Matthew 14:22-33 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
In the passage above, the Word of God tells us about what Peter did in the middle of a storm. When all the disciples were in fear, thinking they were going to die, he did something out of the ordinary: he challenged his own faith in God.
That night when Jesus came walking on the waters, Peter dared to challenge his own faith by doing what seemed impossible—walking on water.
One of the most difficult areas for every Christian is the area that I mention today, because it goes against our human nature, and because it is not easy. But at the same time, whoever does it, truly lives, and enjoys a level of Christianity different from others.
To challenge one's faith is to take a spiritual step out of our comfort zone and the flesh, so that we can see God work miraculously.
The reason the church is in such short supply of miracles today, is that Christians have stopped daring to challenge their faith in order to see God do something miraculous.
2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight:
We must understand that as Christians, we will never go forward if we are not willing to challenge our faith. Let me remind you of those who challenged their faith and were able to see great things from God:
✓ David vs. Goliath -- While everyone was afraid to risk or challenge their faith, to defeat the giant Goliath, David challenged his faith and won.
✓ Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego – They would never have seen Christ in the middle of the burning fire if they had knelt before the golden statue. They took a risk, challenged their faith, and didn’t die in the fiery furnace.
✓ Daniel in the Lions’ Den – Daniel would never have seen God close the mouths of the lions if he had not challenged his faith and remained faithful to God despite the edict.
Hebrews 13:8 reminds us of a tremendous truth by telling us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."
Let me give you three things that we must understand if we want to move forward in our Christian life:
1. We will never experience miracles of God if we don’t start challenging our faith. The Christian who challenges his faith learns not only to live by faith but also to see God work.
Dare to challenge your faith.
· Do something for God that has no human explanation, but only heavenly.
· Do something for God that takes God coming and doing it, not you.
· Get out of your comfortable life and go on an adventure with God by your side to see what God can do.
2. The Christian who dares to challenge his faith proves that the Word of God is true. That is the reason why God does not do extraordinary or supernatural things in our lives, it is because we want God to work, without us challenging our faith.
Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
3. We need to understand that fear and comfort are what stop us from seeing God’s miracles.
God used David to defeat Goliath because the others were afraid, but God would have used anyone who would have stood up.
Fear and comfort are the biggest reasons Christians have not experienced God’s miracles in their lives. Try God by challenging your faith, and you will see what He can do.
