I was going to get tagged, but then after a few seconds I realized not one blow was landing. He said that began a battle. And, Im not saying this is the best way to perform an exorcism, but what they decided to do was one man got on his left arm, one man got on his right arm, one man got on both legs, and Greg got on his chest. They said, In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command you to leave this young mans body. The young man would become, at certain points, normal. You could even talk to him. At other times, his pupils would dilate, and his voice would change. He would have this super-human strength and would be shouting, LEAVE ME ALONE! He would kind of lift them up with his arms. They would be like, WHOA! Were dealing with something supernatural here. A breakthrough came when Greg felt the Holy Spirit draw his attention to a ring on his finger. He said, Whats that ring? Can you tell me about that ring, Dave? (His name has been changed to protect his identity.) A voice came out of that young man and said, That ring is my life! You touch the ring, and I die! Greg says, I took the ring. I knew what we had to do. He went on, Not long after that, it broke. Whatever the spirit was, it broke. He had deliverance, and he was like, What are you guys doing on my arms? Where am I? I want out of here! And he was free. Greg took the ring and said, Im going to use this ring when I go to speak around the country. He had a cassette tape made of the exorcism because he wanted the young man to hear the torment he was going through after he was set free. He said, Ill just take this tape and this ring, and Ill play it for kids. Ill say, Dont get involved in the occult. Dont get involved in this kind of thing. The Holy Spirit impressed upon Greg that he needed to destroy the ring. So when he got home, he took the ring and smashed it up. He obliterated it. He went inside the house, thinking that was the end, and he had quite a story to tell tomorrow. Soon after that, the phone rings. Its a nice man, very polite man. He said, Hello, is this Pastor Greg Speck? He said, Yes it is. He said, Do you know a young man named Dave? He began to put two and two together and said, Kind of. Were not best friends or anything, but I know who he is. He said, Did you take from him a ring? He said, I did. He said, Mr. Speck, we need to have that ring back. Greg said, Well, weve got a little problem. I dont have the ring. The man said, That ring is very important to us, Mr. Speck. Were going to need to have it back. I dont have the ring. I destroyed the ring. Im very sorry to hear that, Mr. Speck. The man hung up the phone. Fifteen minutes later, he called back again. He said, Were going to need that ring, Mr. Speck. He said, I dont have the ring, but I will tell you this. If I did have the ring, I wouldnt give it to you. Greg said he had a boldness that was not from me. He said, Well, Mr. Speck, then youre going to have to get forgiveness. Greg said, What do you mean Im going to have to get forgiveness? He began to describe a ritual. Greg said, By the way, who are you? He said, I cant tell you who I am, but I will tell you where Im from. Im from the church of Satan here in Rockford. Greg thought to himself, Didnt know we had a church of Satan here in Rockford. Never saw that building before. He says, We will come to your home. They described a ritual in which they would sacrifice an animal. Theyd wash his hands in the blood and repeat an incantation, and hed have forgiveness. He said, Im not going to do that. Im not going to wash my hands in any…No! No! He said, Well, Mr. Speck, you know, animal sacrifice for forgiveness of sin is in the Bible. He had him look up a passage in Leviticus. He said, Its very Biblical, Greg. He said, Well come to your house, and besides that, whos going to know? Greg said, Ive heard the enemy say that to me many times when he temps me. Whos going to know? Ive never heard it in an audible voice before. He said, Two people: Gods going to know, and Im going to know, and the answer is no, and he ended the conversation. The phone rings again a half hour later, and its his buddy. He said, Its interesting how Satan describes himself as an angel of light. This guy didnt call (with a rough voice) and say, Im from the church of Satan. Ahhhh! He was as polite as could be. He said, Mr. Speck, Ive talked to our leader, our high priest, and shes very upset with you. She has destroyed men greater than you, Godly men. He said, Really? Have you seen her do it? The voice answered and said, No, but shes told me about it, and she can destroy you as well if we dont get the ring back. I dont have the ring. Ive destroyed the ring. I will not give the ring to you. Then his demeanor changed. He went from being friendly and nice to not very nice at all. He changed his tone and said, Well, then, Mr. Speck, Im afraid were going to have to destroy your church, and he hung up the phone. Well, thats not good news. He said, Well, this is wonderful. Ill show up in the morning for work, and there will be blood