Adapted from Battlefield of the Mind

Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God.

Psalm 42:5 (AMPC)

Let’s focus for a moment on this part of a well-known New Testament story. The disciples were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee at midnight when they looked up and saw Jesus walking on the water. That is amazing, but as the story continues, Matthew wrote of the boisterous winds, yet Jesus kept walking on top of the waves.

The disciples were afraid—and that makes sense. Who would expect to see anyone walking on top of the water, even under the best of conditions?

Then Jesus cried out and told them, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! (Matthew 14:27 AMPC). This is the powerful moment in the story. What will happen now? Do they move over and give Jesus a place to sit in their boat? Should they get out and join Him on the waves? Do they huddle in fear, reminding themselves that human beings can’t walk on top of water?

Peter was the only one who responded in true faith. And let’s make no mistake here. For Peter to say, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water (Matthew 14:28) was a tremendous act of faith. You’ll notice that he was the only one who spoke that way.

That was a powerful moment of faith. It was a defining moment that pointed out Peter’s great faith and belief in Jesus, the Anointed One of God. He was so convinced that Jesus truly was the Son of God that he was ready to get out of the boat and walk on top of the water with Him.

How many of you would get out of the boat? I emphasize this because it would be easy enough to say, “Lord, I see You walking on the water, and I believe I could walk on the water alongside You.” But would you? Do you have the kind of faith that would enable you to step out of the boat? Of the 12 disciples, Peter was the only one who took that step of faith.

I’m not citing this example of faith to discourage you or to make you feel that your faith is somehow lacking. I’m simply pointing out the great triumph of a man who dared to believe! Peter believed so strongly that he took a step of faith over the side of the boat and started walking toward Jesus.

Most of us know the rest of the story. Some might even smirk, saying, “Big deal! He got out of the boat, started walking on the water, got scared, and began to sink.” And he also received a rebuke from Jesus: O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31 NIV). But think about it—Jesus didn’t say those words to the other disciples. He directed the words “you of little faith” to Peter. The implication is the others had no faith at that moment.

Think of these words not just as words of rebuke, but also as words of encouragement to Peter, the one who had enough faith to step out of the boat and begin walking on the water. But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! (Matthew 14:30 AMPC).

What if you saw this as Jesus’ great encouragement, not just to Peter, but also to you? What if you looked at this event as Jesus saying to you, “You started so well. You believed Me and got out of the boat. You did it! You walked on water just as I did. But then you allowed doubt to enter, and when that happened, you began to sink.”

This powerful story is a wonderful reminder that Jesus is always with you, and He will suspend natural laws to reach out to you and care for you.

Prayer of the Day: Lord Jesus, please forgive my lack of faith. Increase my faith in Your Word and help me to trust You enough to follow Your leading. When the circumstances around me threaten to pull me into deep waters of doubt, help me to focus on You. I ask these things in Your holy name, amen.

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For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMPC)

God has a plan for every person, and His Word clearly says it is a good plan. But Satan starts his dirty work early in your life, attempting to pervert and destroy God’s good plan. He arranges for all kinds of disappointing, discouraging, hurtful, and frightening events to take place. And often he does a lot of damage.

But no matter how much you have been hurt, God can restore you. If you experienced a bad beginning, do not despair. God is in the business of repair, and His repairs are better than new. However, this restoration will not happen automatically. You must believe the Word of God and fully cooperate with Him during the restoration process. Look to Jesus, the One who loves you unconditionally. He is the Author and Finisher of everything in you and your life.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for Your good plan for my life. Help me trust You through the hurt, cooperate with Your restoration, and look to, amen.

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But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God].

Romans 8:9 (AMPC)

Romans 8:8 (AMPC) declares: Those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God or be acceptable to Him.

God wants us to enjoy the good life. Here He is saying to us, “If you walk in the Spirit, you will reap blessings from the Spirit-controlled life both now and hereafter.”

