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“Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,”he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31

It was the miracles of miracles.  

The first mass miracle took place in Decapolis, where between ten to fifteen thousand people were fed with two only fish and five loaves of bread.

I can only imagine the excitement as the multitudes watched the fish and bread multiply before their eyes. Yahweh Jireh, their Provider, fed the hungry in an unprecedented display of His glorious provision to the masses.

The disciples’ hearts must have overflowed with joy… and Pride.

After all, they were His selected men. The ones who were chosen to walk alongside the Christ.

As we read the text, it’s interesting to realize that, instead of allowing them to remain with the crowd a little longer, Jesus immediately “made” His disciples get into the boat, cross the sea and go to the other side ahead of Him, while He dismissed the crowd (v. 22).

I believe Jesus knew their hearts were swelling with pride for being part of Messiah’s inner circle. They needed to withdraw, get away from the accolades of men and the material substance of the miracle, regroup, and realize that He had come to give them much more than just daily bread.

He knew their faith needed more testing and they were about to get it.

Success and popularity have the power to excite us and make us start hoping for great things. The problem is that, though we hardly ever realize it, our hopes for spiritual victories too often include hopes for our own advancement. Therefore, after a season of miracles and supernatural blessings, God often pulls us out of the hype and excitement and sends us on to the next journey of testing, where we will realize that our faith must grow in the same proportion as our humility and dependence upon God and God alone.

After a season of miracles and supernatural blessings, God often pulls us out of the hype and excitement and sends us on to the next journey of testing, where we will realize that our faith must grow in the same proportion as our…
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It’s true – We see the bread before our eyes, and our faith grows within us. After all, we can touch it, taste it, feel it. The provision and deliverance are real. We can boldly shout to the world: He provides! He heals! He reigns!

But then, just as He did to the disciples, He takes us out of the material and sends us into the sea of the Unknown. In the dark hour, storms rise, and our boat tosses about.

Fear rises within us… And we forget.

The eyes which have seen the miracle are suddenly blinded by the darkness around.

The hands which touched Provision become restless.

The tongue which proclaimed the miracle can’t even pray.

We watch the winds and the waves raging at us, and we forget the grand miracle we just witnessed ashore.

In our distress, we see a ‘Ghost’ walking on the water, and we don’t even realize that it is He.

The One who just broke the bread and multiplied the fish… walks towards our situation and we don’t identify Him. The one who heard our heart’s cry… comes to our rescue in the night and we can’t recognize Him past the storm.

The One who just broke the bread and multiplied the fish… walks towards our situation and we don’t identify Him. The one who heard our heart’s cry… comes to our rescue in the night and we can’t recognize Him past the storm.
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Oh, how my heart understands Peter as he realizes it is Jesus who has come to their rescue.

How much I understand his reason to say, “Tell me to come to you on the water!”

He knows Jesus is his safety. He’s eager to believe. He thinks his faith to be strong. He trusts his heart not to wave.

So do we, Peter. So do we.

And yet, as our eyes veer from the Savior’s face and focus on the raging sea, our faith is tested once again; we forget the bread and the fish. The storm reveals our weakness…

And we sink.

And yet, as our eyes veer from the Savior’s face and focus on the raging sea, our faith tested once again; we forget the bread and the fish. The storm reveals our weakness… And we sink.
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Oh, Lord, my God, how I truly understand, that it doesn’t matter how many times we’ve watched you act, our feeble hearts so often betray what we know:

That even when You seem to have left us alone, You’re always there…

That all we have to do is call Your name… “LORD! Save me”

And hear You say:

“Take courage! It is I.

Don’t be afraid.

You can walk on water.

You can face the storm.

Because it is My omnipotent hand that calls you out of a life of little faith, to one that watches Me deliver, again and again.

Don’t trust your heart, child.

Just trust My hand.

I’ll pull you out of the icy, stormy waters.

And make them solid ground.

Because wherever I stand… you cannot sink.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” Isaiah 43:2

LINKUP PARTY opens on May 24 at 6 am!

Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

LINKUP is open! This week – an encouragement to those who feel the waters of trials taking over their lives. If Jesus is standing near, you are safe! Join us and share your blog!
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The post Wherever Jesus Stands, You Cannot Sink {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

“Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” New Testament: Matthew, Chapter 14.

It was the miracles of miracles at that point. Jesus’ first mass miracle took place in Decapolis, where he fed 10,000 to 15,000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread.