all over the walls, and there will be things desecrated and furniture broken up, windows smashed, and my pastor will say, Whos responsible for this? Ill say, ah ah ah. He says, I have to call him. So he called Pastor Gordon Hanstead and said, Pastor Hanstead, weve got a problem. He explained the whole scenario, and he said, Now, they said theyre going to destroy our church. Do you know what Pastor Hanstead said? Good job, Greg! Excellent work! Let them come and do something like that! Well call the newspaper. Well call the television. Well call radio! Well expose them! Excellent job, Greg! Greg was like, I knew that. So he felt like he could go to sleep and rest and know everything was going to be fine. The phone rings. Its his buddy, Mr. Speck? He said, Yes? Greg said he wanted to answer the phone and go, Hello, Won-Ton Laundry. Greg said, Do you need directions? Cant find me? He said, Mr. Speck, you know we need to have the ring. Greg said he wanted to say, What part of I dont have the ring; Ive destroyed the ring; even if I had the ring, I wouldnt give it to you dont you understand? The man ran through that dialog, and he said, Youll have to gain forgiveness. Those are your two choices. He said, I have a third choice besides giving you the ring and gaining forgiveness, and that is to do none of the above. Thats what I choose. He said, I want you to do me a favor. You quoted Leviticus to me tonight. Let me read to you from Isaiah, the 41st chapter. I want you to find your high priest, and I want you to read her this scripture from Isaiah. In Verse 10, you can read along if youd like, this is what Greg Speck read to the man from the church of Satan, So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. You read that to her, and you tell her that thats me. Then he continued to read, All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced. Those who oppose you will be as nothing and parish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you. Tell her those verses are about her. He said, Well, Mr. Speck, I dont think Ill be able to do that. I just need to have the ring. He said, You can go ahead and destroy my church if you want to, but youre not going to get the ring. Then he said these words, Well, Mr. Speck, I doubt very seriously if youll see the light of day, and he hung up the phone. Talk about Satan as a roaring lion, ha? He said, Ive never had my life threatened before. Its not a fun thing. The thought of people from this church of Satan showing up at your house in black robes with daggers, that youre going to be a sacrifice of some sort, thats not a very pleasant thought. I was scared. My heart began to pound, my throat became dry, and my hands became cold. I walked around the house, and I turned on every light I could find. I lay in bed and just began to stare at the ceiling. I was listening for every sound. Do you know what it is? Have you ever been scared and every sound is just magnified? Whats that? He said, My neighbor would yawn, and Id go, wahhhh! I was just on edge. The Lord said to him, Greg, read your Bible. He said, So I began to continue to read in Isaiah, but if you would have asked me what I read, I would tell you I had no idea. He was reading the Bible, but his mind was someplace else. His mind was thinking, Ive got these guys coming to get me, and who knows what theyre going to do to me? Hes thinking about his wife; hes thinking about his child; hes thinking about his church. Hes full of fear. For a moment, Greg forgot how big his God was. He said, Then something changed as I was reading through the words, I came across Isaiah 51:12, and it came alive to me. This is what it says (page 729), I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass... God reminds him, these people are just men. …that you forget the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? Thats me! Thats what he said, Thats me! For where is the wrath of the oppressor? The cowering prisoners will soon be set free… There he was, a prisoner in his own home, cowering in his own bed. Whos he going to call? Remember this is the early 1980s. Later on, the church of Satan would become almost obnoxious. Theyd be out doing rituals in our local parks, and wed read stories in the news about sacrifices going on. So, we woke up and said, Hey, this is real. Its not just the exorcist. There are people who really believe this, worship the devil and practice this kind of black magic and sorcery and Satanism. It really happens. But in 1982, or whatever year this was in the early 80s, you couldnt call the police and say, Hi, yeah this is Greg Speck. I was wondering if you could come to my home. There are some people who want to kill me. Yeah, from the church of Satan in Rockford. That wasnt going to fly. So, he said, Im just trapped in my own home. What do I do? God says, …they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread. For I am the Lord your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar-the Lord Almighty is his name. Remember who I am, Greg. I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand. Do