Be responsible for your choices today. You cannot choose to live in the flesh and still expect everything to work out well. Choose to be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me choose to walk in the Spirit today, and not according to my own will and desires. Give me strength to be responsible for my choices and to obey Your prompting in every moment, amen.

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We are hedged in (pressed) on every side [troubled and oppressed in every way], but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair; we are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted [to stand alone]; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:8–9 (AMPC)

If we stare at our giants too much, the fear of them will overtake us. Keep your eyes on the prize, not the pain. In the Bible, Paul explains how they were pressed on every side and troubled and oppressed in every way. They could see no way out, but they refused to give up. He made his mind up that no matter what happened, he was going to finish his course. Paul explained that they did not get discouraged because they looked not at the things they could see but at the things they could not see.

If we stare at our problems too much, think and talk about them too much, they are likely to defeat us. Glance at your problems but stare at Jesus. We don’t deny the existence of problems, we don’t ignore them, but we do not permit them to rule us. Any problem you have is subject to change. All things are possible with God!

Prayer of the Day: Lord, if Paul could endure through all the adversity he faced, by Your grace I can make it through whatever I face. Help me to see beyond the problems to You, amen.

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Filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God [so that His glory may be both revealed and recognized].

Philippians 1:11 (AMPC)

Because of the work of His Son, God views us as being righteous before Him through Jesus Christ. God accepts and approves of us because we are in Christ, and we can learn to do the same thing.

In our own effort, we are prone to make mistakes and fall into sin, but in Christ, we are renewed and restored people who have been re-created in Christ Jesus. Because of Jesus, our standing before God is right and pure.

We are born again that we may do the good works that He has prearranged and made ready for us, that we may live the good life Jesus died for us to have (Ephesians 2:10). God wants us to see ourselves the way He does. He wants us to understand that in Christ, we are righteous in His sight.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You that through Jesus, I am made righteous in Your sight. Help me see myself the way You see me—accepted, approved, loved, and made right, amen.

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The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound.

Isaiah 61:1 (AMPC)

Love offers people both roots and wings. It provides a sense of belonging (roots) and a sense of freedom (wings). Love does not try to control or manipulate others.

Jesus said that He was sent by God to proclaim liberty. As believers, that is what we are meant to do also—to free people to fulfill God’s will for their lives, not to bring them under our control.

Have you ever seen parents push their children to do things they do not even want to do just to meet the frustrated desires of their parents? Have you ever seen a person who is clingy and emotionally smothering to a new friend, because he is afraid to lose that person? Both of these examples bind rather than set free.

That is not the way true love works. Love does not try to gain personal satisfaction at the expense of others. Love will always proclaim liberty. When we love God, and when we love others, we will excitedly allow the people in our lives to follow God’s plan—not our plan—and see who they can be and what they can accomplish in Christ Jesus.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me love others the way You do—giving others roots and wings instead of trying to control them. I love You, Father, and I need Your help if I’m going to help people discover the freedom to follow You and become who You created them to be, amen.

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By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].

John 13:35 (AMPC)

One of the most valuable and beautiful things you can do is love others. We can purpose to think about the good things we find in all the people we know, and as we do, our attitudes toward them will improve.

Often we think about what is wrong with people and what we don’t like about them. Focusing on people’s faults is not showing love to them. We can choose to pray for them concerning any weaknesses they may have, and at the same time pray for ourselves that God will help us in our weaknesses also.

Focus on positive, loving thoughts about people. Then when they do something you don’t like, you are already so full of good thoughts about them, it is easy to just let it go.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me focus on the good in others instead of their faults. Fill my thoughts with love and help me pray for others’ weaknesses and my own, amen.

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In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].

Galatians 5:1 (AMPC)

Jesus died so we could be free from the slavery of sin and overcome the attacks of the enemy, who “comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). The devil will often try to steal or destroy our faith in God through fear.

