Keep Your Eyes on Jesus - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) July 25, 2023

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!