you know what Greg did after he read that scripture? He said, I felt such a peace, such a presence that I went around the house, and I turned off every light. I came into my bedroom, and I got my pajamas on, turned off my light, and I lay down. Within a few minutes, I was sound asleep. The next sound I heard was the alarm clock. I saw the sun shining, and I heard the birds singing outside my window. I was alive. Nobody had come. Nobody had hurt me. He went to work and told the story to his pastor and his colleagues, this amazing story. He came home that night, and at 11 oclock, the phone rang. Its his good friend. He said, Hello, Mr. Speck. He said, Hello. He said, I want you to know something. Our high priest has decided that she will forgive you. He said, What? He said, She is going to forgive you. Forgive me? He said, You come and you say I need to gain forgiveness and wash my hands in the blood. Youre going to destroy my church. Im not going to see the light of day, and now youre telling me you forgave me? Let me tell you something. With all your leaders power, all her rituals, and all her ceremonies, and all of her incantations, the truth of the matter is, she couldnt even harm a speck. Little pun there. Then he confesses, I really didnt say that. I thought of that later. But what I said to her is, With all of her power, she couldnt hurt me because she serves a second rate power. We never want to try to take on the enemy in our own might and strength. The Bible says hes a fallen being, the highest angel who has fallen. Hes a powerful being, but as powerful as he is, if you are in Christ this morning, you need not fear him. If he were to manifest himself in your room tonight, physically manifest himself, little you, who says Im not that strong in my faith. Im not that knowledgeable of the Bible, little you could turn to him and say, In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom I serve, leave my presence, and he would have to go. Greg said, With all her power, she couldnt harm me. He said, I want to meet your leader. Well go to McDonalds. Well talk face to face. I want a chance to talk to her. He said, I dont think shell do that Mr. Speck, but I just wanted to call and let you know that news. The turning point for the story, and that was the last contact he ever had by the way, was when Greg remembered how big his God was. Thats when he got out of the boat. He remembered how big his God was. The turning point for Elijah was to remember how big his God is. The turning point for you is to remember how big your God is. Its been my prayer that through this series that weve studied these principles of faith, that you see how big God is. In Elijahs words, If the gods of this world are God, then worship them, but if God in Heaven is God, then Hes worth everything! Hes big! Theres no room for another God. Our faith will rise to the point where we take those spiritual risks. We dare to believe God. We dare to trust Him. We dare to act upon His word. He is the God who sent the rain. Hes the God who caused Peter to walk in the water. Hes the God who consumed the sacrifice. Hes the God who protected that young youth pastor, and Hes your God as well. What were going to do this morning to end our service is something a little different. Normally, we have one of our pastors or me close in prayer. Our programming team does a wonderful job of bringing elements of programming into our services to help communicate a message-be it a clip, a song, a drama, or media. One of the things we did a while ago, I cant think of an element of programming in the service that elicited more of a response in a positive way than did this excerpt from this sermon. It talks about the greatness of God and the bigness of God, so I thought it would be appropriate to end our service in that same way, to reprise that clip. So this is something were going to listen to and look at as he talks about the greatness of God. This will conclude our service. Im not going to come back up. Nobody else is going to lead us in prayer. Were going to listen to this, and then what Id like us to do when its all said and done is just give the Lord a round of applause, thanking Him for His greatness, thanking Him for the principles of faith that we have learned and celebrating who He is. As soon as those applauds are done, our service is dismissed. (You can purchase a copy of it here: http://www.sermonspice.com/search/that+s+my+king/) Besides that, after the first time, I dont want to follow this guy again. Lets listen.