I can only imagine the excitement as the multitudes watched the fish and bread multiply before their eyes. “Yahweh Jireh,” (in Hebrew — God, the provider), fed the hungry in an unprecedented display of his glorious provision to the masses.

The disciples’ hearts must have overflowed with joy and also pride. After all, they were his 12 selected men — the ones chosen to walk alongside the Christ.

As we read the text, it’s interesting to realize that, instead of allowing them to remain with the crowd a little longer, scriptures say that Jesus immediately “made” the disciples get into the boat. He then instructed them to cross the sea and go to the other side while he dismissed the crowd.

I believe Jesus knew the disciples’ hearts were swelling with pride for being part of Messiah’s inner circle. Therefore, they needed to withdraw, get away from the accolades of men and the material substance of the miracle, regroup, and realize that he had come to give them much more than just daily bread. He knew that their faith needed refining, which would only come through testing. And they were undoubtedly about to get it!

Success and popularity have the power to excite us and make us greedier, hoping for more extraordinary, bigger and better things. The problem is that, though we hardly ever realize it, our hopes for spiritual victories too often include hopes for our own advancement. Therefore, after a season of miracles and supernatural blessings, God often pulls us out of the hype and excitement and sends us on to the next journey of testing, where we will realize that our faith must grow in the same proportion as our humility and dependence upon God.

After a season of supernatural blessings, God often pulls us out of the hype and excitement and sends us on to the next journey of testing, where we will realize that our faith must grow in the same proportion as our humility and…
Click To Tweet

It’s true. We see the bread before our eyes, and our faith grows. After all, we can touch it, taste it, feel it. The provision and deliverance are real! We can boldly shout to the world: He provides! He heals! He reigns!

However, it is sometimes right after we witnessed a miracle that God tests the strength of our faith. That is what happened to the disciples later that day.

Matthew continues the account: That evening, while standing on the boat, the disciples faced a storm. Jesus walked on water toward them, and they thought he was a ghost. But Peter, in his heart, knew it was the Lord:

“‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’

‘Come,’ he (Jesus) said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’”

Peter’s apparent weakness is well known to us.

God often takes us out of the comfort that the material blessings provide and sends us into the “Sea of the Unknown.” And as we enter the dark hour once again, storms arise, and our boat threatens to sink. Fear rises within us, and we forget.

Darkness suddenly blinds the eyes that saw the impossible. The hands that touched provision become restless. The tongue that proclaimed the miracle cannot even pray. We watch the winds and the waves raging and forget the grand miracle we just witnessed ashore.

Darkness suddenly blinds the eyes that saw the impossible. The hands that touched provision become restless. The tongue that proclaimed the miracle cannot even pray. We watch the winds and the waves raging and forget the grand miracle…
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My heart understands Peter as he realized that it was Jesus who had come to their rescue! I can fully grasp his reason to say: “tell me to come to you on the water!” He knows Jesus is his safety. He’s eager to believe. He thinks his faith to be strong and trusts his heart not to wave.

So do we, Peter. So do we.

And yet, as our eyes veer from the Savior’s face to focus on the raging sea, we forget the bread and the fish. The storm reveals our weakness… And we sink.

I genuinely get it. It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve watched God act; our weak hearts so often betray what we know: That even when God seems to have left us alone, he is always there. All we have to do is call out to him: “LORD! Save me,” and hear his steady voice whisper in the darkness:

“Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid: You can face the storm. Only do not trust your feeble heart, Child. Just trust my omnipotent hand to deliver you. I’ll pull you out of the icy, stormy waters and make them solid ground. Because wherever I stand, you cannot sink.”

“To trust God in the light is nothing, but to trust him in the dark — that is faith. ”― C.H. Spurgeon

To trust God in the light is nothing, but to trust him in the dark — that is faith. ― C.H. Spurgeon @AJC #MondayMotivation #MondayDevotional #CHSpurgeon
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This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, July 31, 2021. Click HERE to read it on the AJC’s website.

LINKUP PARTY opens on Wednesdays at 6 am!

Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

LINKUP is Open! This week, a fresh look into Jesus' first mass miracle invites us not to lose sight of God's unwavering power. JOIN US?
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The post When God Is Near, You CANNOT Sink {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Unemployment at an all-time low.

The stock market soaring to new heights.

We were buying. We were traveling. We were partying.

And then… we heard it.

The mysterious disease that swept through China, made way to Europe, and finally reached the Americas.

