In Matthew 14, Jesus instructed Peter to walk upon the water and come meet Him a distance away. Peter got out of the boat, leaving the other disciples, and made his way to the Savior. The wind picked up, however, and Peter became scared. And for good reason, as he started to sink.
Can you imagine walking on water? Personally, it seems like an exciting feat to accomplish. I like to believe that even in the time of Jesus, the disciples were amazed to not only see Jesus standing on the water but to watch Peter walk out to Him. Certainly, Peter must have been excited as well. Alas, Peter couldn't hold onto that great victory - being the only other man to walk on water - for too long. Once the wind picked up, he took his gaze off Jesus and fear set in.
To be fair, Peter's experience is no different from what many of us go through. With the help of Jesus, many believers accomplish something astounding but then the devil shows up with a lie to suddenly make the victory rocky and possibly bring it to an abrupt end. Nobody should be surprised by this because satan comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). Its objective is to punk God's children out of their blessings and wins. It couldn't stop Peter from stepping out onto the water in faith but it kept him from getting to the finish line, thereby snatching complete victory from him.
God doesn't want any of us to falter the way Peter did. He wants us to keep our eyes on Jesus even when the wind picks up and makes it seem like our victory is rocky and might not happen. When the devil shows up and flings the weapons of its warfare at us such as the spirit of doubt, fear, and insecurity at us, we are to not to focus on the weapons. We're to focus on the source of our strength. We can't afford to take our eyes off Him. We need tunnel vision so we don't get thwarted on the way to complete victory.
This requires us to cultivate the habit of ignoring and challenging satan's lies (James 4:7). None of this is possible without listening and allowing the Lord to help us process our thoughts with His word. This, in turn, requires letting God fully prepare us for the challenges that seek to limit our victories. He knows the many ways the devil will attack and if we submit in humility, He will show us and teach us how to overcome.
By the grace of God, we shall guard our hearts and keep them guarded, for out of the heart stems all the issues of life. Our victory won't be corrupted by the enemy, IJN, Amen.
See you later at Noon EST for fellowship. God bless you!
CLOSING PRAYER
Father, thank You for reminding us that You want us to keep our eyes on You. We are to focus on You so we don't see or hear the fuss satan is making around us just to create confusion and steal what is ours at the last moment.
Thank You for being so mindful of each of us whereby You want us to be aware of such a possibility. Take all the glory, merciful God. Thank You for Your loving kindness and grace.
I pray over those who joined in fellowship today that Your continued grace will speak for them. I believe You will guide them in the way they are to go and I pray they will submit and walk on Your path of righteousness with their gaze firmly on Your Son, Jesus
Take all the praise, Almighty King. Be Thou glorified forever and ever, IJMN, Amen
LAST 10 MINUTES
The point of today's message was to remind us that even at the point of victory, satan can be waiting to whisper a lie. The sort of lie that brings confusion and can make you take your gaze off Jesus. Even a brief second of listening to that lie can destabilize you. Look at how the devil messed Eve up in the Garden of Eden.
If that happens to us, we just might fumble 'the bag' at the last possible moment. Then, satan will pick it up and give that glory that belongs to you, to its followers.
The devil is an expert at trying to make our blessings seem like burdens and we must fill our ears with God's words to blunt the effect of its lies. We need to be doggedly focused on Jesus so we don't "see the wind" when it kicks up, the way Peter did. That caused him to sink instead of keep walking on the water to Jesus.
We have to be very careful to let God guide us to the finish line and to let our focus be on the Lord once the victory is obtained. If not, we leave room for satan to come in and snatch what is ours.
In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, that shall not be our portion. We shall finish strong in the Lord, eyes set on His Son so we don't let go of anything the Lord has given to us, Amen.
Sharing a prayer from sis @Peacebstil from last year
Lord we lift up those seeking housing and new homes. We lift up those who are homeless and destitute. We lift up those seeking safety, protection, and shelter from the storms around them. Hear our prayers dear Savior, for we cast all of these issues and all cares onto You!
‘Heavenly Father in the Name of Jesus, we magnify you for being the One who sees and provides. We glorify you that you are a God of more than enough, and your blessings shall overtake us because we hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord our God. We are blessed in the city and blessed in the field, and in our households we shall worship the Lord our God all the days of our lives.
Father, you take immense pleasure in the prosperity of your children. We come to your throne of mercy and grace to ask and receive of new homes filled with all good things. Through wisdom is a house built, and we ask for wisdom for the acquiring of the lands, hiring of the builders and the prices of the lands are favorable for our households.
According to your Word, your plans are to prosper us and our families and give us a future filled with hope. As we seek your kingdom and your righteousness, we thank you that our homes will come to us quickly without any toil and we are clothed in your favor.
We thank you that you have given us peaceful habitations and plenty enough space to accommodate our families in a way that represents the Kingdom of God and your wealth. We are not anxious, worried or in fear because your perfect love has eliminated fear out of our lives.
Therefore, we stand in full faith that He who promised us new homes is faithful to bring it to pass. This is our confidence in your Word. We declare angels to go forth and open doors to acquire our new homes debt free, prime real estate that appreciates continually which fulfills the covenant that was made with Abraham by bringing him into a land to inherit it.
We forbid any demonic interference or delay upon the purchase of our new homes. Every negative word we silence, and every plant that the heavenly Father has not planted we rebuke, pull up, destroy every root, bind, and destroy all of it in the Name of Jesus! We now loose the power of God, the wisdom of God and the Blood of Jesus to be our defense and our exceedingly great reward.
We magnify our God for hearing and answering our prayers in the name of Jesus.
Amen!’
Heavenly Father, You are El Shaddai. The El Gibbor. Jehovah Sabaoth. You are Mighty in all ways. The God who makes the mountains tremble and brings the high things down low. Thank You, God.