Lets open our Bibles up to the Book of Matthew, the fourteenth chapter. Were going to be very familiar with this passage of scripture before were through. Its our theme scripture for this series. Jesus had just finished performing a miracle, and He went off by Himself to pray. The disciples were on a boat in a lake and could not come back because of the storm that had arisen on the lake. Of course, its 3 oclock in the morning. Its nighttime, the wind is blowing, water is in their faces, and they dont recognize who is coming to them on the water. As a result, theyre very afraid. Peter does something incredible in this story, as well find out. Verse 23: But after He had dismissed them, He went to a mountainside by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from the land buffeted by the waves, because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. Its a ghost, they said, and they cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them, Take courage. It is I. Dont be afraid. Lord, if its you, tell me to come to you on the water. Come, He said. Then Peter got down from the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. When he saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink and cry, Lord save me. Immediately, Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. You have little faith, He said, why did you doubt? When they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, Truly You are the Son of God, and Jesus received their worship. You know, if you were to poll the disciples as theyre watching Jesus walk on water, and ask, How many of you think Jesus would help you walk on water? Probably all of them would raise their hands. If you would have said, How many of you think if you fall and sink into the water, Jesus could save you? Probably all would raise their hands, Yeah, I believe that. But only one had the faith to get out of the boat, and that was Peter. We criticize him because he took his eyes off Jesus, and he sank, but only Peter knew what it was like to walk on water. Only Peter dared to go on just a belief and actually take action to his faith. Before we get into the meat of the word, were going to be listening to a media right now that our programming team has put together. Its a song by Petra called Beyond Belief (see last page for lyrics). Lets listen and reflect on that, and then Ill come back and begin sharing some of the Word. This morning, we want to remember Patricia Harris, Linda Smiths mom. She was a faithful listener of our churchs broadcast during the week. She went to be with the Lord this week, and Im told that if she missed the broadcast at 10 oclock at night, shed stay awake until one in the morning to watch it. She never missed it. She was a part of our congregation, so we dedicate the service to her this morning. I just want the folks at home to know that those who cant make it to church, sometimes this is their only church, we appreciate you and consider you a part of our body. Lets be remembering her family in prayer this week, shall we? On Water Walking: my son and I went to Key Largo and did a father/son dive trip. Were novice divers; we dont go deep. We dont dive in caves; we go simply just for recreation. It was a little risky that day because the sea was very choppy, very windy, and was full of high waves. The visibility was not as good as it normally was, but we were in Florida-we were there; we were going to dive. Some divers got seasick by the time they got out. They forgot the Dramamine; and by the time they got out there, they were already sick, so they couldnt dive. I remember getting on all my gear walking out with my big fins on, tank on which is kind of heavy and cumbersome. Youre walking out there, and the boats doing this (tilting back and forth). So youre walking out there with one step forward and two steps back, and you finally get to the edge. You know, when the waves were up, it didnt look that bad, but when the waves were down, it looked like it was a mile away down there. I remember thinking while looking at the boat that was rocking, At least I know its safe. I looked at the waves at thought, It looks violent down there. I know whats here, but I dont know whats down there. Here there is a bored captain; down there, there could be a shark. I tried to reassure myself by saying to the captain, Tell me. This part where were going to be diving, it is normal to see sharks? Are we going to see sharks? He paused and said these reassuring words, I cant say for sure if youre going to see a shark today, but I will tell you this: as soon as you get in the water, theyll see you. I appreciate that, makes me feel real good. I got up there and wanted to look back. I remember thinking, Do I have to do this? But my son was watching, so I had to step off and drop in there. I dont know what Im going to see, but here we go. You know what? No stories are told about what happens on the boat. Whats on the boat doesnt change. The captains there, a couple of seasick divers are there. Theres water as far as the eye can see doing this (waving-the waters choppy). Nothing changes; there are no stories to tell. But when you come out of the water, you say, Oh, I saw a shark, which my son did. I saw an eagle ray, which I saw. I saw an eel. I saw this. I saw that. You see the coral reef, and you see the colors and all these different kinds of fish, and you experience this different world. You come back, everybodys excited and were all saying, This is what I saw! Did you see this too? Thats where the stories are. Thats where