It is important to realize that our fears not only affect us, but they can also affect the people around us. Nothing is more uncomfortable to me than having to tiptoe around a person because they have fears that make them touchy, nervous, and uptight. I feel sorry for them, and I pray for them, but ultimately, fear cannot be conquered unless we recognize it and confront it.

You may be the way I was—afraid other people will not approve of you or afraid of an authority figure in your life. Whether you struggle with this fear or other fears, the path to freedom is the same: Study God’s Word and apply it to your life; pray and ask God to help you face the fear and conquer it.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, thank You for the freedom Jesus died to give me. Help me face my fears honestly and help me stand fast in the freedom You have for me, amen.

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For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

Philippians 4:8 (AMPC)

One day I remember praying, “God, I can’t go on fighting my thoughts all day, every day. As soon as I capture these wrong thoughts, they come back. What am I supposed to do?” As you fight the battle in your mind, you may find yourself praying the same prayer, so I want to share with you the simple answer God gave me. He said all I needed to do was to think about something else!

When you think about something good, there is no room for wrong thoughts to get into your mind. Concentrating on trying to not think wrong thoughts can actually increase them, but simply filling your mind with good things leaves no room for bad things to get in.

The Bible says that if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Gal. 5:16), and this simply means that if we concentrate on the things God desires, then we will not have room in our lives for what the devil desires.

This was a life-changing revelation for me. I realized I couldn’t wait for something good to just fall into my mind. I had to choose my thoughts on purpose. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 30:19 that God sets before us life and death, blessings and curses. If you and I do not choose thoughts that lead to life, the enemy will make the choice for us—and he will choose thoughts that lead to death. But when we choose thoughts that lead to life, our lives will be blessed. Take time to roll good thoughts over and over in your mind, and this will help you form the habit of thinking good things. You must believe you can do something or you won’t even try. So, I repeat: “You can choose your own thoughts!” You can overcome (master) evil with good (Rom. 12:21 AMPC).

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me choose good thoughts on purpose today. Fill my mind with what is true and lovely, so there’s no room for the enemy’s lies.

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I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!

Psalm 91:2 (AMPC)

At various points in our lives, all of us feel we’re getting “out of our depth” or “in over our heads.” There are problems all around: A job is lost, someone dies, there is strife in the family, or a bad report comes from the doctor. When these things happen, our temptation is to panic because we feel we’ve lost control.

But think about it: The truth is that we’ve never been in control when it comes to life’s most crucial elements. The only thing that holds us up—and the thing we can be most grateful for—is the grace of God, our Father, and that won’t change. God is never out of His depth, and therefore, we’re safe when we’re in life’s “deep end” because we can trust that He will always carry us in His arms.

Prayer of the Day: Thank You, Father, that You are a refuge for me. I know that because You are with me, I can feel safe and secure. Thank You that no matter how difficult life may seem, I can be at peace because You will never let me go.

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He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

Psalm 107:29-31 (NIV)

Throughout Psalm 107 we read accounts of the Israelites rebelling against God, having trouble, repenting, and God being merciful to them and restoring their blessings. Our God is indeed merciful, and truly His mercies are new every morning, as Lamentations 3:22–23 promises. Consider this beautiful scripture in its entirety: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (ESV).

When we wake up each day, a fresh supply of God’s mercy is available to us. I am so thankful that God’s mercy never runs out, and I am sure you are too.

Let us give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for us. We could never thank God too often for His mercy, forgiveness, and kindness to us. We should never forget these blessings but always keep in mind that we would be destroyed if it were not for God’s kindness and favor.

Prayer of the Day: Father, thank You for mercy and Your unfailing love. Thank You for Your extreme patience with me and for restoring me over and over again. I ask that my mouth would always be filled with thanksgiving for You.