Father, we live in a world where the devil boasted that it had power over all the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8-9). However, I thank You for Jesus told us satan's native language is lies and that Your word makes clear in Psalm 22:28 - for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.
Plus, Father, no matter what impact satan used to have, when Jesus came, He destroyed the works of satan (1 John 3:8). He made a mockery of any perceived power satan had, going into hell itself and coming out with the key. He declared in truth that He - and not the devil - had all authority over heaven and earth.
Therefore, I come boldly to Your throne to declare and hereby establish that the works of satan are destroyed. I proclaim that the devil and all that it represents is less than nothing in accordance with Your word in Isaiah 41:24. Nothing can usurp Your authority, God. Nothing can challenge Your might.
Psalm 2:4 - The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
As You scoff at the enemy and its ilk, send down Your fire. As You promised the enemy is turned to chaff. Let the gale carry them away (Isaiah 41:16). Hook them by the nose and the mouth, taking them to where they belong (2 Kings 19:28). Let them be terrified at their own sight. Let their own tongues turn against them and bring them to ruin (Psalm 64:8). Let them know Your power and Your zeal for those who believe in You (Isaiah 26:11). IJMN, Amen.
Lord, I prophecy over those who read this prayer that they shall experience Your peace. The peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). IJMN, Amen!
No matter what they are going through, they receive Godly clarity on their situation. They receive reassurance from You that the finish line lies ahead and though they fought for the win and the platform feels shaky, their victory is complete because You won the victory from the beginning. The lies of satan to make them think they need to come down are silenced, IJMN, Amen. They stand firm, faces fixed like flint, knowing that You wouldn't take them across the finish line, only to abandon them on a rickety podium. You are right there with them. You the God who promised to not leave Your children until You have fulfilled Your promises to them (Genesis 28:15). Promises that span generations and eras. Hallelujah!
When I only see in part
I will prophesy Your promise
I believe You God
Cause You finish what You start
I will trust You in the process
I believe You God
PRAYER TIME
At this point of fellowship, we always share a prayer (or two or three or more) for other people.
Did you see something happen on the news that rankled you? Lift the issue up to God as a prayer point and ask Him to solve the problem.
Do you have a friend going through a tough time? Call on God to help them. Speak a blessing over the person.
People love to imagine superheroes and watch them on screen, but as an intercessor who zealously prays for people, God gives You His power and His words to make things better for people.
Pray for somebody today.
God thank You for divinely orchestrating my day and keeping me out of trouble
Lord, we hail You.
Lord, we worship You.
You are the beginning and the end.
Almighty.
The One who knows all and sees all.
Your might and power are forever.
Glory be to Your holy name!
Thank You for constant protection. Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He who roars for me and mine. Thank You for always standing guard.
To have the King of the Universe watching over us at all times...I am grateful, Lord!
From CX - My heart was so hungry for this word from God. Keep my eyes on Jesus. Amen, amen, amen.
Lord, I want to thank You for the safe procedures my loved ones had recently. Thank You for choosing the doctor and sending us to someone You selected. You guided the hands of the doctor and the medical team. Every step of the way, Lord, You were there! Even down to the pharmacist. You covered the roads so all drove to and from safely. You kept the weather perfect so nothing acted as an impediment.
Even when the enemy tried to make things complicated, You made sure Your favor spoke. The blood of the Lamb kicked in and put the enemy to shame.
God, I thank You! For Your mercies, I am too grateful. For Your enduring love, I will never be able to praise You enough. Yet, I bow down to honor You. I place my knees on the ground to worship You in reverence and with awe.
Thank You, my King!
Thank You Father! Already this week, You have shown great kindness and favor.
What I thought was an issue was absolutely nothing at all.
Thank You for being so gracious. Thank You for being there and never leaving me hanging.
All glory be to You now and always, IJN, Amen!
PRAISE TIME
It is common nowadays to hear people speak about giving a person their roses. It's a euphemism that means the person deserves accolades and should receive them.
Well, God deserves much more than proverbial roses. Because of Him there is breath in your lungs, blood flowing through your veins. Because of Him, the things that could have taken you out didn't manage to do so.
Because of Him, you have tomorrow and the day. You can have hope and an expectation of His goodness and mercy working things out for you and those you care for.
How about we worship the Lord God Almighty and give Him great praise!
Make a joyful noise for our Heavenly Father, folks!
From M22 - Thank you Lord for another P and P. I give you all the glory Abba. Your ways are not ours.
From EC - Amen and good morning ladies!
From C - Lord we want to welcome You into this place, we are grateful to call you our wonderful God, an everlasting presence in our lives, we bless your name. We thank you in advance for all the miracles, prayers answered, hearts comforted and needs met. Lord there’s no one like You. We pray that we do not leave this place the same, but we are transformed by you and your grace.
IJN Amen
From C - I’ll be worshipping and praying from the library unfortunately I have to be in school this summer to pass my classes so I can go into the next step and begin the work for my thesis. The devil tried it with impostor syndrome, fear and anxiety of exams But God!!!
Coming from where I come from and all my lacks the Lord still held me up.
I had racist professors and classmates who refused to help me and to work with me But God! In it all through it all He has been my strength
From AW - Hello Peppers! I won't be joining live today. I am preparing for a job interview I have this afternoon. This is my fourth interview with the company and hopefully the last!
But anyway, @FFJ thanks for all you do!
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Father God, thank you for your faithfulness. Please help me keep my eyes fixed on you. Work with me to turn my attention toward you on all things. I put my family and confidence in you right now. IJMN, Amen!
From C - Praise the Lord for this community of Praise & Prayer, it is a blessing to fellowship with you guys an answered prayer in my search for community.
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
Romans 15:4 NIV