the action is. Thats where the life is. Nobody gets up and talks about what happened on the deck of the boat when you were under the water. Nothing happened. The same is true in our faith. Its not in the boat. Its not in the realm of safety and familiarity where exciting things happen. Faith is when we dare to believe God and step out of our boat, out of our comfort zone, into the water. In the water is where Jesus is. Theres where faith is. Thats where the action is. Thats where the stories are told. Whats your boat this morning? All of us have different boats here today. A boat is something that you trust more than God or someone you trust in more than God. You say, What do you mean? Jesus said to Peter, Come. If Peter would have heard Jesus say come and then looked at the waves, listened to the wind, decided it was too risky, and stayed in the boat, what would that mean? That would mean he trusted the boat more than he trusted Jesus, right? So all of us have boats that we put our trust in from time to time. For some of you, its the boat of security. Maybe its your vocation, your job. Youve had a job for a long time, and if God were to call you to leave that job, that would just rock your world. Or maybe its your 401K or something else youre trusting in. Thats your next egg. Thats your protection. Its like the rich young man in the Books of Mark (10:17), Matthew (19:1), and Luke (16:18). Remember he said, What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus talked about obeying the commandments, and he says, All these, Ive kept from my youth. Jesus says, One think you lack. Sell what you have, give your money to the poor. Then you come and follow me. Get out of your boat! Dont trust in your riches. Trust in Me. Come on! Were going to go on an adventure, a life of faith. The response from the man was what? It says he walked away because he was very rich. That was where his trust was. That was where he had put his hope. That was his security. That was his boat, and he refused to leave it to follow Jesus. I wonder what he thought about that decision as years went by. For some of us, our boat is familiarity. We dont want to get out of the boat because its all we know. Its what were familiar with. The Book were studying right now, or using along with our study on faith, says, If you want to walk on water, thats a valid question, If you want to… A lot of people dont. Last call, when Jesus said, Come, only one stepped out of the boat, right? Eleven stayed behind. Not all of us want to walk on water. In the Gospel of John, the fifth chapter, theres a story of a man who was an invalid. Hes been an invalid for 38 years. He goes by the pool, and hes waiting for a miracle for thirty-eight years! Jesus comes upon the man, and we pick up the story in Verse 3. It says there at this pool a great number of disabled people used to lie-the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, and get this question, Do you want to get well? What kind of a question is that to ask a man who has been an invalid for 38 years? Dont you think thatd be a no-brainer? Wouldnt you think He would just know he wants to get well, that the desire of his heart would be to walk like a normal person, get a job like a normal person? Well, wait a second. Thats all he knew. That was his life for 38 years! That would be his life tomorrow; that would be his life next year; thats where he would die. Its all he knew. Maybe hed become accustomed to that because as soon as he starts to walk, he has joined the ranks of the unemployed. He has to get a job. He has to start supporting himself. So, Jesus asked a very valid question, Do you wish to get well or have you become accustomed to your handicap, this way of life? Its easy to do because were creatures of habit. Were people of familiarity. I remember when I felt the Lord leading me to leave the church I was at in Rockford. Id been a pastor in Rockford for almost eight years. Growing up in the church, Id had the same pastor since I was nine years old. Rockford was all I knew other than the time I went off to study and get my degree for the ministry. That was the only place I lived. My family was there: my mom, my sisters, my nieces, my wifes parents, her sister, friends since kindergarten, the church that we were familiar with, people we knew, a job we both loved, a new home we both loved. We were snug as a bug in a rug and did not want to leave that which was familiar. I know its very hard for you to conceive that somebody would actually not want to leave Illinois. I know what youre thinking, Thats not that hard! To leave Illinois? Come on! What does that scripture say? No good thing can come out of Rockford, but…I did. I didnt want to leave because it was what I knew. God kept saying, Get out of the boat! So I had to say, Am I going to trust in this boat, what is familiar, or am I going to step out in faith and obey God? So I stayed in Rockford to this day (congregation laughing). The third thing is serenity. People think their boat is serenity, and they dont leave it because