We watched the news with skepticism, praying a little for those affected across the ocean, because – let’s be honest – it did not affect our American way of life. Not then, anyway.

The Roaring 20’s

I heard it at Passion City Church on the first Sunday of the new decade – an allusion to the “Roaring Twenties” – a decade that started the exact same way, with much progress and prosperity, only to end in the Great Depression that impacted the country and the world for many years.

Is it Déjà vu?

Or is the Coronavirus and the quick decline of the world’s economies a sign of the End Times as described by the Savior on Matthew 24 and Luke 21?

To those speculating about God’s calendar for humanity (again), here is the only certainty: No.one.knows.

Not even Jesus knew the Father’s timeline for the end of the church age. (Matthew 24:26)

What we do know is that life as we know it has been interrupted. The boundaries of our comfort zone have been tightened. And even a walk in the park is now deemed as a threat to our common good.

Society is living “in the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, a place which lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge.”

The Twilight Zone.

But the heart of God’s children should not dwell in such an uncertain, undefined place. Our hearts should not be moved by what Fox News, CNN or the White House briefings offer us each day. Instead, we should anchor our souls in what we KNOW about our God.

The heart of God’s children should not be moved by what Fox News, CNN or the White House briefings offer us each day. Instead, we should anchor our souls in what we KNOW about our God.
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Our hearts should walk on water.

“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31

Jesus’ first mass miracle took place in Decapolis, where between ten to fifteen thousand people were fed with two fish and five loaves of bread. (Matthew 14:13-19)

I can only imagine the excitement, as the multitudes watched the fish and bread multiply before their eyes. Yahweh Jireh, their Provider, fed the hungry in an unprecedented display of His glorious provision to the masses.

The disciples’ hearts must have overflowed with joy… and Pride. After all, they were His selected men. The ones who were chosen to walk alongside the Christ.

And so, Jesus called the twelve to come out of their “roaring party” and get on a boat on what would soon become a stormy night. As they get on the boat and the deadly storm started raging, their hearts quickly forgot that they had just witnessed the impossible.

The storm was the Master’s instrument to test the caliber of their faith.

It happens to all of us – We see the bread before our eyes and our faith grows. After all, we can touch it, taste it, feel it. The provision and deliverance are real. We can boldly shout to the world: He provides! He heals! He reigns!

But then, just as He did to the disciples, He takes us out of the material and sends us into the sea of the Unknown. In the dark hour, storms arise and our boat tosses about.

Fear rises within… And our faith wavers.

The eyes that saw the impossible are suddenly blinded by the darkness around… or the deadly pestilence that He promised to protect us from (Psalm 91).

The hands that touched Provision become restless… even though He promised to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

The tongue that proclaimed the miracle can’t even pray… even though He promised that His eyes are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayers (1 Peter 3:12)

We watch the winds and the waves raging, and forget the grand miracle we just witnessed ashore…

In our distress, we see a ‘Ghost’ walking on the water, and we don’t even realize that it is He. The One who just broke the bread and multiplied the fish walks towards our situation, and we don’t even recognize Him.

As our eyes veer from the Savior’s face to focus on the raging sea, our faith tested once again, we forget the bread and the fish. The storm reveals our weakness…

And.we.sink.

As our eyes veer from the Savior’s face to focus on the raging sea, our faith tested once again, we forget the bread and the fish. The storm reveals our weakness… And.we.sink.
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Oh, Lord, my God! I truly understand it! It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve watched You act; our feeble hearts so often betray what we know:

That even when You seem to have left us alone, You’re always there…

That all we have to do is call out to You… “LORD! Save me!”

And hear Your sweet voice whisper in the darkness:

“Take courage!

It is I.

Don’t be afraid.”

Matthew 14:27

Could that be Your invitation – the very purpose for Your church in this storm?

Are you simply calling us from our comfortable homes and material safety to face the sea of uncertainty that surrounds us today with steadfast, unwavering, bold trust in You?

I believe so, Daddy. I do.

Help Your bride shine with unshakeable peace while everyone else trembles in fear. May our faith serve as a beacon of light for those who do not know Jesus, the Hope of Glory.

Help Your bride shine with unshakeable peace while everyone else trembles in fear. May our faith serve as a beacon of light for those who do not know Jesus, the Hope of Glory.
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May this crisis bend their knee in surrender. And as they do, help us stretch our arms in love, and guide them to the only source of everlasting peace and eternal hope.

