John Belt: How God's Promise Works in Your Life - Peter was the Only Disciple to Step onto Water

Partakers of His Divine Nature
2 Peter 1:4 By which He (God) has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
Many times people are disillusioned when they feel God has given them a promise and it has not yet come to pass. But with every promise there is a response. Just as promise comes through revelation, God opening our eyes to what He desires to do, there is the accompanying response that is required of us.
With a lack of response there is no fulfillment. Hope deferred makes the heart sick (see Proverbs 13:12). God wants us to know how faithful He is. He desires us to see the fulfillment of the dreams He has given us. When you look in the actual Greek meaning of the verse above (see also 2 Peter 1:4), it actually refers to us being "divine participants, communioners (by the vehicle of communion – from the root word KoinOnoi), partaking of God's nature through the promises of God."

The Seed of Revelation

When the Holy Spirit shows us promise concerning things surrounding our lives, it comes by revelation. God gives us light to see. That revelation is a seed. Just as a seed needs to be watered to grow, so we need to water these seeds of promise with our prayers. Throughout the process, prayer is required to keep things moving in the direction of promises fulfilled. This requires patience on our part. God brings forth maturity in our hearts through this process. This is why we are encouraged not to lose heart. This does not mean that it takes forever to see promises fulfilled, but it does take some time, differing according to the promise. We can expedite God's promises through our response, pursuit, and actions.

Activation Through Response

When we have received the seed of revelation concerning God's promises, we now have an opportunity to respond in some way that gets us "out of the boat."
Matthew 14:28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
Just as when Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, as His eyes were opened to the event, Jesus gave Him an invitation to get out of the boat. Peter did what he knew to do. He took a step out on the water. He went some distance. Taking His eyes off the Lord, he began to slip, but Jesus was still there to meet Him and lift Him up. Peter's response was not perfect, but, unlike any other disciple, Peter was the only disciple with the faith and obedience to get out of the boat and step purposely onto water!
Sometimes in our own minds we justify waiting in the boat, not realizing it is just our natural mind wanting to know every detail. Thinking to ourselves, "Well, maybe I ought to just sit in the boat a little bit longer – after all, we want to have wisdom." Do you think Peter did that? No. He got out of the boat of his comfort zone before his natural feelings could jump in to dictate the next step.
Our spirit man does not need to have everything figured out. Faith is the substance that gets us out of the boat. Be encouraged to seek God on how to get out of your boat. Because once we do all that we know to do in response to God's promise, the Lord comes through for us. God gives us promises. Some have time slots of fulfillment, and others are without time frames just waiting for our response.
Without faith it is impossible to please God. We are not allowed to simply wait for something to happen. I heard it said by someone who had seen many experience supernatural weight loss (i.e. people losing tons of weight suddenly in a ministry meeting, etc), "The people were already actively pursuing their goal, God just showed up to finish the job!"

God Meets Us On The Water

Jesus met Peter on the water. This was the place of faith. Peter experienced something that none of the other disciples experienced because he was willing to take a step. Is it any coincidence that it was Peter who was used to preach at Pentecost? Although Peter had done some presumptuous things, he also found the groove through his persistence, mixed with shortcomings.
God's grace meets us and brings promises to pass in our lives. If it was about us doing everything perfect we would never make it. Find the place of faith where you respond to what God has shown you. Seek God about the proper response through communion, prayer, fasting, and worship. Then do all you know to do. It may not look exactly like the perfect response, but God will meet you on the water to help you get there.
John & Brandi Belt
Overflow Global Ministries
Email: office@overflowglobal.com
Website: overflowglobal.com