in their boat is the peace of mind they want, the fulfillment they want for life. Heres the serenity that I need. They look for it in this boat that they have, a person or a thing, and they wonder why theyre always so empty and why theyre never fulfilled. Its because its not in the boat! Youre looking in the wrong place! They think, This is whats going to give me my significance. Its not. We were at the Grand Canyon last weekend, and we went to visit my wifes parents. We decided wed take a day to see the Grand Canyon. They said, Whatever you do, make sure you go to Hopi Point to watch the sunset. So we showed up about a half hour before the sunset, and we waited. About a quarter after, all these people started showing up with these cameras. We were looking at the sunset and thinking, Whats the big deal? It was kind of a cloudy day. If youve ever experienced a cloudy day…I know theyre rare around here. I tried to be optimistic when I came home because in Arizona, thered be a little cloud over here. A few miles over here, thered be another little cloud, but the rest of the sky was all blue. It was 75 degrees everyday. So, I came home and said, Back in Arizona there were three or four clouds. Here theres only one cloud, but it encompasses the entire sky and nevers go away, but its only one cloud. So, were watching the Grand Canyon sunset and thinking what is the big whoop? I mean, I can understand a sunset in Florida or Mexico where the sun meets the ocean, and its magnificent. In fact, Ive seen better sunsets at home. There really werent many colors. It was just kind of cloudy, and I wanted to say to all people with their cameras, You showed up on the wrong day because there really isnt a thing to see! Were sitting there. Im holding Brenda, and its kind of romantic. It was kind of fun while we were sitting there. The children were in the car because in that part of Arizona, its a little chilly. We were saying, Oh, this is nice. Its not what its cracked up to be, but its nice. All the sudden we notice all the cameras are sitting the opposite way were looking. Were looking at the sunset one way, and the cameras are facing the other way. And being the Sherlock Holmeses we are, finally after 20 minutes, we catch on and say, Wait a second. The sun starts to set; it shoots its rays across the Canyon and just lights up the canyon. The top of the rim became brilliant and alive with color, yellows and golds and browns, just like it was on fire, and we thought, Ohhh. Thats the sunset! Were looking in the wrong spot. Were looking over here. This is the spot. And its my prayer that thered be a realization for some of you whove been putting your trust in your boats to find your serenity, and all the sudden therell be a trigger, Ohhh. Its not in the boat! Im looking in the wrong spot. The glory of God is over here. Its stepping out in faith. Its in the water where Jesus is. So, for some of you its that serenity that youre hoping to find in what we call our figurative boats. For some of us, its familiarity; for others of us, its the security that we have. For most of us, do you know what keeps us in our boats? Anxiety. Fear. We get a case of the what ifs. Have you ever had a case of the what ifs before? What if this? What if that? I remember when I was going to leave Rockford, I had a case of the what ifs. I would wake up in the middle of the night and say, I am leaving what is familiar to go to work for a church that does not exist. What if nobody comes? What if I cant pay my bills? If nobody comes, we cant pay our bills. We lose our home; we lose our cars. What if I dont have what it takes to be a senior pastor of a church? What if I fail? Thats what I said, What if I fail? Then I would say, You know what? Ill never know unless we try. Pastor Ortberg in his book talks about failure. He talks about failure as not an event but rather a judgment about an event. He says about Peter failing because he sank, There were 11 bigger failures. They were the ones who never got out of the boat. Only Peter knew the glory of being lifted up by Jesus at that moment of desperate need. Peter knew in a way others could not that when he had sunk, Jesus would be wholly adequate to save him. He had shared a moment, a shared connection, a shared trust in Jesus that none of the others had. They couldnt because they didnt even get out of the boat. The worst failure is not to sink in the waves. The worst failure is to never get out of the boat. What cures the what ifs is a good dose of faith because the what ifs are contagious. Did you know that? If youve got a case of the what ifs, that can be contagious especially if youre a leader. If Im leading this church with a case of the what ifs, were in trouble. If youre leading your household with a case of the what ifs, youre in trouble. I remember we had a really high-strung lady in Rockford. She was heading our pre-school, and she was nervous about everything. I can remember her just like yesterday. At the pre-school Christmas program, I was walking down the hallway, waving and