Double-Dog Dare Ya!

Hello Ladies! Ignite’s big kick-off is right around the corner! We are getting so excited to see what God has in store for us this fall! I hope that you too are feeling the excitement and anticipation for a great movement and touch from God. I have often asked Him, “What would you do with a group of women who were totally sold out to You? Women who were resolved to believe You and take You at Your Word?” The possibilities are absolutely endless. As I was imagining what a group of women wholeheartedly committed to Jesus would look like, I decided that we would all look wind-blown and maybe even soaking wet. Here’s my line of thinking…..

Do we worship and follow God because of who we know Him to be by our own personal experience with Him, or does our worship and allegiance merely come from what we see Him do for others? Do we take Him at His Word or do we base our beliefs on what we see Him do for others and consequently live in a state of wishing we could experience Him like others do?
I wonder if the disciples who chose to stay in the boat wish they’d had the courage to get out of the boat and walk on water as Peter did. Or, did they watch from the boat as Peter began to sink and think, “Whew! Better him than me! I am safe and sound right here in my boat!” Did their thinking change when they saw Jesus reach out and save Peter? What must have been going through their minds as they watched Jesus and Peter walking on water back to the boat together? I know what I would have been thinking; “Daggum! I should have gone! Look at Peter!! He’s walking on water with Jesus! Why didn’t I get out of this stinkin’ boat??” Scripture says in Matthew 14:32-33, “And 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.” Scripture doesn’t say, but I would guess that Peter’s worship of Jesus that day and the worship from the disciples who never got out of the boat looked somewhat different. Peter worshipped Jesus because of what he knew and had experienced. The disciples in the boat worshipped Him because of what they had merely seen. Both were undoubtedly powerful experiences, but which experience do we want to have?
Aren’t we tired of boat-living? Watching others walk on water with Jesus, wishing it was us? What’s keeping us in our boats? Is it fear of sinking? Are we afraid that if we step out of our boats in faith that we will fail? Scripture says that Jesus “immediately” reached out His hand to Peter when he cried out to be saved. The only reason Peter began to sink is because he began to look at the wind and the waves instead of the One who made the wind and the waves! Girls, we never have to worry about sinking when we keep our eyes on Jesus. Don’t let fear of sinking keep you in the boat. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some serious water-walking in my life. I don’t want to reach the end of my life having never been wet or feeling the wind on my face. I want to praise Him because I know from experience what it is like to do the impossible, not because I watched Him do it with someone else while I stayed “safe” in my boat. Yuk! No more boat-dwelling for me. I want some water under my feet and some wind blown hair! How about you? Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus and get to walking! I double-dog dare ya to get out of the boat!