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As for the saints (godly people) who are in the land, they are the majestic and the noble and the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

Psalm 16:3 (AMP)

David writes about godly people in today’s scripture, describing them as the majestic and the noble and the excellent ones. If we want to live up to this description, we begin in the mind. A noble and excellent life starts with noble, excellent thoughts. Paul echoes this idea in Philippians 4:8: Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s Word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart] (AMP).

God has called all of us to be excellent in all we do. In this way, we represent Him well to the people around us. Examine your thoughts today and embrace only the ones that are excellent.

Prayer of the Day: Father, help me to think excellent thoughts so I can live an excellent life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.

James 2:23 (NIV)

Do you have a friendship with God? I pray that you do, for that is God’s desire! Yes, He wants to be your friend! We may see God in many different ways. Perhaps as a Father, a Master, our Lord, our Helper—and He is all of these things, but He uses the term “friend” as a way of saying that He desires a close and intimate relationship with each of us.

I think a lot about this invitation of friendship, and I’ve gathered all the biblical information I can about what that means and how to develop it. I like the thought of “doing life with God.” We should involve Him by inviting Him into all that we do and developing a conversational relationship with Him. God wants to talk to you, and He will talk back. He speaks to us in many ways and through many different avenues, but He does speak, and we should expect Him to. How can we possibly be the friend of God if we don’t have conversation?

The Bible is filled with records of people who prayed, and it is also filled with numerous accounts of God speaking to His people. Jesus said that His sheep know and hear His voice (John 10:27). We learn to hear from God by studying His Word and by experience. I encourage you not only to talk to Him about everything, but to learn to listen and expect Him to speak to you.

God is your friend, and He has promised to be with you always, until the end of time! You are never alone!

Prayer of the Day: My God and my Friend, thank You for inviting me into a close friendship with You. Help me and guide me into a deep, personal, and intimate relationship with You. Teach me what it means to be Your friend and help me grow in this friendship each day. Draw me closer to You, help me know You more deeply, and teach me to love You more fully, amen.

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And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

Matthew 24:12 (NKJV)

Today’s scripture comes from a passage in which Jesus is talking about signs of the end times. Some may be familiar to us, such as wars and rumors of wars…famines, pestilences, and earthquakes (Matthew 24:6–7 NKJV). But He also says that the love of many will grow cold (v. 12 NKJV) because of lawlessness and wickedness on earth.

The pressures of rampant evil, difficult circumstances, and frightening situations, and the stress of living under such tumult produce an atmosphere charged with strife and trouble. This causes us to turn inward, trying to protect ourselves and solve the problems that affect us. It also makes it easy to allow ourselves to become hard-hearted and ignore Jesus’ instruction to Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34 NIV).

When love grows cold, negative emotions take over. We become angry, resentful, jealous, suspicious, fearful, and susceptible to other negative feelings. We become self-focused rather than focused on how we can help the people around us.

In many verses of Scripture, we read that we are to love other people. Loving one another is one way the world will know we are Christians (John 13:35).

In the midst of a wicked and stressful world, let’s be sure to keep our love relationship with God strong. That will not only help us, but it will also empower us to keep our hearts tender and our love warm for others. When love is warm, we feel peace and joy, and we can share that peace and joy with others. This is what the world needs.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, no matter what happens in the world around me, help me keep my heart from growing cold and help me stay stirred up in my love for others.

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I have set watchmen upon your walls, O Jerusalem, who will never hold their peace day or night; you who [are His servants and by your prayers] put the Lord in remembrance [of His promises], keep not silence.

Isaiah 62:6 (AMPC)

Today’s verse instructs us to remind God of the promises He has made to us, and one of the best ways to do that is to pray His Word back to Him.

God’s Word is extremely valuable to Him and should be to us as well. After all, He speaks to us clearly through His Word, and it is a trustworthy way to hear His voice. In fact, the Amplified Bible renders Psalm 138:2 as I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name! This verse indicates that God magnifies His Word even above His name. If He honors it to that extent, we need to make a priority out of knowing the Word, studying the Word, loving the Word, getting the Word deeply rooted in our hearts, esteeming the Word more highly than anything else, and incorporating the Word in our prayers.