saying, All right, kids, do a good job! Shes walking with these 10 little preschoolers behind her, and shes like, Pray for us Pastor Jeff. Were so nervous. She walked by and you could just see it in every little kids face, Hi Pastor Jeff! Were nervous! What if we forget our lines? What if we trip on the stage? They had all these what ifs? Just relax out there! You practiced. Go have a good time! She had them all in a dither! What if this? What if that? What ifs are cured through faith. Faith is not a passive thing. Faith is an active thing. Pastor Ortberg says in his book, If you wait for fear to leave, youll never step out in faith because a certain element of fear is always present. It may diminish over time, but stepping out in the boat, whether its to share your faith with somebody or Gods calling you to give something sacrificially, or Gods calling you to start a ministry or get engaged in a ministry, its always going to have an element of fear, always. Its through that experience that Peter found Jesus to be faithful. For me this summer, it was not a matter of getting out of the boat, it was getting in a boat. About two years ago, my son, my two nephews and I went Whitewater rafting and capsized on a waterfall. The river was high that day, and we went tumbling down a waterfall. I remember thinking, What if we hit a boulder? What if we drowned? What if we broke a bone? What if we got hurt? So I was afraid to get back in a raft and go Whitewater rafting. I told the children if we went to Colorado, we were going to go Whitewater rafting, so I wanted to keep my promise. I said, This time, well get a guide. Its not going to be Dad leading us down the river. Were going to get a guide. I remember we were pulling up to the Arkansas River there in Pueblo. It was 111-degree day, a good day to go rafting. I remember as we pulled in, we saw this big raft stuck on a boulder with the leader of the raft on a cell phone calling for help. I thought, Thats reassuring. But I said I had to get back on the raft. I had a fear, but I had to get back on the raft. I thought the guides looked pretty able. These guys looked pretty rugged like theyd been outdoorsmen; theyd probably been down that river hundreds of times. I started to feel a sense of reassurance. I wonder if hes going to be the guide. He looks like he knows what hes doing. Or this guy, here, he seems to talk the lingo. I could feel confident in his boat. Those guys all left, and there stood this little girl who looked like she was still in high school. She said, Ill be your guide today. No, you wont. I said, Does your daddy know youre here? Could he come and lead us down the nice river? (Congregation laughing). I said, How old are you? Im 19. How long have you been doing this? She said, Ive been doing this for four years. I said, Have you ever gotten stuck on the River? She said, and I loved her answer, Ive never gotten stuck on the River, and I dont intend to start today. Thats a good answer. She said, If you do what I say when I say and how I say, were going to be just fine. So I put my family in the raft, and I said, Lets go. My son and I were in front, helping to give some power. She was in the middle steering. She would tell us how many strokes to make, when to do it, and how hard to do it. What was interesting was as she navigated, shed say, Okay, around the corner, were going to be coming onto rapids. Heres what were going to try to avoid. Theres something over here that could tear out boat, so well go this way or heres this big boulder where people get stuck, so were going to start paddling hard to the left. You know what I found out? She had been on that river before, so she knew exactly every twist and turn, exactly what was happening, so we could avoid getting stuck or capsizing. So, we just did what she told us to do, and everything was fine. I will tell you this: every time it looked like we were going to go down a little fall, every time we were going to go through a rapid, or every time we approached a big boulder where we could get stuck, I had fear. The fear began to dissipate as, through experience, she would navigate around that boulder and navigate through those rapids. Pretty soon, fear began to subside, and it began to be replaced with faith. I knew this was going to be okay. It was fun, and I was able to let my guard down, knowing we were going to be okay. See, just like she knew every twist and turn of the river and knew what was going to happen when we got there, so the Lord does too. He knows exactly what lies ahead. Thats why you get in trouble when you take the oars from the Lord and think you know better; you start paddling your own boat. Thats when you get in trouble. If we would have said, We dont need you or were going to stroke when we want to stroke, we wouldve been in trouble. Peter would have been in trouble if he said to the Lord, Jesus, could you command me to come? and Jesus would have said, No, Peter, you stay. You stay right there. Dont you realize this is water, and youre a human being? This is a storm. Dont