Pastor Stephen Dedman

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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.

Sing To The Lord

Encouragement, Trust

“I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.”
‭Psalms‬ ‭13:6‬

David expressed his joy by singing to the Lord. He was overwhelmed with joy from meditating on the fact that God had given him salvation. He knew he was saved and rejoiced in it. Singing to God increased his joy even more.

David used singing to overcome negative thoughts and emotions. When he felt depressed he would sing. If he felt burdened he sang to the Lord. Singing and praising the Lord was his way of coping with the difficulties he faced.

As David reflected on his life he couldn’t help but notice how good God was to him. God was always there for him no matter what he was facing. Do you have a reason to rejoice unto the Lord?

If you have received the free gift of salvation, you have a reason to sing. If you know your sins (past, present, and future) are forgiven, you have a reason to sing. If you know your eternal home is in Heaven, you have a reason to shout!

God gave us Jesus so we could rejoice and be glad. Jesus gives us hope for a bright future. When we think about how good God is and how good He has been to us it should put a song in our heart.

David began Psalm 13 with thinking that God had forgotten about him. He was feeling abandoned and all alone but by the last verse he was rejoicing and was glad.

When you are feeling down just meditate on the goodness of God. If you feel depressed or overwhelmed with despair think about what good things God has done for you. It won’t take long before your sorrow turns to joy.

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad today. Put a smile on your face and a song on your lips. Let others around you know how good God is. Let them join you in singing to the Lord.

Pray

Lord, thank you for giving me Jesus. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins. Thank you for giving me eternal life in Heaven.

Disguised As Harmless

Trust

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”
Matthew 7:15

The New Living Translation says it this way: “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.”

“Disguised as harmless” is a good description of what we see today. There are voices all around us that claim to speak God’s truth. But watch out, most of them are fake, false, and phonies.

Pay close attention to the voices you are listening to. Most importantly make sure you discern the voice of God. You can easily discern the voice of God when it aligns with the truth of the Scriptures.

God’s truth and word does not change and will not change. What He said 6000 years ago is still true today.

Sadly, there are bad people disguised as good people that claim to speak the truth. They tell you how to believe, what to do, what to say, how to vote, how to spend money, how to parent, etc… These voices sound good and look good but they are vicious wolves. Their intent is to devour.

Jesus warns us to make sure every voice we hear is supported with the authority of God’s Word. Does their message agree with the rest of the Bible? Does it point people closer to Jesus? That is why it is important to know what the Bible says to study it.

You have a responsibility to choose wisely who you listen to.

Pray

Lord, help me to discern who speaks in Your name. Let me speak truth and wisdom into others. Protect me and my sheep.