When we honor the Word and commit ourselves to it as I have just described, we are “abiding” in it (John 15:7). Abiding in the Word and allowing the Word to abide in us are directly related to confidence in prayer and to having our prayers answered. When we pray the Word of God, we are less likely to pray for things that are not God’s will for us. Jesus Christ is the living Word (John 1:1–4), and as we abide in the Word, we abide in Him—and that brings unspeakable power to our prayers.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me to be fully confident when I pray. I’ll need Your help as I learn to pray Your Word back to You, reminding You of Your promises. I want to walk in wisdom and obedience in everything I do, amen.

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For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Romans 7:19-20 (NIV)

We have everything we need to live the life God wants us to live (2 Peter 1:3), but we must learn to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Once we are born again, we may sometimes feel we are two people, and at times we do what we don’t want to do—and we don’t do what we do want to do. We see in today’s scripture that this also happened to the apostle Paul, and we know there is hope for us. Even after we become Christians, we can still do the wrong things we have always done, but the good news is that we also have the ability to do the right things, and the Holy Spirit will help us. We are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6 NIV).

Galatians 5:16 does not say “Try not to walk in the flesh so you can walk in the Spirit,” which is what most of us do. It says that if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. In other words, if we focus on doing the right things, there will be no room for the wrong things. When we focus on the positive, we will have victory. In relationships, if we focus on everything we find wrong with the other person, we will not be able to love them. But if we focus on what is good in them, we will soon pay little attention to what we don’t like as much.

Prayer of the Day: Holy Spirit, help me focus on walking with You and to focus on Your Spirit, rather than the struggle. Thank You for giving me the power to do what’s right today and every day, amen.

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Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4 (AMP)

Many serious things are going on in this world, and we need to be aware of them and prepared for them. But at the same time, because of the Spirit of God in our lives, we can learn to relax and take things as they come without getting nervous and upset about them. Thankfully, with God’s help, we can learn how to enjoy the good life He has provided for us through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. We do not need to worry or be afraid. God is in control!

Twice in Philippians 4:4–7, the apostle Paul tells us to rejoice. He urges us not to fret or have any anxiety about anything but to pray and give thanks to God—not after every difficulty is over, but in everything.

In spite of all the troubling things going on around us, we can maintain positive, joyful attitudes. Our daily confession can be based on Psalm 118:24 (AMP): This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Prayer of the Day: God, no matter what challenges I face today, I thank You that I can rejoice and be glad. Thank You that my joy is not found in my circumstances—my joy is found in You. Help me keep this joyful attitude in everything and at all times, amen.

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He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.

Isaiah 40:29 (NKJV)

Do these words sound familiar to you? Powerless. Defenseless. Helpless. Hopeless. Maybe they are familiar because they describe ways you have felt in the past or ways you feel right now. Anyone who has been abused, wounded, or victimized may know exactly how these emotions feel.

The good news is that even if these words describe you today, they do not have to define you in the future. When you ask God to heal your soul and you follow as He leads, you move from being powerless to being powerful, from being defenseless to realizing that God is on your side, from being helpless to having the Helper, the Holy Spirit, living in you, and from being hopeless to being filled with hope and faith. As He heals you, you walk out of sorrow into joy and out of weakness into strength. You exchange every negative thing you have suffered for all the good things God has for you.

You are not weak and helpless, and there are things you can do to protect yourself against further hurt and damage to your soul. Choose your companions in life wisely and confront people who treat you cruelly and disrespectfully.

In some cases, abuse is so severe and abusers are so dangerous that the best course of action is to get away from them. People who abuse others because they are bullies, though, will often back down when confronted. In fact, they typically do not respect people who meekly accept or submit to their bad behavior. Although standing up to them may be difficult at first, it is usually the only way they will stop abusing. Many of them secretly wish someone would challenge them and stand up to them.