get out of the boat. If Jesus would have said no, and Peter would have walked out on the water, he wouldve been in trouble, right? Is there anybody here who ever got out of the boat and started walking when Jesus didnt tell you to? What happened? You sank, didnt you? Well, I asked Jesus, and He didnt say no. He didnt say yes, but He didnt say no. If He didnt say yes, then you stay in the boat! Im talking to the folks who when God has given you clear command to step out of the boat, to step out of the comfort zone in faith to meet Him, to do something for Him that you know He would want you to do, and you allow your fear to hold you back. Thats what were trying to break free from. Were not talking about being reckless and careless in our faith. Peter was not reckless. He said, Lord, is this what You want? Is this Your will for me? Is this what You want me to do? Jesus says, It is. Come. Peter played the tape through. He played it all the way through. Peter began to ask himself, What is the worst thing that can happen to me? The worst thing that can happen is I sink. If I sink, what will Jesus do? Hell rescue me. Peter understood an important principle. We need to understand this as well. God will allow storms in your life. He will. He will allow storms in your life. He could have stopped the storm from ever happening in the first place, but He didnt do it because there were things that they needed to learn through that storm. God will allow storms in your lives. God will also allow you to sink. He will allow you to sink, but He will never allow you to perish. Thats an important distinction. Peter says, Hes allowed this storm, and He may allow me to sink, but Hes never going to allow me to perish. It was that assurance that enabled Peter to step out of his boat. It is that assurance that enables you and I to step out in faith and obey Gods command. Pastor Ortberg, in the first chapter, says these words, Maybe there was a time in your life when you were walking on the water on a regular basis, a time when your heart was much like Peters: Command me, tell me to come to You, a time when you would risk sharing your faith, even if it meant rejection; giving, even if it meant sacrifice; and serving, even if it meant the possibility of failure. Sometimes you sank, sometimes you soared, but you lived on the edge of faith. Maybe now, though, you havent been out of the boat in a long time. I like this part, You have a nice boat, with padded deck chairs and stabilizers, so you never get seasick in the storm. Youve gotten quite comfortable sitting in your boat, but if you get out, I believe two things will happen: The first thing is when you fail, and sometimes you will fail, Jesus will be there to pick you up. You will not fail alone. You will find that He is wholly adequate to save. The other thing is every once in a while you will walk on water. Lets pray together. Father, we are all in this adventure together. Youve called us to live a life of faith. In fact, youve said a life of faith is the only kind of life that would please You, but yet we want comfort. We want that which is familiar. We want to live without anxiety. We want to live in our security, our familiarity. Youve called us out of those boats to take a step of faith. Father, for the one who needs clarity, I pray that Youd clarify exactly what that means for him or her to walk on water. For those whove already received that command, they understand that theyre in the boat, they understand they need to step out in faith, give them the courage to do that. I pray that we, as a church, we as individuals, would not be paralyzed by the what ifs, that we will step out in faith and obey Your call, for thats where the stories are. Thats where the glory is, in the water where you are, Jesus. Help us, Father, to live in the series ahead. Help us to invite friends and family and coworkers and acquaintances who need these principles in operation in their lives. They can come and hear and be inspired through Your word, to step out of their boat and walk on water. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen. Artist: Petra Album: Beyond Belief Song: Beyond Belief We're content to pitch our tent When the glory's evident Seldom do we know the glory came and went Moving can seem dangerous In this stranger's pilgrimage Knowing that you can't stand still, you cross the bridge (Chorus) There's a higher place to go, beyond belief, beyond belief Where we reach the next plateau, beyond belief, beyond belief And from faith to faith we grow Towards the center of the flow Where He beckons us to go, beyond belief, beyond belief Leap of faith without a net Makes us want to hedge our bet Waters never part until our feet get wet There's a deeper place to go Where the road seems hard to hoe He who has begun this work won't let it go And it takes so long to see the change But we look around and it seems so strange We have come so far but the journey's long And we once were weak but now we're strong. Link: http://www.christianrocklyrics.com/petra/beyondbelief.php