Amen and amen.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” Isaiah 43:2

The post God’s Purpose for the Church in this Storm appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Passage: Matthew 14:22-34

“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,”he said, “why did you doubt?” v.31

It was the miracles of miracles at that point.

The first mass miracle took place in Decapolis, where between ten to fifteen thousand people were fed with two fish and five loaves of bread. I can only imagine the excitement, as the multitudes watched the fish and bread multiply before their eyes. Yahweh Jireh, their Provider, fed the hungry in an unprecedented display of His glorious provision to the masses.

The disciples’ hearts must have overflowed with joy… and Pride. After all, they were His selected men. The ones who were chosen to walk alongside the Christ.

As we read the text, it’s interesting to realize that, instead of allowing them to remain with the crowd a little longer, Jesus immediately “made” His disciples get into the boat, cross the sea and go to the other side ahead of Him, while He dismissed the crowd (v. 22).

I believe Jesus knew their hearts were swelling with pride for being part of Messiah’s inner circle. They needed to withdraw, get away from the accolades of men and the material substance of the miracle, regroup, and realize that He had come to give them much more than just daily bread.

He knew that their faith needed more testing… and they were about to get it.

Success and popularity have the power to excite us and make us start hoping for great things. The problem is that, though we hardly ever realize it, our hopes for spiritual victories too often include hopes for our own advancement. Therefore, after a season of miracles and supernatural blessings, God often pulls us out of the hype and excitement, and sends us on to the next journey of testing, where we will realize that our faith must grow in the same proportion as our humility and dependence upon God… and God alone.

It’s true – We see the bread before our eyes and our faith grows. After all, we can touch it, taste it, feel it. The provision and deliverance is real. We can boldly shout to the world: He provides! He heals! He reigns! But then, just as He did to the disciples, He takes us out of the material and sends us into the sea of the Unknown. In the dark hour, storms rise and our boat tosses about.

Fear rises within… And we forget.

The eyes that saw the impossible are suddenly blinded by the darkness around…

The hands that touched Provision become restless…

The tongue that proclaimed the miracle can’t even pray…

We watch the winds and the waves raging, and forget the grand miracle we just witnessed ashore…

In our distress, we see a ‘Ghost’ walking on the water, and we don’t even realize that it is He. The One who just broke the bread and multiplied the fish… walks towards our situation and we don’t recognize Him.
Click To Tweet

The One who heard our heart’s cry… comes to our rescue in the night and we can’t identify Him past the storm.

My heart understands Peter as he realizes that it was Jesus who has come to their rescue!! I understand his reason to say: “tell me to come to you on the water!” He knows Jesus is his safety. He’s eager to believe. He thinks his faith to be strong. He trusts his heart not to wave.

So do we, Peter. So do we.

And yet, as our eyes veer from the Savior’s face to focus on the raging sea, our faith tested once again, we forget the bread and the fish. The storm reveals our weakness…

And.we.sink.

Oh, Lord, my God! How truly I understand – that it doesn’t matter how many times we’ve watched You act, our feeble hearts so often betray what we know:

That even when You seem to have left us alone, You’re always there…

That all we have to do is call out to You… “LORD! Save me”

And hear Your sweet voice whisper in the darkness:

“Take courage!

It is I.

Don’t be afraid.

You can face the storm.

Only don’t trust your feeble heart, Child.

Just trust My omnipotent hand to deliver you. 

I’ll pull you out of the icy, stormy waters.

And make them solid ground.

Because wherever I stand… you cannot sink.

Not today. Not ever.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” Isaiah 43:2

Take courage! It is Jesus that calls you to walk on water. He'll make it a solid ground. For wherever He stands, you cannot sink.
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LINKUP PARTY opens at 6 am EST!

We are excited to announce the winner of last week’s Guest Blog contest! Next Wednesday, March 14th, Debbie Wilson will bless us with her blog post: “Dealing With Pesky Doubts About God’s Goodness.” You don’t want to miss it! Join Recharge Wednesday every week for a chance to be our Guest blogger on the second Wednesday of each month!

Now, here’s what you have to do to participate today:

1. Add your Link below.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

I'm recharging with @PatHolbrook . LINKUP PARTY is open to Christian Bloggers. Peter had just witnessed the impossible. So why could he not walk on water?
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The post Sinking in Fear and Doubt {Recharge Wednesday Linkup} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.