But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.
Although he doesn’t explicitly state he is the son of God in this exchange, it is enough for Peter to respond: Lord, if it is you…” I wonder why Peter didn’t distinguish immediately Jesus’ voice. As Christians, we will know Jesus’ voice and the more we mature, the more we become sensitive to distinguishing his voice from all the others: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
When we know who we are and whose we are, the stronger we can become to do the work of the kingdom and not fall into Satan’s snares. When we build our identities on the truth that we are sons and daughters of the king and heirs to the throne of God, we will be able to carry out the work of our Father, just like Jesus did. But when we build our lives on shifting circumstances (like raging waters) we will surely sink.
Peter believed Jesus was enough. Enough to come out into the water. Enough to walk towards. Enough to attempt the impossible. All because of one statement: “It is I. Do not be afraid.” But when we build our lives on the belief Jesus is not enough, this is when we get into trouble. Jesus in his compassion rescues us. But the more we practice allowing Jesus to be enough for us, the less we will sink, and the more opportunities we will have to proclaim the Gospel to the masses.
Where is your identity rooted?
If we want a life that defies limits, we need to know to whom we belong. We have to know Jesus is enough for us. Not only must we know it, we must believe that as well. We cannot live a limitless life if we build our identities on things that don’t matter. While God may choose to bless us with possessions and other benefits, this should not, and does not define who we are. We cannot be searching for approval in anything other than who God is.
Michelle S. Lazurek is a multi-genre award winning author, speaker, pastor’s wife and mother. She is a regular contributor for ibelieve.com and crosswalk.com and is a movie reviewer for Movieguide Magazine. She also is a literary agent for Wordwise Media Services. When not working, she enjoys sipping a Starbucks latte, collecting 80s memorabilia, and spending time with her family and her crazy dog, Cookie. For more info, please visit her website www.michellelazurek.com.
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