Timely Insights into God's Word from Khandielese Reyes

"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."

(Matt 14:22-33)

Before we begin this message, my friends, I'd like to make a special note to all that as you read the message, keep in mind, Even in the midst of a storm, if we keep our eyes on the Lord, we CAN tread upon the waters VICTORIOUSLY!

The beloved Apostle Peter learned the hard way, as many if not ALL have at times, that it is vitally important to keep our focus on the ANSWER and NOT the circumstance around us. There is a solution to every problem but as long as our focus is on the problem, we are unable to see the solution as the Apostle Peter discovered.

When the apostles set off for their journey that morning, they sailed with ease as the sea was still and the winds were calm. From the look of things, it appeared they would sail peaceably and safely to the other side without any interference or hindrances. But, as they were settling themselves and becoming comfortable with the sail, the circumstance around them suddenly changed dramatically. Out of no where and totally unsuspecting, there arose a turbulent storm. The winds began to roar and the huge waves began tossing the boat to and fro as if it were a toy. The apostles struggled helplessly and desperately to make it to shore to no avail. THROUGH THE STORM THEY SEE JESUS walking towards them on the water and become fearful assuming this to be a "spirit", but the gentle voice of the Lord sends assurance and confirmation that it was indeed Him.

Peter sees Him and he asks: "Lord, if it be thou, bid me to come unto thee on the water", and with a word the Lord instructs Peter to COME! Upon hearing the commandment of the Lord, Peter, with determination and eyes focus directly on the Messiah, begins to walk upon the waters himself towards his master. As long as he kept his EYES ON JESUS, Peter walked with no difficulty, no struggle at all. Although around him the sea was raging, yet, he still walked with determination to reach the comfort and the outstretched arms of his beloved Savior. But, suddenly Peter's attention shifts a bit. Upon seeing the winds and the waves crashing, he takes his eyes off the Master, and begins to focus on the storm. When he saw what was physically around him, he was overcome by fear and thus began to sink. The miracle of walking upon the waters was ripped away from him by DOUBT. For that brief moment when he took his eyes off the ANSWER and focused only on the surrounding circumstance, he lost his footing and began to sink.

When we as believers first began our journey, our walk with the Lord, much like the Apostles voyage, the sea began as calm. We arose with a song of praise as we sailed daily in peace and harmony, drawing closer to our Master. He taught us how to steer the boat by faith Through His Word, that we may stay on course and not become lost at sea. He sent a companion (The Holy Spirit) to sail with us so as to encourage us and keep our attention focused on Him. This companion gave us great comfort and as our spirits hungered, so he fed us. He taught us much about our Master, and the more we desired to learn of Him, the more He revealed. Daily we studied our Masters Love letters, His words of TRUTH, His words of INSTRUCTION, His words of PROMISE and were encouraged and strengthened by them. So whenever we came upon a minor storm, we sailed right through as we kept our eyes on Him, and His Word. Sailing then appeared to be easy………until we found ourselves in the midst of a hurricane.

Unlike the minor waves we experienced and encountered periodically throughout this journey, the waves now were huge, nearly toppling over our little boat of faith. However, our Helper, our Companion, Comforter and Teacher continue to remind us of our Master's promises, encouraging us to keep looking forward and not behind nor around us. Bringing life to our seed of faith with the watering of Gods Word, we begin to step out of the boat, to step out IN FAITH and start our walk upon the waters towards the promises of the Lord. We become aware that as we begin to walk, the storm becomes more violent. The waves crashing and beating against our flesh with a vengeance determined to knock us down, determined to push us off course. We try to remain focused seeing only the promise of victory on the other side. But, then the raging of the storm increases, even more violent are the winds than before. We feel weak and weary as the distance from where we are and to the promise seem so far away. (In the midst, we forget how CLOSE the promise truly is. It is very NEAR, in our Mouth and in our Heart.) Our legs become weak, our bodies feel bruised, and it's becoming seemingly difficult to take another step. So, there we STAND, in the midst of the turbulent storm. What we do next will determine Victory or Defeat.

If we turn around and begin to focus on the violence of the storm, if we become fearful and see ourselves as already defeated, if we take our eyes off the Master for but a moment, then we will surely lose our footing and begin to sink. However, if our eyes remain fixed upon HIM, if we exercise FAITH in HIS WORD, if we begin to CONFESS and SPEAK boldly to the storm, reminding IT and US of the PROMISE, if we TRULY BELIEVE, then even in the midst of the storm no matter how violent, we WILL have the VICTORY!

Beloved, although your legs may presently feel weak, your body beaten and bruised, and it may seem difficult to take another step forward towards the promise, JUST STAND, BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD! Remember to keep your eyes focused on HIM and when you can do nothing more, JUST STAND in FAITH, continue to STAND, and the promise will come to YOU!!

Without FAITH it is impossible to please Him.

Without FAITH we will surely sink.

In order to "Walk Upon The Waters" to the Promise, we MUST have FAITH!!!

I love you all so very much. Have a blessed week in the Lord and remember: Whatever we do, do ALL for the GLORY of GOD, who ALONE is worthy of the GLORY and the PRAISE!

The Lord be with you this day and always!  Shalom Uvracha (Peace and Blessings)…….. 

Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh,
Adonai Elohim Tzeva-ot
Asher Hayah Va-ho-veh VaY’vo

Holy, Holy, Holy
Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come!

May the peace of the Lord be with you today and always……

Khandielese
Daughter & Servant
   of the Lord God