When we choose to stand up to people who bully or abuse us, we should do so after praying and seeking God for the right time, the right place, and the way we are to deal with them. We should certainly use wisdom and also decide in advance that we will behave in godly ways, no matter how ungodly the other person may act.

The only way we will know how to handle this kind of situation properly is to rely on God to guide us and to be obedient to what He teaches us. I had to learn to stand up for myself, and although it was difficult to do, it was worth it. I urge you not to give in to the fear that might be trying to hold you back. God will give you the courage and strength to do what He guides you to do.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, heal my soul and give me courage to stand against abuse. Help me exchange weakness for Your strength and walk in obedience to You, amen.

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Adapted from Battlefield of the Mind

He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat knelt and worshiped Him, saying, Truly You are the Son of God!

Matthew 14:29-33 (AMPC)

Let’s take a closer look at this story. Peter believed and stepped out, and then doubt filled his mind, and he started to sink. His rational mind reminded him that people can’t walk on water. As soon as his mind turned from the spiritual and supernatural, he failed.

Jesus had already said, Take courage . . . Stop being afraid! (v. 27 AMPC). Those few words were meant to assure the disciples that both the presence and power of Jesus were there to take care of them. Yet only one man responded—one out of twelve.

Peter stepped out and started walking toward the Master . . . then he faltered. He focused on the storm instead of the presence of Jesus, who was only a few feet away from him. As soon as he diverted his attention, doubt and unbelief pressed in on him.

I’ve often wondered if his feet slowly sank into the water or if he instantly plunged downward. The Bible account doesn’t give us that information, but it does tell us Jesus’ response. He grabbed Peter and saved him from the waves, the wind, and the storm.

Even that’s not the end of the story. After Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat, another miracle took place: The storm ceased. It’s easy to spiritualize this incident and point out that whenever Jesus is with us, the storms of life cease and peace fills our hearts. That is true, but this was a real storm, not a figurative or spiritual one, and the winds instantly stopped.

Matthew makes a point of telling us what happened after the storm. During the storm, Peter exercised faith. He believed and he proved it. The others watched and listened, but there was no response from them.

I believe they were still so scared that they hadn’t even moved. They heard Jesus’ voice telling them not to be afraid, but still they didn’t do anything. No one else moved or spoke a word.

Verse 33 (AMPC) tells us that after the storm, the other disciples knelt and worshiped Jesus. I would certainly hope so! Look at the miracles they witnessed. The storm came, the winds blew, and Jesus came to them, walking on the water. He tried to calm their fears by saying, Stop being afraid, but they were not ready to hear Him. Only after Peter exhibited his faith and Jesus calmed the storm were they able to say, Truly You are the Son of God! I’m glad they were able to say those words—finally. It shows that the message got through. But what took so long? How much proof did they need before they were ready to worship?

How much proof do you need of Jesus’ love and presence in your life?

Prayer of the Day: Lord Jesus, sometimes I’m like one of the fearful disciples, requiring all kinds of proof before I can believe You. How many miracles do I need to see before I can call You the Son of God? Help me to be more like Peter, ready and willing to walk with You in any and all storms of life. Thank You for loving me and encouraging me to follow You in faith, amen.

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Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.

Matthew 7:13-14 (The Message)

Many people are trapped in a mediocre lifestyle. They seem to lack personal motivation, so they are easy targets for those who promise an easy way to success that requires little effort on their part. They do just enough to get by, but they never go the extra mile.

Living that kind of life is a poor substitute for the real rewards in life that can only be found in being a person of excellence, which was God’s plan for you from the beginning.

Learn the truth about God’s good plan for your life and vigorously pursue it. You will sense a wonderful fulfillment, and the fruit of your life will be abundant and bring glory to God.

Prayer of the Day: God, help me reject the easy way and vigorously pursue the excellent life You planned for me. Let my life bear fruit that brings You glory, amen.

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