Most people don’t come to church, stand in front of a pew and wonder if that pew can hold them up. Most people don’t study the pew, evaluate the pew or wonder about the pew’s strength. They just sit down. They exercise faith. The faith is not based on a feeling about the pew, but rather on the confident trust that the pew will hold them up.
The reverse is also true. If a person says they believe that the pew can hold them but they never sit down, they are not exercising faith because they did not act on what they said they believed.
Faith is acting like God is telling the truth.
Faith is acting like God is telling the truth.
Most things that are powered by batteries have an on and off switch. If the batteries are included when an item is purchased, then it is ready to be used immediately. However, it still must be activated by the switch. As Christians, our switch is faith. When we turn on our faith, we are able to access the power included in us.
Such is the case when the disciples go out for an evening excursion in their boat. Before going up the mountain to pray, Jesus has just told them to go across the sea. After a while, the wind blows, and the waves start tossing them around. At this point, most seasoned fishermen would bring the boat in, but when Jesus tells you to do something, it’s good to listen.
Then, as evening falls, Jesus comes out to them walking on the water. The disciples think they have just seen a ghost, but Jesus assures them that it’s only Him. That’s when Peter says something remarkable, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28).
Peter reveals that he has faith. He believes that if this is Jesus instead of an apparition, He would give him the ability to walk on water. Each of us has been given a measure of faith just like Peter’s.
But having faith isn’t enough. You have to use that faith in order for it to be worth anything. “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead” ( James 2:17). Think of it like your muscles. While everyone has muscles, only those who exercise them and use them regularly will be strong.
Jesus then calls out to Peter and tells him to come toward Him. It’s no small thing when someone tells you to walk on water in the middle of a late-night storm. But Peter exercises his faith by doing what Jesus tells him to do, and he experiences the full power of God by doing the impossible.
Even today, Jesus calls out to you. He might not be asking you to walk on water, but He is asking you to trust Him with your career, your finances and your personal challenges. You don’t need a mountain of faith to overcome your obstacles; you only need to act on the faith that you have. Today, take that first step in trusting the voice that calls to you from the waves.
Why We Do What We Do
"Dr. Evans,
You sure do hit the spot! Me and my wife try to listen on the weekends but even if not, we can catch it on the website. Very blessed!
You know, our two girls are married and sure have been having a hard time. One husband is a soldier and is always gone, and she stays at home with four kids. The other has been separated for over a year. But we believe God works miracles, and we pray for them all the time, since they live so far away and we can’t do much else.
Anyway, we got a phone call from our youngest, and she and her husband have decided to reconcile and are meeting with a minister for counseling. On the SAME day, our other daughter calls us and tells us that she has found a wonderful, godly group of women to offer support and help while her husband is in Afghanistan for another four months. PRAISE THE LORD!
God takes care of us in so many ways. We just wanted to let you know about answered prayer."
—Ferris and Pauline
