Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Faith

Faith Leads To Action

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew‬ ‭16:16‬

What we choose to do and say today proves what we believe to be true about Jesus. Our faith in Jesus speaks louder than words. If our faith is weak, our life choices reflect it.

Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:13‬) He wasn’t asking this question because He didn’t know the answer, instead He was asking to make the disciples think.

So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?””‭‭ (vs.14-15‬) Then Peter responded with the most profound statement of his life. “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”

Jesus asked this question while in the distance behind him was a landscape of false gods and idol worship. Caesarea Philippi was a region that was said to be the birthplace of the god Pan, the god of nature. There was also a temple built of white marble to the godhead of Caesar.

It was if Jesus intentionally sat against the background of various religions and demanded the disciples to declare Him as the One True God. And that is exactly what Peter did.

We have the same opportunity today. In your backdrop of life is a mixture of idols and false gods that compete with Jesus Christ. And it is as if Jesus is demanding for you to proclaim that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. You may not say the words but your actions prove what you believe.

We can look at our bank account ledger and notice what we believe to be most important in our life. The way we spend money and what we spend money on prove to be a major factor of what is most important.

We can say with words that Jesus is the One True God but the way we live out our faith is what matters most. Are you living our your faith in Jesus Christ? Do you trust Him to be your One True God? Do you serve Christ in a way that points others to Him? Let’s be like Peter and declare that Jesus is the Son of the Living God.

Pray

Lord, I believe in You as the One True God. Remove any and all idols that stand in the way of serving you only. I trust You and know you are in control of all things.

Focussed On Jesus

Faith, Trust

So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
Matthew‬ ‭14:29

Immediately after Jesus fed the 5,000 men, He instructed the disciples to get into the boat and go to the other side of the lake. Jesus dismissed the crowds and then went up top of a mountain to pray.

As the disciples were rowing through the night, Jesus came walking up to the boat, walking on the water.

Imagine for a moment how frightened you would be if you were in the boat that night. Jesus comes walking on the water, defying all laws of logic and science. How could it be?

Peter was so intrigued that he wanted to experience what no man has ever been able to do and walk on water. Peter fully seized the moment and truly wanted to be part of the miracle. And for a few moments, he walked on water.

Here is the point. Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. The other disciples had it in their mind that they couldn’t do it. They had doubt. Peter never doubted that he could walk on the water until he took his focus off of Jesus. And when he began to sink Jesus asked him, “why did you doubt?”

There are many things we could do in this life if we could eliminate all doubt. The reason why we can’t walk on water is because we doubt. The reason why we don’t experience great miracle moments of our own is because we have doubt.

Sin causes us to doubt. Sin poisons our minds. It produces seeds of doubt that voids our faith. Is it possible to have so much faith that we could walk on water?

If Peter would have kept his eyes on Jesus he wouldn’t have started to sink. Peter’s focus turned from Jesus back to human logic and reasoning as he saw the wind and waves. If we want to experience mighty miracles we must remove all doubt. The only way to remove doubt is to keep our focus on Jesus.

Anytime we take our focus off of Jesus we allow doubt and fear to creep into our minds. So the more we stay focused on Jesus the less doubt and fear we experience. It sounds simple but we have so many things that distract us from focusing on Him.

Pray

Lord, remove my distractions and keep me focused on You. I desire to experience Your wonderful presence. Help me to have no doubt.

Living In Hope

Faith, Trust

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
‭‭I Peter‬ ‭1:3‬

Are you dwelling in the living hope of Jesus Christ? We have hope through Jesus’ death and resurrection because he defeated sin on the cross. Jesus’ last words on the cross were, “It is finished.” His final words give us a living hope only found in Him.

The hope that we have is based upon the fact that Jesus is coming back soon. When Jesus comes all things will be made new. This earth will be dissolved and a new earth will be created for our good. Until Jesus comes back we patiently wait for the glorious day to appear.

Some days we let the worries of the world get the best of us. We sit and sour over things that sometimes are meaningless. If we dwell in the living hope of Jesus our mindset will give us a positive outlook on life. Our hope in Jesus will give us courage to face opposition of the enemy. And our assurance of Jesus’ return will Make for a great anticipation of good things to come.

Until the day Jesus comes back we honor and praise His wondrous name. We live our life in a way that brings glory to God. We set ourselves apart from evil and resist the devil. We live every day like it is our last day here. We desire to hear Jesus say, “good and faithful servant.”

You may be faced with a dilemma today but rest assured in the blessed hope of Jesus. He will see you through to the end. It may not be the outcome you were expecting but God has a purpose and a plan just for you. Will you trust in His blessed hope today?

Pray

Lord, thank you for giving me hope and assurance. I praise you and honor you for who you are. As I go through this day, help me to see what you have in store for me.